THIS ISSUE
Former CILEx President Stephen Gowland has become the first Chartered Legal Executive to be appointed to the Legal Services Board (LSB)
Judges are to be given a 2% pay rise, backdated to 1 April, the government has said
The announcement of ten temporary Blackstone courts (legal equivalent of Nightingale hospitals) ‘feels like the Emperor’s new clothes’, the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) chair Caroline Goodwin QC has said
A parliamentary committee is investigating the lack of progress on resolving racial inequalities in the protection of human rights in the UK
Lawyers who enter into damages-based agreements (DBAs) can be paid in the event of early termination, the High Court has confirmed
The long-awaited ‘Russia report’ has called for new legislation to ‘tackle espionage, the illicit financial dealings of the Russian elite and the “enablers” who support this activity’
The Law Commission has proposed radical reforms to home ownership, making it simpler for leaseholders to extend their lease, buy the freehold and take over the management
Shamima Begum, one of three east London schoolgirls who joined Isis in Syria in 2015 when she was 15 years old, will receive a fair trial only if she is allowed to return to the UK, the Court of Appeal has held
Ten temporary ‘Nightingale’ courts will be up and running in August to help clear the backlog of cases, the government has said
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig
Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire
EIP—Rob Barker
IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner
Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler
Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist
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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