Ian Smith
Barrister & professor
Ian Smith, barrister, emeritus professor of employment law at the Norwich Law School, UEA & general editor of Harvey on Industrial Relations and Employment Law. Newlawjournal.co.uk
Barrister & professor
Ian Smith, barrister, emeritus professor of employment law at the Norwich Law School, UEA & general editor of Harvey on Industrial Relations and Employment Law. Newlawjournal.co.uk
Old caselaw gets a modern makeover: Ian Smith runs through secondment arrangements, multiple reasons for dismissal, & an appeal unlike any other
Volunteer workers, capability dismissals, & costs decisions with a sting in the tail: Ian Smith combs through the latest employment headlines
In the month of self-improvement, Ian Smith tackles capability dismissals, notice period extensions, the meaning of ‘employer’ & a novus actus
In the spirit of togetherness, Ian Smith rounds off the year with a look at precedent across the UK jurisdictions, umbrella companies & vicarious liability
Out with the old, in with the new: Ian Smith praises a practical approach to early conciliation, plus runs through whistleblowing detriment & future loss
Employment tribunal litigation is an adversarial business: Ian Smith spars with the importance of proper pleadings, time limits in discrimination cases & novel anonymity claims
Does every little help? Ian Smith delivers an update on supermarket equal pay litigation & goes the extra mile on early conciliation, victimisation & scandalous conduct
Before heading to his beach hut, Ian Smith takes a whirlwind tour through cases dealing with time travel, judicial recusal & long term temps
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig
Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire
EIP—Rob Barker
IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner
Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler
Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist
NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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