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27 January 2017
Issue: 7731 / Categories: Features , Civil way , Procedure & practice
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Civil way: 27 January 2017

PI claims: keep out!; Master Kay’s room & How to lose a £43K deposit

RANT

It may be inappropriate but I fancy I can escape LexisNexis disciplinary action upon using the c word. So here goes. Compulsory insurance. Yes, the Motor Vehicles (Compulsory Insurance) Regulations 2016 (SI 2016/1193) which came into force on 31 December 2016 raise the amount of cover for motor insurance damage to property by £200,000 to £1.2m. Happily, most policies already cover for in excess of the new minimum figure. If any policy covers for less, then the insurer must now effect an increase.

No doubt the scripts are being extended for insurance staff who negotiate renewal premiums. “I’m afraid retired judiciary are regarded as a bad risk, Steve, and we’ve got these new regs which means higher property damage cover.” Steve won’t let them get away with it. The government consulted on raising the limit and were told by the industry that few £1m property damage claims were made and that they did not think the increase would lead

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

EIP—Rob Barker

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

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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