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27 June 2019
Issue: 7846 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , Costs , Costs
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Lawyers who make a difference: Sir Rupert Jackson

Lawyers shouldn’t fear judges―they’re ‘gentle’ and like ‘teddy bears’. Those are the words of Sir Rupert Jackson, architect of the civil justice costs reforms (who also confesses he sometimes saw judges as ‘ogres’ when starting out). 

Sir Rupert retired from the Court of Appeal in 2018 after 20 years as a judge and now works from 4 New Square as a mediator and arbitrator.

Sir Rupert speaks to City Law Professor and NLJ columnist Dominic Regan about life on the bench and beyond, in the latest NLJ webinar on lawyers who make a difference. As a young barrister, Sir Rupert specialised in professional negligence, co-authoring the first textbook on the subject, and developed a practice in construction law. As a judge, he was introduced to several new fields of law, including murder trials and judicial reviews. He also provides a fascinating insight into the daily life of a Court of Appeal judge.

It is for his civil costs reforms, however, that Sir Rupert is best known. These reforms, implemented by the government in 2013, have transformed civil litigation. Here, he discusses the process and influences behind his radical proposals, which extend to costs budgeting, sanctions, hot-tubbing, fixed recoverable costs and other reforms.

Click here to watch the webinar in full.

Issue: 7846 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , Costs , Costs
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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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