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United Kingdom

High Court (England and Wales): unqualified employees cannot conduct litigation under the Legal Services Act 2007; supervision cannot authorise; urgent SRA guidance; significant costs, legal aid, training and AI impacts

Published on: 29 September 2025

Published by a Law360 reporter
Legal News
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Article summary

The High Court ruled earlier in September 2025 that unqualified employees cannot conduct litigation, even under the supervision of a qualified lawyer

The High Court’s early September 2025 ruling bars unqualified staff from conducting litigation, even when overseen by a qualified lawyer. The move has unsettled the legality of passing litigation tasks to paralegals and trainees. Victoria Morrison-Hughes, managing director of Integral Legal Costs and vice-chair of the Association of Costs Lawyers, cautioned that the sector is gripped by significant fear, as everyday working practices could now breach the law and leave both employers and employees at risk of committing a criminal offence. She noted the impact is already being felt across the industry, with widespread and growing concern.

The decision of 16 September 2025 arose from a dispute between Charles Russell Speechlys LLP and clients Julia Mazur and Jerome Stuart, after the pair failed to settle a £54,000 bill. Mazur and Stuart challenged the validity of a claim issued by Goldsmith Bowers Solicitors, instructed by Charles Russell to recover the debt, arguing that the employee conducting the litigation should not have been handling the case because he was not qualified...

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