header-logo header-logo

05 February 2025
Issue: 8103 / Categories: Legal News , Profession
printer mail-detail

Nine lawyers appointed honorary King’s Counsel

Nine lawyers have been appointed King’s Counsel honoris causa, including legal scholar Professor Adrian Zuckerman of Oxford University, editor-in-chief of the Civil Justice Quarterly and a consultant editor of Halsbury’s Laws of England

Three solicitors were recognised. Rachel Horman-Brown, director at Watson Ramsbottom Solicitors and chair of Paladin, the national stalking advocacy service, has shaped legislation on coercive control.

Dr Laura Janes, consultant solicitor at GT Stewart Solicitors and Scott-Moncrieff and Associates, is a former legal director of the Howard League for Penal Reform. Sue Willman, senior consultant at Deighton Pierce Glynn, founded the Asylum Support Appeals Project, which provides free representation to destitute asylum seekers.

Others recognised include property law specialist Professor Martin Dixon, of Cambridge University; Rebecca Hilsenrath, who formerly led the Equality and Human Rights Commission; and competition law expert Professor Renato Nazzini, of King’s College London.

Employed barristers include Susanna McGibbon, head of the Government Legal Profession, and Douglas Wilson, currently head of the Attorney General’s Office.

Issue: 8103 / Categories: Legal News , Profession
printer mail-details

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
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
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
back-to-top-scroll