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02 December 2022 / David Jones , Evie Meleagros
Issue: 8005 / Categories: Features , Profession , Cyber , Technology , Property
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Cryptocurrencies: watch this space?

David Jones & Evie Meleagros consider the progress & challenges of cryptoasset cases in the courts of England & Wales
  • In the eyes of law, cryptocurrency has so far been treated as property. However, there are still issues when it comes to recovering or enforcing it, because it is intangible and decentralised.
  • Crypto-fraud has been on the rise in recent years and has been tricky for the courts to deal with, because while they are willing to adapt the framework to help victims, they are rarely able to get participation from defendants.

When it first started trading, the initial price for one Bitcoin was less than a dollar. At the time of writing, that price is just over $18,000 per unit having settled from a previous high of almost $50,000. The rise of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has been coupled with a rise in crypto-related crime, which has created the need for redress in the courts. Consequently, the demand for freezing orders and proprietary injunctions

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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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