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29 March 2024
Issue: 8065 / Categories: Legal News , Commercial , Company , Fraud
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NLJ this week: Former DPP offers practical advice on corporate criminal liability

The expansion of the failure to prevent fraud offences means corporates will need to behave better

In this week’s NLJ, former Director of Public Prosecutions Sir Max Hill KC, now senior counsel and policy advisor at King & Spalding, along with the firm’s associates Hannah Thorpe and Alex Tivey discuss the implications.

The authors write: ‘Corporate criminal liability has expanded from niche origins in bribery, corruption and money laundering, to encompassing all economic crime… New legislation calls for better corporate behaviour, evidence-based as to compliance and practice.’

Hill, Thorpe and Tivey offer practical guidance on reasonable prevention measures.

They examine both the failure to prevent offence and the redefinition of the identification doctrine. What implications will these have for large organisations, and how should they ensure compliance with this toughened-up new law? They also look into the increasing use of civil enforcement methods to recover the proceeds of crime, as well as the greater use of deferred prosecution agreements.

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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