William Gibson
Freelance writer
William Gibson is a freelance feature writer
Freelance writer
William Gibson is a freelance feature writer
With angry farmers hitting the headlines, William Gibson recalls an earlier story of rural revolt & how justice was finally served
Secretive talks, tense negotiations & an ultimatum narrowly averted tragedy, writes William Gibson
William Gibson on how an unsuccessful, widely-reported prosecution proved to be an unbeatable marketing tool
William Gibson explains how a high-society pool party brought down a government
Who would believe a granite outcrop in Dartmoor to be one of the oldest seats of English law in the country? William Gibson charts the pre-Norman origins of the tinners’ parliament of Crockern Tor
Did Richard Beeching deserve the public vitriol he attracted for the closure of the railways? William Gibson examines the impact of the swingeing 1960s cuts
William Gibson discusses how the current barristers’ strike is attracting attention to legal fees—again
William Gibson charts the history of the law firm merger & reflects on the bold move which started it all
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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