Peter Rouse

Peter Rouse is the director of Commission Recovery Limited (CRL), a company established to bring a claim against intellectual property law firm Marks & Clerk. The claim related to secret commissions allegedly paid to them by CPA Global (an IP management organisation) in return for referrals. Peter alleged that CPA paid these secret commissions to Long Acre Renewals, a partnership set up by current and former partners of Marks & Clerk, and that Marks & Clerk hid them from their clients, in breach of their fiduciary duties. Peter's action was brought under CPR 19.8 (also known as the "same interest" rule), and in January 2024 the Court of Appeal held that CRL could act as representative for the class. However, shortly before the scheduled trial the parties reached a global settlement. Under the settlement, without any admission of liability, Marks & Clerk and Long Acre Renewals agreed to pay a percentage of the payments they had received to "certain clients". Peter described the settlement as "[providing] the best achievable outcome for class members"