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02 July 2020 / Keith Wilding , Sue Bent
Issue: 7893 / Categories: Opinion , Covid-19 , Legal services
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COVID-19: Picking up the pieces

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Keith Wilding & Sue Bent assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic & question the wellbeing of the poorest in society both now & in the post-lockdown world

If you have retained your stamina and you are coping with your anxiety then you are probably still watching the media coverage of COVID-19 and aware that it is telling us about the devastating and disproportionate effect on the poorest in our society. This is a truism that is very evident to those in the social welfare law sector which has spent years trying to combat and ameliorate the effects of austerity and is now picking up the pieces from the effects of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Central England Law Centre (CELC) is the largest law centre in England with operating centres in Coventry and Birmingham and, along with other social welfare agencies, is in the forefront of the battle to counter some of the worst effects of the social consequences of the outbreak. Among other things, the dedicated

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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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