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16 July 2021 / Roderick Ramage
Issue: 7941 / Categories: Features
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Law in 101 words: 16 July 2021

52838
Snippets from The Reduced Law Dictionary, by Roderick Ramage

Apostille

An apostille is a certificate by a government office to official documents to validate signatures and seals, so that they will be accepted when presented to persons or authorities in other countries. The authentication of only the seals and signatures and not the contents of the document to which it is attached. The legal framework is the Apostille Convention drafted by the Hague conference on Private International Law. The UK signed it in 1965 and issues apostille certificates from the Apostille Service of the Government’s Legalisation Office in Coventry. Private documents for use in other countries may need to be notarised.

Birth registration

The claimant, who had been born female, transitioned to live as male and started medical treatment, including testosterone therapy and a double mastectomy. In 2017 he obtained a transgender recognition certificate confirming his gender as male. In 2018 he gave birth to a son and was informed that he would be registered as the child’s mother, which,

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

EIP—Rob Barker

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist

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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