United Kingdom: International Courts & Tribunals

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is reviewing up to 4,500 breast cancer cases following revelations that hundreds of patients suffered harm, including delayed diagnoses and unnecessary surgeries. With concerns reportedly raised since 2015, legal experts argue the scale of failings warrants an independent public inquiry to ensure accountability and prevent similar healthcare failures.

International arbitration awards face enforcement challenges when parties claim procedural unfairness under Article V(1)(b) of the New York Convention. Courts worldwide grapple with defining what constitutes being "unable to present a case" while balancing minimum fairness standards against the finality of arbitral awards.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming arbitration practice, yet arbitral institutions have taken markedly different approaches to addressing AI in their procedural frameworks. While some institutions have published comprehensive guidance, others have remained silent, leaving parties to navigate how existing rules accommodate AI tools and what risks they face in using them without explicit authorization.

The Commercial Court has ruled that strict guidelines for extending time limits on arbitral award challenges also apply to late amendments of such challenges. In E v F [2026] EWHC 1493 (Comm), the court refused to allow amendments filed 162 days after an award, emphasizing that the 28-day statutory deadline under the Arbitration Act 1996 must be respected to bring finality to disputes.

National courts have diverged on the interpretation of the EU Court of Justice’s latest decisions on SPCs for combination products – in particular on whether data in the application as filed are required for a combination product to meet the CJEU’s test of “falling under the invention” of the basic patent and be eligible for SPC protection in the EU.

The Supreme Court has fundamentally altered the landscape for cross-border debt recovery by ruling that foreign judgments can support bankruptcy petitions without prior recognition in England and Wales. This decision removes procedural barriers that previously forced creditors to navigate costly and time-consuming recognition processes before accessing insolvency-based enforcement mechanisms. The judgment aligns England and Wales with other leading jurisdictions while providing creditors with faster access

WilmerHale Partner Gary Born discusses the advantages of international arbitration over litigation, examining how global geopolitical shifts are reshaping client needs in dispute resolution. He explores the evolution of international arbitration practice and shares insights from his extensive experience representing clients in over 750 international arbitrations.

The International Criminal Police Organisation, or INTERPOL, issues eight types of colour-coded Notices and corresponding diffusions to facilitate international police cooperation.

The former CEO of French cement conglomerate Lafarge has been sentenced to six years in prison for paying terrorists in order to further the company’s business interests.