Introduction to Group Litigation and Group Litigation Orders (GLOs)

The webinar is the first part of a two-part series on group litigation. Part One – Introduction to Group Litigation – looks at the most common way such litigation is managed, using group litigation orders (GLOs). It is presented as a 30-minute round up session.

The webinar provides a cursory overview of what a GLO is and how one is obtained, examining the circumstances in which courts may make GLOs, as well as some of practical and legal considerations involved in running group litigation cases (including funding options and costs considerations).

Group litigation is relatively unusual in England and Wales, but it is growing. (In part two of this series, which is forthcoming, I will be asking why the numbers of such cases are on the rise, while examining some of the better known group litigation cases that have attracted significant media attention).

The series will be of interest to lawyers and others, like myself, who have come to realise that this area is growing in significance, and also those who are interested in learning more about cases run on a public interest basis.

Learning objectives:

The webinar is aimed at a general audience of lawyers and non-lawyers as, primarily, an introduction to how group litigation is usually case managed (in England and Wales). The webinar will:

1. Familiarise the audience with the concept of the Group Litigation Order (GLO).
2. Briefly review the funding options in group litigation
3. Address the challenges in narrowing the issues in group litigation cases, when seeking to apply for a GLO (with references to case law)
4. Explore the practical implications of GLO as a unique form of case management (including costs, what is an appropriate number of litigants, establishing the relevant facts through use of questionnaires and specific disclosure applications).
5. Provoke debate: is the rising number of group litigation cases an indicator of something positive or negative in wider society? Are there implications for democracy? Can group litigation be compared with judicial review as an effective tool for holding decision-makers to account?