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30 September 2016 / Roger Smith
Issue: 7716 / Categories: Opinion , Legal services , Profession
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Take note

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The MoJ could learn some lessons from Canada & the US when considering the future of legal services, says Roger Smith

WiredJustice was the title of a conference held in September just north of Toronto by Legal Aid Ontario for the Canadian Association of Legal Aid Plans. Transforming our Justice System is the title of a paper recently issued by our Ministry of Justice. Report on the Future of Legal Services in the United States covers what you would expect and is a product of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Commission on the Future of Legal Services published in August. Together, these three publications indicate a step up in the pace of change in relation to technology and the law around the world.

WiredJustice

The WiredJustice conference had two particularly interesting features. The first was its form. It is the first conference at which I have spoken where virtual contributors outnumbered those physically present. Since the venue was a particularly pleasant resort hotel on a lake, this was a bit of a shame for

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cripps—Radius Law

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Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

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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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