Updates and Briefing Papers

Recent developments in Automated Vehicles Legislation in UK

• FOIL

The UK has been making significant strides in automated vehicle legislation, which will have a profound impact on the future of insurance. The government is set to bring forward an Automated Vehicles Bill, paving the way for the use of self-driving vehicles.

Case Spotlight – Paul, Purchase and Polmear

• FOIL

Paul and another (Appellants) v Royal Wolverhampton NHS trust (Respondent); Polmear and another (Appellants) v Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (Respondent); Purchase (Appellant) v Ahmed (Respondent) [2024] UKSC 1

Discount Rate Update

• FOIL

This further Call for Evidence by the Ministry of Justice is intended to assist the PIDR Expert Panel in the process of obtaining up-to-date data and information on a wide range of topics relevant to modelling claimants’ likely return on investment.

Serious Injury Guide

• FOIL

The APIL/FOIL Guide to the Conduct of Cases Involving Serious Injury (the Serious Injury Guide) was developed following years of collaborative work between APIL, FOIL and a number of major insurers.

Sports SFT Roundtable write up

• FOIL

When it comes to insuring for first party sports injuries and medical expenses for professional sports, it is important to understand the respective needs of those clubs and teams as well as the coverage available.

The European Commission’s proposed revision of the Package Travel Directive

• FOIL

Last week the European Commission proposed reform of the Package Travel Directive from which the United Kingdom’s Package Travel Regulations are derived.

Including claimant data on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines

• FOIL

Guideline Hourly Rates for 2024 published

• FOIL

The Master of the Rolls has confirmed that he has accepted the recommendations of the Civil Justice Council’s 2023 Costs Review.

Bullying and Harassment at work: the new framework

• FOIL

Historically in England and Wales there is no freestanding legal claim for bullying that employees can bring to the Employment Tribunal.

The use of Generative AI by defence lawyers – Capability and Culpability

• FOIL

This remarkable webinar was sponsored by the Canadian Defence Lawyers and FOIL, with talks presented by Professor Richard Susskind (OBE),KC (Hon), the world’s most cited author on the future of legal services and President of the Society for Computers and Law, and Maura R. Grossman J.D., Ph.D., Research Professor at the University of Waterloo and Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, and a globally recognized expert on electronic discovery and AI.

Master of the Rolls announces Guideline Hourly Rates to rise in January 2024

• FOIL

At the Civil Justice Council’s National Forum, its annual conference, the Master of the Rolls announced that he accepts in full the recommendations made in a Civil Justice Council Costs Review published May 2023 which proposed annual increases to the solicitors’ guideline hourly rates (GHRs).

Who knows where autonomous vehicles are going?

• FOIL

0n 31 October 2023, FOIL hosted an event at the London offices of Kennedys’ titled “Who knows where autonomous vehicles are going?” We were joined by three speakers: Jamie Hodsdon (OXA); Niall Edwards (Kennedys) and Tom Leggett (Thatcham Research).