THIS ISSUE
The public inquiry into the ‘spy cops’ scandal has so far struggled amid various concerns including about the suitability of the Chair, according to Mike Schwarz, partner at Hodge, Jones & Allen writing in NLJ this week
Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve QC has been appointed a Visiting Professor in Law at Goldsmiths, University of London, which is launching an undergraduate LLB Law with Politics and Human Rights at Goldsmiths
The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), the world's leading professional body for the promotion of alternative dispute resolution, is running a free of charge event for the whole ADR (alternative dispute resolution) community
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has ordered Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) to conduct an ‘urgent reassessment’ of students’ needs, in response to exam complaints
The COVID-19 crisis is likely to create long-term challenges for courts, particularly commercial courts, an international forum of commercial courts has warned
Conveyancers have been issued with pandemic-compliant guidance amid government moves to kickstart the housing market
The Bar Council Pupillage Fair, now in its fifth year, will be entirely virtual this year, the Bar Council has said
Senior judges and legal academics have called for a ‘breathing space’ break in litigation to allow firms to recover in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic
Firm adds partner to family team
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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