Fresh from the mauling the Chilcot inquisitors suffered recently at the hands of Tony Blair, the former PM would doubtless wish to offer a similarly spirited and robust defence of his 1996 speech when campaigning for the return of a Government of New Labour, in which he asserted that the three main priorities for government… Read More: Education, education, errm… »
In a judgement dated 26th January 2010 and running to more than 500 pages [BSkyb Ltd & Anor v HP Enterprise Services UK Ltd & Anor (Rev 1) [2010] EWHC 86 (TCC) (26 January 2010)] Mr Justice Ramsey accepted one of the five main claims by BSkyB against EDS in their long running dispute. As… Read More: Sky in the pie, EDS burns fingers »
Ingenuity is the most remarkable human trait. Without it, we would not have discovered how to make fire, how to fashion tools and how to manufacture things useful to our everyday lives. We learned to stand on our hind legs which made life easier for our ancestors. We can also invent things which make our… Read More: Sticks and snails and shaggy dog’s tales »
A recent US case of a law firm suing a client contains a salutary lesson. Debevoise & Plimpton had sued former client Candlewood for $6million in unpaid legal fees and found itself facing “an answer and counterclaim” seeking damages of $55million! [Ex-Debevoise Client Raises Nasty Counterclaims in Unpaid Bills Case, The American Lawyer, 14 January,… Read More: David and Goliath »
Two matters caught my eye last weekend which I would like to share with readers of this blog. The first was the announcement that former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, will give evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry on January 29th 2010. In particular, the former PM will face questions about his government’s use of intelligence which… Read More: Weapons of Mass Discovery »
Each of us will recognise a seminal moment in our personal and professional lives. In our personal lives these moments often relate to family: the birth of a child, a wedding or the death of a close family member or friend. In our professional lives as lawyers it may be the day you qualify, the… Read More: Motherhood and apple pie »
Key recommendations from the Review of Civil Litigation Costs Final Report of Lord Justice Jackson, published 14th January, 2010 A resumé of the key recommendations may be found on page 463 of the 584 page report [click here to view the report in PDF format]. However, here is a selection of the most important ones: Success… Read More: Jackson: key recommendations »
At approximately 3pm on Wednesday October 26th 1881, a gun battle took place in Tombstone, Arizona involving the legendary Earp brothers and “Doc” Holliday. The fact that the fight did not actually take place in the OK Corral did not prevent it becoming known by that name nor does it detract from its notoriety even… Read More: Gunfight at the OK Corral »
Gang aft agley? The last three words of this quotation from To A Mouse by Robert Burns may be better known in the Anglicised version of “often go awry”, but the point is clear. The poem is also widely known for its first line describing the mouse as the “wee sleeket cowrin’ tim’rous beastie” but events… Read More: The best laid schemes of mice and men gang aft… »
Let me remind you of the hoary old statistic often trotted out, namely that some 90% of corporate documentation is now created electronically rather than on paper, and over 90% of that is NEVER turned into paper. Whether the statistics are accurate or not, there can be no doubt that vast amounts of information are… Read More: It’s the strategy, stupid! »