2020 was undoubtedly an eventful year across the globe. In the midst of it, the English courts remained as busy as ever, albeit, in most cases, remotely.

In this In Depth, we consider some of last year’s key developments in English civil litigation, including:

• An overview of some of the year’s pivotal decisions on company, contract, and tort law;
• A summary of new authorities on privilege and associated concepts, including waiver and without prejudice communications;
• A round-up of the notable decisions on and updates to the Civil Procedure Rules, on everything from the Disclosure Pilot Scheme and Part 36 Settlement Offers to witness evidence reform and the judicial push in favour of Alternative Dispute Resolution; and
• An update on the Courts’ response to the Covid-19 Pandemic.