THIS ISSUE
John Gould looks at the rules on out-of-office bad behaviour
Guidance on how to apply for probate online using the MyHMCTS portal has been published by HM Courts & Tribunals Service
The winter 2020–spring 2021 Pre-Application Judicial Education Programme (PAJE) is now open for applications
The Department for Transport has launched a Consultation on using a hand-held mobile phone while driving, due to end at 11.59pm on 17 January 2021
The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett has hosted an online event with Chief Justices from around the Commonwealth to discuss their experiences of responding to COVID-19
More than 10,000 potential victims of modern slavery were identified in the UK last year, the Home Secretary Priti Patel has said
A telecom operator must pay a landowner £5,000 per year for a rooftop phone mast in Peckham, South London, the Upper Tribunal has held in a landmark case
A claimant did not give informed consent to her no win no fee lawyers deducting £385 from her damages, the High Court has held in a test case on recoverability of costs
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has published draft guidance for prosecutors on rape myths and stereotypes, in the first full update in eight years
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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