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03 May 2024 / Mary Young
Issue: 8069 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Fraud
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Smoke & mirrors in the world of fraud litigation

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A cautionary tale from Mary Young, showing that anyone can be duped—including lawyers
  • A discussion of Verdi Law Group PC v BNP Paribas [2023], in which the claimant law firm fell for a scam.
  • Firms need to be more cautious than ever in all their dealings—when agreeing to act, taking instructions and verifying client account details.

It is not uncommon for solicitors’ firms to be parties to litigation (as opposed to representing parties to litigation), even if breach of contract and/or negligence claims are disregarded. In recent years we have seen Dechert brought into the proceedings involving its former client, giving rise to wide-ranging decisions about issues such as the iniquity exception to privilege.

There was a spate of claims involving solicitors’ firms between 2012 and 2014 relating to property hijack cases, where solicitors had inadvertently been involved in fraud relating to the sale and purchase of real estate, where the purported vendor was an imposter who had stolen the identity of the genuine owner of the property. The combined appeals of P&P Property and Dreamvar

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal expands Midlands residential development team

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes

NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
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