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20 January 2023 / Brice Dickson
Issue: 8009 / Categories: Features , In Court , Law digest , Profession
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Reflections on the Supreme Court in 2022

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Brice Dickson analyses the composition & key judgments of the Supreme Court in 2022
  • The justices making up the Supreme Court, the number and range of cases they considered, and the key judgments they produced in 2022.

At the end of January 2022, with Lord Lloyd-Jones and Lady Arden having reached their compulsory retirement age during that month, the Supreme Court was down to just ten justices, and a competition had not yet begun for their replacements. This was because it was expected that the compulsory retirement age would be extended from 70 to 75 by the Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022, which indeed occurred on 10 March. The result of the competition which was then held was that Lord Lloyd-Jones (who had retired at 70) was reappointed as from 30 August. Lady Arden (who had retired at 75 because she was originally appointed as a judge before the compulsory retirement age had been introduced) was replaced by a retired Court of Appeal judge,

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

EIP—Rob Barker

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist

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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