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18 February 2010 / Stephen Gold
Issue: 7405 / Categories: Case law , Civil way
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Civil way: 19 February 2010

Soaring fees; Drug addicts: bad news; Witness immunity; TOLATA beats AR

Soaring fees

“It’s a blasted covenant job.” If you’ve got business for the Lands Tribunal, take it there before October 2010. That’s when the level of its fees is set to soar so that one-half of running costs is recovered. Fees have remained static since 1996. A Tribunals Service consultation paper reveals what’s in store. Take applications to discharge or modify restrictive covenants. The lodgement fee will jump from £200 to £800—it is said that these applications are hugely time consuming for Registrars as they typically involve reviewing plans and lengthy documents—and the final hearing fee from £350 to £1,000. Right of light certificate applications are also said to be time consuming. They are planned to leap from £250 and £350 to £1,200 and £1,500.

Drug addicts: bad news

Trust lawyers have a spring in their step or are as white as a sheet, depending on age. They’ve got some new law. The Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 2009—created by the Law

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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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