THIS ISSUE
A growing number of lawyers are calling for a public inquiry into the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic
Former Supreme Court judge Lord Sumption’s ‘obviously wrong’ views on the lockdown, published in The Sunday Timeson last month, demonstrate why proper decision making and accountability are ‘all the more important’ during the COVID-19 pandemic, John Gould, senior partner at Russell-Cooke, writes in this week’s NLJ.
The lessons from Grenfell Tower must be learned & the hardship suffered by those living in cladded blocks must be alleviated says Alec Samuels
Michael Zander on the oral arguments in the three cases against President Trump
Tori Adams & Killian Moran discuss claims of unlawful detention and the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures
Jamie Sutherland & Imogen Dodds consider overriding leases & enfranchisement
A sheikh, two wards & their mother: David Burrows analyses a case which pits freedom of expression against a respect for family life
We’re living in extraordinary times…but are these special circumstances, asks Charles Pigott.
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Cripps—Radius Law
Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire
Switalskis—Grimsby
Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire
Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury
Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments
NEWS
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
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
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