As Covid-19 continues to wreak havoc, many countries face both an economic and a health crisis. But for Turkey, the concept of crisis is nothing new: it has long been part of everyday life. The current malaise, which predates the pandemic, has its origins in the attempted coup of 2016 and the government’s authoritarian response: …
After delivering his keynote address at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, President Trump immediately left to catch the plane home. En route to Air Force One, every bridge crossing the highway on which his limousine passed was closed, doing everything to sweep aside potential delays to his exit. Yet despite being the world’s …
Continue reading “A very clear shift – Remaking the Swiss economy”
Cumulative cuts to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) budget over the past decade, amounting to 40% in total, have had a profound impact on the UK’s publicly funded legal system. One corollary is that there are too few senior judges. First and foremost, this is because insufficient candidates of quality have applied to become a …
Continue reading “‘Serious loss of morale’: The recruitment crisis at the bench deepens”
As the forum of choice for international litigants, London continues to enjoy an unparalleled reputation for high-value dispute resolution. The quality of justice delivered by its commercial courts is underpinned by the calibre of specialist independent judges and the lawyers that work in them. But beyond the courtroom door, a diverse range of specialist litigation …
Continue reading “Litigation support – The right-hand men (and women)”
Criminal investigations aside, the rise of cyber crime and forum shopping means the UK is a perennially popular location for resolving civil fraud disputes. Dominic Carman reports According to the Crime Survey for England and Wales, fraud offences now constitute nearly half of all recorded crime. Last year they increased by 9% to breach the …
Post Brexit, HMRC is renewing its litigation focus on corporate tax evasion, enhanced by new powers to investigate corporate criminal offences. Dominic Carman reports Like stargazing through a telescope, tax disputes look back in time. The typical gestation period between issues first catching HMRC’s attention and a dispute reaching court can take up to five …
Continue reading “Market Report: Tax Litigation – Introducing the hard line”
Despite efforts to minimise the level of construction disputes, adjudication, litigation and arbitration are all flourishing. Dominic Carman reports While there are many relevant statutes and a significant body of case law, construction disputes benefit from having a single overarching piece of legislation: the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, commonly known as the …
Continue reading “Market Report: Construction – Building a case”
With global hubs fighting to attract big-ticket IP disputes, the London courts are facing a tougher challenge than they are used to. Dominic Carman reports IP litigation continued apace in 2019 with a multiplicity of disputes. ‘Unlike everything else in relation to Brexit, certainly in the life sciences space and in patent litigation, things carried …
Continue reading “Market Report: Intellectual Property – A delicate balance”
On paper at least, history will show that 2019 was a very good year. Encouraged by sustained low interest rates, declining trade policy uncertainty and diminished fears of an economic slowdown, US stock markets led the way: the S&P 500 ended the year up 28% and the Nasdaq 35%. Meanwhile, the Europe-wide STOXX 600 increased …
Continue reading “Global offshore – Stick or twist for the sector’s leaders”
A century on from Atatürk’s proclamation that the republic would be ‘happy, prosperous and victorious’, the founder of modern Turkey would today find his vision being questioned. In 2016, a failed coup left over 300 people dead. During the mass detentions that followed, nearly 2,500 judges were arrested. Within two years, Turkey’s credit bubble had …
