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24 July 2013
Issue: 7570 / Categories: Legal News
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Gay weddings next summer

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Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 has received Royal Assent

The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 has received Royal Assent, with the first weddings expected to take place next summer.

Same-sex couples will be able to hold civil or religious ceremonies, although religious organisations which oppose the legislation are protected from legal action, and the Church of England and Church in Wales are banned from marrying gay couples. Individual ministers of other religions must agree to conduct the ceremony.

Civil partnerships were introduced in 2004, and civil partners will be able to convert to marriage if they wish. The Act also enables married transmen and transwomen to change their legal gender without having to end their marriage.

Prime Minister David Cameron said: “I have backed this reform because...I don’t want to see people’s love divided by law. In addition to the personal damage that this can cause, it inhibits the potential of a nation.”

Issue: 7570 / Categories: Legal News
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

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Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

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Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
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NLJ this week: Tightening the screws on JCT terminations
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
NLJ this week: Old rules, fresh warnings in employment law
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
NLJ this week: The rise of the ‘ChatGPT client’ rattles the profession
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
NLJ this week: Surrogacy children caught in succession gap
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’
NLJ this week: Online safety law at a crossroads
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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