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09 January 2026 / Dominic Regan
Issue: 8144 / Categories: Opinion , Profession , Legal services , Costs , Damages
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The insider: 2 & 9 January 2026

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Dominic Regan kickstarts the new year with updates on leapfrog appeals, costs, delays & judicial manoeuvres

We know the appeal in Mazur is to be heard at the end of next month. The appellant, CILEX, is to be represented by Nick Bacon KC, together with another silk whom I understand will be versed in regulatory issues. They will lead two juniors.

What is as yet uncertain is who will be allowed to intervene. The Law Society is a certainty, as is the Bar Council. The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers has a fine record of constructive interventions over the years and deserves to be heard. Some may only be permitted to make paper representations.

Given the ramifications, one would hope that both the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls would hear the appeal. It would be neat if they were to do so and be joined by Lord Justice Birss—the very bench that decided Churchill v Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council

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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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