Linklaters has avoided a €55m (£44m) pay out following a negligence claim brought by telecoms company Levicom, one of its former clients. It is one of the largest claims made against a UK law firm recently. The firm did not get away scott free though – it had to pay out £5 in nominal damages after Justice Andrew Smith found that it was negligent in some respects, but that the negligence did not cause Levicom any loss.

Levicom, a Baltic telecoms company, sued Linklaters, its former solicitors, for around €50 million (£44 million) for allegedly providing careless and unrealistic advice in a dispute with with telecoms company Tele2 AB, a Swedish rival in 2001.