Michael Cross

1 week ago | lawgazette.co.uk | Michael Cross

The lord chancellor today entered the continent-wide debate over the future of the European Convention on Human Rights by calling for 'a shared political endeavour' of reform. In a speech in Strasbourg, Shabana Mahmood said that, while the UK is 'resolutely committed' to the 1950 convention, 'the trust of the public is beginning to erode as the application of rights feels out of step with common sense'.

1 week ago | lawgazette.co.uk | Michael Cross

Generative AI could take on a wide range of judicial tasks - but is a long way from replacing human judges, according to the first report on the sitting judiciary's attitudes to the technology. The academic study proposes a randomised trial of AI technology to generate more data about its effectivness. The study*, published today, is based on focus‑group discussions with a cross-section of 12 judges, including five members of the Supreme Court.

1 week ago | lawgazette.co.uk | Michael Cross

A professor of law whose bid to lead a collective action against tech giants Amazon and Apple was rejected by the court has been ordered to pay costs of more than £3 million to the would-be defendants. Consumer law specialist Professor Christine Riefa of the University of Reading was the proposed class representative in a £500m claim on behalf of victims of alleged anticompetitive practices over the sale of Apple products on the Amazon marketplace.

2 weeks ago | lawgazette.co.uk | Michael Cross

Litigation funder Innsworth Capital has opened a new front in its fight to increase its share of the landmark Mastercard collective litigation settlement by applying for a judicial review. The application to the High Court says the Competition Appeal Tribunal erred in law last month when it approved a £200m settlement between class representative Walter Merricks and Mastercard in a claim originally valued at £14bn.

2 weeks ago | lawgazette.co.uk | Michael Cross

An economic study suggesting that the explosion in collective litigation could cost UK economy £18 billion by undermining industrial innovation and deterring investment is the latest contribution to the debate on litigation funding. The study published today, The Impact of Increased Mass Litigation in the UK, was carried out by Brussels free-market thinktank European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) and funded by industry lobby group Fair Civil Justice.