header-logo header-logo

28 March 2025
Issue: 8110 / Categories: Legal News , Procedure & practice , International , Commercial , Jurisdiction
printer mail-detail

NLJ this week: Preparing for Hague 2019

212898
There are only three months left before Hague 2019 takes effect on 1 July. In this week’s NLJ, Natalie Todd, partner at Cooke, Young & Keidan, looks ahead to the arrival of this important Convention which facilitates the effective international enforcement of foreign judgments in civil and commercial matters.

Todd writes that ‘in England and Wales, Hague 2019 will restore a level of reciprocal enforcement with the EU not known since the end of the Brexit transition period’. Since Brexit, ‘a myriad of legislation’ has applied.

The author sets out when Hague 2019 will apply, which judgments are covered, the ‘jurisdictional filters’ that apply in order to ensure enforcement is mandatory, and the grounds for refusal. She also outlines the procedure to be followed for contracting states and states yet to ratify Hague 2019. All in all, this is a valuable summary for lawyers involved in civil and commercial work. 

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
back-to-top-scroll