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10 November 2017 / Stephen Gold
Issue: 7769 / Categories: Features , Civil way
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Civil way: 10 November 2017

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Webchat with HMCTS. Look, no PD! Another lessee bonus. Killing off the relatives.

 

LITIGANT CHAT UP LINES

‘Thanks for explaining. I now know I can participate in the hearing from a telephone kiosk with my pet rhinoceros accompanying me.’

‘So long as you have a licence, John. Now can we help you with anything else today—an online divorce, probate application, lasting power of attorney, bankruptcy application, complaint perhaps?’

‘Not today.’

‘Then would you like to participate in a short survey which will take no longer than 10 minutes and will qualify you for a free draw for a night out with the chief of HMCTS and a bottle of Prosecco?’

HMCTS has announced that for those comfortable using online services who might have a question about process, they will be providing webchat. This will connect the user with an officer (I mean a team member) via a window on the computer screen where they can message each other. The necessary technology is in place and they are working on how

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

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Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

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Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

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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