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13 February 2021
Issue: 7921 / Categories: Legal News , Technology , Profession
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LawTech in the ‘Wild West’

Lawyers and regulators need to consult more with consumers about LawTech, the Association of Consumer Support Associations (ACSO) has urged

The non-profit, which represents civil justice claimants, published its report, Technology and Innovation, last week to coincide with the arrival of noted technology enthusiast Sir Geoffrey Vos QC as Master of the Rolls.

The report highlights that law firms and civil claims organisations will struggle to survive unless they invest in technology, and sets out a series of recommendations, including putting consumers at the heart of innovation, ensuring technology is ethically designed, promoting best practice for data security and learning lessons from InsurTech and FinTech.

For legal regulators, it asks them to provide clarity on liability regarding harm caused by a LawTech product, consider regulating unregulated service providers, and considering ways to regulate the use of AI to protect consumers.

ACSO executive director Matthew Maxwell Scott said LawTech ‘can increase efficiency, reduce costs and tackle the problem of incomplete or asymmetric consumer information’.

However, ‘Without clear guidelines and standards, there is a risk of creating a Wild West where anything goes. That may not be in the public interest.’

Issue: 7921 / Categories: Legal News , Technology , Profession
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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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