Legal expertise is just the beginning

Kennedys is a specialist national and international legal firm with unrivalled expertise in litigation and dispute resolution. We have over 900 people globally, across nine UK and seven international locations. Our lawyers provide a range of specialist legal services for many industries including: insurance/reinsurance, healthcare, construction, employment, rail sectors, maritime and international trade - with a particular focus on dispute resolution and litigation.

Kennedys is a top 50 law firm. We are regarded as leaders, not just because we have some of the most respected legal minds in their field - but because we know it's important to be practical, commercial and approachable. We give clear legal advice. That means:

Of course we care about the law but we're also here to make your life easier by making the law make sense for your business. We call this:

Legal advice in black and white

Kennedys’ Liability Update - Limitation issues in abuse claims
Our latest liability e-update concerns the Court of Appeal’s decision in relation to Raggett v The Society of Jesus Trust 1929 for Roman Catholic Purposes and The Governors of Preston Catholic College 27.8.10. The Court of Appeal has confirmed that a Claimant can pursue an action for abuse decades after the relevant event; in the circumstances it was equitable to allow the claim to proceed. Our e-update provides a summary of the Court's decision and practical advice for local authorities and insurers in relation to risk management when dealing with this type of litigation. Read more.

Kennedys' Employment Brief - September 2010  
In this month's edition of Employment Brief, we report on the Government's proposal to remove the default normal retirement age, meaning that in future all enforced retirements will need to be justified or will otherwise amount to unlawful age discrimination. We also report on one particular aspect of the Equality Act which has attracted much comment; the banning of 'gagging' clauses that seek to prevent employees discussing their pay with each other. In addition we report on some recent interesting cases around the entitlement to holiday pay to those on sick leave, the dangers of not adhering to contractual disciplinary procedures, and identifying the last date of employment when an employee does not work all of their notice period. Read more.

Kennedys' Liability Brief - August 2010
This month’s edition of Liability Brief is a special edition featuring our new Sheffield office which opened last month at the flagship Sheffield Digital Campus. The office comprises 12 partners and 58 members of staff, taking our total UK liability partner count to 36 and the number of UK offices that provide this service to nine.

This month’s case summaries are authored by Sheffield team members. Partner Greg Woods comments on the case of Bhatt in which the Court of Appeal considered application of the Work at Height Regulations for the first time. Senior Litigation Manager Marcus Davies reviews the Court of Appeal case of Yetkin which held a local authority liable in a case where a pedestrian was hit by a car when crossing a dual carriageway. The  pedestrian's view had been restricted by overgrown shrubs that had been planted by the local authority to improve the highway - House of Lords case of Gorringe distinguished. Read more.

Kennedys' Medical Law Brief - August 2010
In addition to the usual case law updates and news, this month's edition of Medical Law Brief includes an update from Rob Tobin on a successful case concerning obligation to investigate under Article 2, this follows on from Rob's recent article featured in the May edition of Medical Law Brief. Read more.

Kennedys' Insurance Brief - July 2010
In this month's issue of Insurance Brief, we report on an unsuccessful appeal against an arbitral award relating to various reinsurance policies, the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the European Court of Justice’s preliminary ruling in O’Byrne v Aventis Pasteur SA, concerning the substitution of defendants after limitation has expired in product liability cases and the successful appeal of a solicitor’s professional negligence claim on causation.

We also include a feature article written by Laura Mellstrom of our Dubai office. The article focuses on arbitration in the region in light of a new draft Arbitration Law which is expected to be passed later this year. Read more.

Kennedys’ motor e-update: Autofocus request of Court Appeal to deal with immunity rule dismissed
Credit hire company Accident Exchange have an ongoing claim against Autofocus Limited seeking unlimited damages on the grounds that evidence had been allegedly fabricated in a number of cases, thereby misleading both the court and Accident Exchange and resulting in lower sums being awarded or accepted. Autofocus took the case to the Court of Appeal and the Court was asked to deal with a technical issue relating to witness immunity…read more

Kennedys opens office in Sheffield
We are delighted to announce the opening of our new Sheffield office on 12 July 2010. Located over two floors at the flagship Sheffield Digital Campus – view details, the office is headed by partner Suzanne Liversidge. Contact s.liversidge@kennedys-law.com or Mark King, Head of Business Development m.king@kennedys-law.com.