16% increase in court appearances by FTSE 100 companies

Court appearances by FTSE 100 companies has increased by 16% over the past year according to new research from Sweet & Maxwell.

From June 2009 to June 2010 there were 179 cases across the Court of Appeal, Queen’s Bench and Chancery Division, compared to 154 in the previous year.

Interestingly the study showed that financial services companies accounted for over half of High Court cases with the big four UK banks being the most frequently involved.  The report states, “Banks are likely to feature frequently in hard-fought litigation by virtue of the huge volume of complex financial transactions that they are involved with”.

“This rise in court appearances by the FTSE 100 suggests that the inevitable flood of litigation following the economic downturn has yet to peak”.

Careful consideration needs to be applied when making decisions regarding litigation support. Although many commercial disputes are settled out of court through mediation or arbitration, the increase in litigations being fought in court means that expert witness testimony may be crucial. Strengthen your case by ensuring your digital forensic and eDisclosure experts are courtroom trained and have experience in court.