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09 May 2025 / Andrew Francis
Issue: 8115 / Categories: Features , Property , Landlord&tenant , Housing
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100 not out

217851
Andrew Francis looks back at six pieces of 1925 property legislation, brought into effect by vigorous effort & with a legacy that remains largely intact
  • A celebration and examination of six pieces of legislation that received royal assent 100 years ago, and which still form the bedrock of much property law in 2025.

Thursday, 9 April 1925. This is not a date which occupies a place in the nation’s memory as one of celebration or remembrance. Nor is it one which marks an event revered by those sharing a common faith. The day itself was unremarkable. Records show it was fair and quite warm. The prime minister, Stanley Baldwin, had been in office since the Conservative Party’s victory at the general election in November 1924. The Lord Chancellor, Viscount Cave, held the Great Seal. In the morning, King George V attended the Maundy Service at Westminster Abbey. Across the Atlantic, New York publishers Scribners were getting ready for publication of The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald the next day.

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cripps—Radius Law

Cripps—Radius Law

Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

Switalskis—Grimsby

Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
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
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
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