A single court case has redrawn the line between supporting and conducting litigation. In Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys, the High Court confirmed that only authorised individuals can conduct litigation, a term that stretches from issuing proceedings to managing related tasks and crucially, supervision by a solicitor does not create authorisation.
This ruling has shaken up the profession massively. Firms are rethinking delegation, trainees are questioning what they can sign, and clients may soon challenge bills if work was done by someone without the proper status. Could this reshape litigation teams? Will costs rise? And how will firms keep compliance airtight without slowing the pace of work?

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