Barings Law

31/03/2026

Unpacking Legal Jargon - Defendant

The person or organisation being accused or sued in a legal case. The defendant is the party who must defend the claim in legal proceedings. Understanding who the defendant is helps clarify the roles in any legal dispute.

Simply put, if you make a claim, the defendant is the "other side".

27/03/2026

When it comes to investing, not every product is as safe or straightforward as it appears. Structured products are often marketed as tailored solutions with the potential for attractive returns, but they often be complex and difficult for average investors to understand.

Many investors are drawn into these products after being reassured by advisers who fail to outline the potential downsides, or who prioritise their own commission over the client's financial security. The result? Individuals left facing losses they never expected or understood.

At Barings Law, we help those who have been mis-sold structured products by supporting clients in recovering their investments and holding the advisers or institutions responsible for failing to act in their best interest. Find out more about mis-sold investments: https://baringslaw.com/news-insight/common-types-of-mis-sold-investments/

25/03/2026

A fantastic outcome for our client, Marcus.

After losing nearly £50,000 in a cryptocurrency scam, Marcus turned to our bank fraud team for help. The scheme seemed legitimate, but when the company's assets were "frozen", his investment vanished.

His bank refused a refund, so we took the case to the Financial Ombudsman Service, arguing that the bank hadn't acted responsibly with such large, unusual transactions.

The result? Marcus was awarded more than £28,000, helping him cover a significant portion of his losses.

Read more about Marcus's case here: https://baringslaw.com/case-study/barings-law-secures-28011-for-fraud-victim/

23/03/2026

ICYMI: The long-running case of Expert Tooling and Automation Ltd v Engie Power Ltd has now concluded following intervention by the UK Supreme Court. This marks an important development in disputes involving broker commissions and fiduciary duties.

The case concerned commission payments made by an energy supplier (‘Engie’) to a broker (‘UW’), which were incorporated into the customer’s (‘Tooling’) energy prices. While Tooling was aware that the broker would receive commission, the amount and the structure were not disclosed.

After contradicting outcomes in the High Court and Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court has now allowed the appeal and entered judgment for the claimant, dismissing Engie’s cross-appeal. This followed the Supreme Court’s earlier decision in Hopcraft v Close Brothers Ltd [2025], which clarified the legal standard for consent in commission cases.

The outcome reinforces a key principle: where a fiduciary relationship exists, those consenting to commission arrangements must be fully informed to be legally effective and general awareness or partial disclosure will not suffice.

While the case originated in the context of business energy supply contracts, the principles applied are not sector-specific. They reflect long-standing fiduciary duties and reinforce the importance of transparency in agency relationships.

For businesses, the decision provides greater certainty when assessing whether commission arrangements were lawfully disclosed.

Read more about the Expert Tooling v Engie case here: https://baringslaw.com/news-insight/expert-tooling-v-engie-supreme-court-confirms-disclosure-required-in-energy-commission-claims/

The Supreme Court in Expert Tooling v Engie confirms informed disclosure is required for energy broker commission arrangements - read more.

20/03/2026

Barings Law would like to wish a joyous and blessed Eid to all who celebrate. 🌙

May this special occasion be filled with happiness, love and peace for you and your loved ones.

17/03/2026

A fantastic settlement for our client, Francesca!

After years of stress caused by her unaffordable motor finance, Francesca sought help from our Motor Finance Affordability team.

In 2021, she had taken out a hire purchase agreement for a BMW M3 priced at £8,690, with an APR of 39.9%, requiring 54 monthly repayments of £319 - nearly £17,000 in total. Francesca already had a CCJ and limited finances, but the dealership pressured her into signing without assessing her ability to repay.

During her repayment term, Francesca fell ill which affected her work and finances, forcing her to borrow from friends and family.

Our team challenged her lender by proving that her agreement was unaffordable. The lender admitted liability, refunded overpayments, cleared her arrears, and transferred ownership of the car to her, resulting in a total settlement of £8,288.62.

Read more about Francesca's story here: https://baringslaw.com/case-study/barings-law-settles-motor-finance-claim-for-8288/

12/03/2026

Unpacking Legal Jargon - Interim Payment

A partial payment made before a final settlement or judgment, usually where a defendant recognises its liability but has not yet determined what the final value of the claim should be. An interim payment helps to cover urgent costs while a claim is still ongoing, such as medical bills, repair costs or legal fees. Think of an interim payment as financial support ahead of a settlement, so you don't have to wait until the end of a lengthy process to get some of the money you're entitled to.

10/03/2026

Our Chairman, Robert Whitehead, recently spoke with Lewis Goodall on LBC about the Afghan national data breach, and the devastating impact it has had on those affected.

The breach, which involved the exposure of sensitive personal data of Afghan nationals who supported UK operations, has placed individuals and their families at serious risk, causing fear, displacement, and lasting trauma.

In the interview, Robert highlights the real human consequences of the data breach and the importance of accountability.

Listen to the clip below.

08/03/2026

This International Women's Day, we want to take the opportunity to recognise and thank the women in Barings Law whose leadership, expertise and commitment shape our firm every day.

From senior leadership to legal teams and support departments, their contribution is central to the results we achieve for our clients.

From practicing roles to leadership, women are making meaningful strides across the UK legal profession. According to the UK Government's Diversity of the Judiciary statistics:

• 54% of solicitors are female;
• 41% of barristers are female;
• 78% of Chartered Legal Executives are female - a profession with one of the highest proportions of women.

While representation continues to grow across these roles, women remain less likely than men to reach the most senior levels.

At Barings Law, we're proud to see strong female leadership guiding our teams and we are committed to supporting our team in their careers to help change that narrative.

05/03/2026

Just before Christmas, we hosted a festive raffle in aid of our newly partnered charity, Mental Health UK.

Thanks to the incredible support of everyone who took part, we’re delighted to share that we raised a fantastic £344.30!

A huge thank you to everyone who bought a ticket and helped make this possible, and congratulations to all our raffle winners. We look forward to hosting more fundraising events to help support vital mental health services.

03/03/2026

The High Court has ruled that legal action behalf of thousands of people affected by the Capita data breach can proceed.

In a judgment handed down on 9 February, Master Dagnall rejected Capita’s attempt to strike out claims brought by Barings Law for 8,000 claimants, ruling that there had been no abuse of court process. The Court confirmed that solicitors are entitled to “wide latitude” when preparing evidence in large-scale group actions and ruled that striking out the claims would have been a “draconian step”.

This ruling clears a significant procedural hurdle in a case we launched in 2023, following a cyber-attack that exposed the personal data of around 6.6 million people, including sensitive financial and pension information.

Capita argued that the use of repetitive or generic descriptions of psychological distress following the attack undermined the validity of the claims. The Court firmly disagreed, finding no evidence of misconduct and noting that claimants had provided informed consent for Barings Law to act on their behalf.

Adnan Malik, Head of Data Protection, said:
“From day one this case has centred on the rights of ordinary individuals against a major corporation which catastrophically failed to protect their privacy. This judgment confirms that the Courts take the impact of data breaches on victims seriously.”

While the ruling does not determine the final outcome, it marks an important step forward. The case will now move to its next phase, where the substantive issues around the harm suffered by victims and Capita's liability for that harm will be considered.

We remain committed to holding organisations to account when data protection failures put the security of people at risk.

27/02/2026

Two brilliant settlements for our client, Jake.

Jake took out a hire purchase agreement for a BMW 5 Series, agreeing to pay £28,975 for a car worth £19,000. At the time of taking out the agreement, the dealership made no proper affordability checks, and if they had done so, they would have realised this agreement was unaffordable for Jake.

Making monthly payments of almost £500 over five years strained Jake's finances, causing undue stress.

Jake was also in a similar position for another agreement he had taken out for a Renault Trafic Van and when COVID hit, the financial strain left him in arrears.

Our Motor Finance Affordability team challenged both his lenders, showing the agreements were unaffordable. Both providers agreed to refund Jake's overpayments, repay interest, and remove any negative credit marks, resulting in two compensation awards totalling more than £22,000.

Read more about Jake's story: https://baringslaw.com/case-study/motor-finance-claim-settles-for-22207/