header-logo header-logo

29 January 2016 / Ranse Howell , Andy Rogers
Issue: 7684 / Categories: Features , Training & education , Profession
printer mail-detail

Flying into a storm

nlj_7684_roger

Ranse Howell & Andy Rogers discuss the dark art of negotiation

Lawyers are frequently among the best trained professionals, expert in the law, but when it comes to resolving a fraught problem outside court—and even on the steps of court—the experience is usually “on the job” rather than formally learnt. Breaking deadlock is not easy, often more so when there are challenging personalities involved, so is the profession sufficiently equipped to deal with this task?

The next time you board a plane, would you ask your pilot where they learned how to navigate stormy weather while in flight? More than likely they went through hours upon hours of training dedicated to teaching pilots to handle thunderstorms, turbulence, and the various unknowns that take place at 10,000 metres. You would be rather displeased to hear that your pilot has not, in fact, been professionally trained in handling potentially dangerous situations, and that instead they have learned how to handle the plane only from video games and reading books about pilots.

Turbulence

Negotiation similarly entails

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

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
back-to-top-scroll