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08 August 2025 / Stephen Gold
Issue: 8128 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , CPR , Arbitration , Civil way
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Civil way: 8 August 2025

New arbitration law in; October’s CPR treats; needs of a Sch 1 mum; CPR 187th update; covert recordings; good news for shy directors.

STATUTORY LOOK-IN FOR ARBS

The Arbitration Act 2025 was brought fully into force on 1 August 2025 by SI 2025/905 and applies to arbitration agreements whenever made, but not to arbitration proceedings and some arbitration-related court proceedings commenced before that date. It plays around with the Arbitration Act 1996 and, thanks to artificial intelligence, some more play will inevitably be required in due course. Stronger immunity for arbitrators. Unless otherwise agreed, the applicable law is to be the law of the seat of the arbitration. And here’s a skate round just some of the more interesting other measures:

‘How do we get rid of them?’ The arbitrator’s impartiality is handy, and so they are now subjected to a duty of disclosure when approached about a possible appointment and post appointment. That disclosure—to the person making the approach or the parties to proceedings—is

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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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