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02 December 2020
Issue: 7913 / Categories: Legal News , Brexit , Procedure & practice , ADR
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Brexit & alternative dispute resolution

Laws around confidentiality, enforceability and limitation periods in mediation agreements will be affected when the Brexit transition period ends this month, the Law Society has warned practitioners.

It published guidance last month on cross-border alternative dispute resolution (ADR) post-transition. The guidance, which will apply whether or not the UK and EU agree a deal, highlights that the 2011 Regulations implementing the EU Mediation Directive will be repealed and replaced on 1 January.

The free European Online Dispute Resolution platform for online sales and contracts will no longer be available to UK businesses and consumers. Arbitration will be largely unaffected post-transition.

Last week, a cohort of law societies and business groups wrote to the European Council president, Charles Michel and other EU leaders urging them to readmit the UK to the Lugano Convention post-transition. Law Society president David Greene said Lugano, which clarifies which national courts have jurisdiction, ‘makes dispute resolution more accessible’.

Issue: 7913 / Categories: Legal News , Brexit , Procedure & practice , ADR
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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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