We are very pleased to be coming back to Manchester for the third year running to hold an in-person commercial update seminar, this time focusing on Bribery and Corruption.  The backdrop to this seminar is the recent appeal to the UK Supreme Court in Hopcraft, Johnson & Wrench, which was heard on 1-3 April 2025. The case is of general significance for the law of bribery and secret commissions, fiduciary duties of credit brokers, primary/accessory liability of lenders, and the Consumer Credit Act 1974. In the motor finance sector alone, the implications are vast: since 2007, over 31 million car purchases have involved commission payments.

Our panel consists of Thomas Macey-Dare KC (Chair), Stewart Chirnside, Simon Oakes and Sam Mitchell, who will be discussing:

• The origin and elements of the law of bribery, including:
  • informed consent and disclosure
  • available causes of action
  • substantive remedies
• The particular issues raised in Hopcraft, Johnson & Wrench, and how the UK Supreme Court is likely to decide them when it delivers its judgment in a few months' time
• Interim remedies in support of bribery claims, including:
  • proprietary injunctions and freezing orders
  • disclosure orders, including Bankers’ Trust and Norwich Pharmacal orders

We do hope you will be able to join us at the Everyman Cinema on Thursday 1 May, with registration from 4.15pm, and the seminar from 4:45-5:45pm. There will also be drinks and nibbles afterwards, and the opportunity to meet with a number of our barristers and clerks.

REGISTER HERE