Corporate Litigation Developments Affecting In-House Counsel

Introduction

Corporate litigation presents significant financial, operational, and reputational risks. In-house counsel must stay alert to litigation trends, procedural developments, and evolving dispute resolution strategies to manage disputes effectively. This session provides a focused overview of corporate litigation developments and explores how in-house teams can manage disputes proactively, control costs, and align litigation strategy with wider business objectives.

What You Will Learn

This live and interactive course will cover the following:

• Current trends in corporate and commercial litigation: Understand the key dynamics shaping litigation activity in the UK and internationally, including trends such as declining High Court commercial filings as more disputes settle early or move to ADR
• Procedural developments impacting dispute management: Explore recent civil procedure rule changes and pilots designed to streamline litigation and encourage earlier resolution. Significant reforms embed ADR into the civil justice system, broaden judicial powers to order mediation
• Litigation risk assessment and early strategy: Learn how to conduct a robust risk assessment at the outset of a dispute, incorporating emerging issues like collective actions, AI-related claims, and commercial contract complexity. Learn when and how to evaluate merits, costs, settlement value, and reputational impact, so legal teams are well-positioned to advise executive stakeholders and drive early strategic decision-making
• Managing external counsel and litigation budgets: Gain practical insight into working effectively with external firms - setting clear scopes of work, aligning fee arrangements (e.g. phased or blended fees), and instructing counsel with a focus on proportionality and outcomes
• Alternatives to litigation, including ADR: Detail the practical rise of ADR as a mainstream dispute resolution pathway - not just ‘alternative’. This includes mediation, expert determination and arbitration, courts’ increased ability to mandate ADR, and key procedural amendments reinforcing early settlement incentives

Recording of live sessions: Soon after the Learn Live session has taken place you will be able to go back and access the recording - should you wish to revisit the material discussed.