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Johnson v FirstRand Bank

Despite the initial headlines, the decision in Johnson is likely to be the end of a new beginning. Toby Riley-Smith KC, Thomas Samuels & Douglas Maxwell set out why

Suppose that, in order to discuss the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Johnson v FirstRand Bank [2025] UKSC 33, we decided to go for lunch on a Sunday afternoon. We enter a pub and before ordering lunch ask (in the words of the Supreme Court) the wine waiter to recommend the best wine to pair with our lunch within our specified budget. Our knowledge of wine is very limited, and in truth our palates are quite unsophisticated. The waiter tells us he will get the best wine possible within our budget (he has even managed to get us to agree to go slightly beyond our budget because this one in their words is ‘very special’, ‘the best deal possible’, ‘perfect for us’). We are in a bit of a rush to discuss the impact of Johnson,

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Slater Heelis—Chester office

Slater Heelis—Chester office

North West presence strengthened with Chester office launch

Cooke, Young & Keidan—Elizabeth Meade

Cooke, Young & Keidan—Elizabeth Meade

Firm grows commercial disputes expertise with partner promotion

CBI South-East Council—Mike Wilson

CBI South-East Council—Mike Wilson

Blake Morgan managing partner appointed chair of CBI South-East Council

NEWS
The House of Lords has set up a select committee to examine assisted dying, which will delay the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
The proposed £11bn redress scheme following the Supreme Court’s motor finance rulings is analysed in this week’s NLJ by Fred Philpott of Gough Square Chambers
In this week's issue, Stephen Gold, NLJ columnist and former district judge, surveys another eclectic fortnight in procedure. With humour and humanity, he reminds readers that beneath the procedural dust, the law still changes lives
Generative AI isn’t the villain of the courtroom—it’s the misunderstanding of it that’s dangerous, argues Dr Alan Ma of Birmingham City University and the Birmingham Law Society in this week's NLJ
James Naylor of Naylor Solicitors dissects the government’s plan to outlaw upward-only rent review (UORR) clauses in new commercial leases under Schedule 31 of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, in this week's NLJ. The reform, he explains, marks a seismic shift in landlord-tenant power dynamics: rents will no longer rise inexorably, and tenants gain statutory caps and procedural rights
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