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30 September 2010 / Keeley Ellaway
Issue: 7435 / Categories: Features , Landlord&tenant , Property
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A brave new world

Leases have moved on. It’s the market that needs to catch up, says Keeley Ellaway

In their recent NLJ article, Richard Castle and John Castle lamented the lack of progress in lease development calling for leases to be “brought into the 20th century before too much of the 21st goes by” (NLJ, 30 July 2010, p 1068-69). Clearlet, a new form of lease written in plain English, goes some way to address this challenge.

Clearlet was devised by Nabarro and developed for one of its major landlord clients by the clients’ legal panel of Nabarro, Eversheds and Dundas & Wilson. Clearlet reflects a modern approach to leasing and is indicative of a move away from the historic adversarial position between landlord and tenant to that of a partnership where the parties work collaboratively to achieve a mutually beneficial document.

The idea behind Clearlet

The idea for Clearlet was put forward before current challenging economic times. In these conditions, the adoption of a Clearlet approach has become a necessity rather than a nicety, with many firms acknowledging that they cannot simply

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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
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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