Covid-19

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Baroness Hallett, chair of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, has called for ‘fundamental reform’ of the way government prepares for civil emergencies, in the first of nine reports

The Cabinet Office failed to convince the High Court that Covid-19 Inquiry chair Dame Hallett’s request for WhatsApp messages and notebooks of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was ultra vires and irrational

The COVID inquiry, chaired by Baroness Hallett, has been beset by ‘an esoteric dispute’ with the government over the withholding of documents and information, John Gould, senior partner, Russell-Cooke, writes in this week’s NLJ

Who gets to decide what information the COVID inquiry should see? John Gould suggests that the government, by objecting to handing over material, may have forgotten its proper role in supporting the work of a public inquiry

Businesses that suffered losses during the pandemic have won a landmark COVID-19 business interruption test case against insurers.

MPs have voted 354-7 to back the Privileges Committee’s final report that former prime minister Boris Johnson committed five contempts of parliament.

Heading off for the summer? In this month’s employment brief, Ian Smith (not pictured) rounds up holiday pay entitlement, redundancy law & check-off agreements

Home-working has created legal conundrums for property practitioners—what to do about covenants preventing business use? In this week’s NLJ, Michael Ranson and Taylor Briggs, barristers at Falcon Chambers, explore the recent case of Hodgson v Cook in which a home owner sought modification of a covenant prohibiting home-working.

The rise of home working has created an uncertain landscape for property practitioners: Michael Ranson & Taylor Briggs report on ‘business use’ & the modification of restrictive covenants

The judicial review (JR) into whether the chair of the COVID inquiry, Lady Hallett, can view ministers’ unredacted WhatsApp files, notebooks and other documents has been expedited and is likely to hold its first hearing at the end of this month, the Cabinet Office minister told MPs this week.

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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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

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NLJ this week: Tightening the screws on JCT terminations

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

NLJ this week: Old rules, fresh warnings in employment law

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

NLJ this week: The rise of the ‘ChatGPT client’ rattles the profession

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

NLJ this week: Surrogacy children caught in succession gap

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’

NLJ this week: Online safety law at a crossroads

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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Covid-19

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

EIP—Rob Barker

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler