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08 August 2025
Issue: 8128 / Categories: Legal News , Arbitration , ADR , Dispute resolution , Procedure & practice , CPR
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NLJ this week: Final means final in arbitration enforcement

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In this week's issue of NLJ, Masood Ahmed of the University of Leicester and Osman Mohammed of the University of Birmingham examine the Commercial Court’s decision in Deinon Insurance Brokers LLC v Reen and others [2025] EWHC 1263 (Comm). The court refused a stay of execution on four arbitral awards, reaffirming that enforcement must proceed without delay once statutory challenges under the Arbitration Act 1996 are exhausted

The defendants argued that Dubai proceedings concerning beneficial ownership created ‘special circumstances’, but Mr Justice Saini dismissed this as a collateral attack designed to frustrate enforcement. He emphasised that arbitration awards are final and binding, and that procedural manoeuvres must not undermine the integrity of the arbitration process.

The judgment sends a strong message: courts will resist attempts to delay or circumvent enforcement and will uphold party autonomy and the principles of fair, timely dispute resolution.

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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