THIS ISSUE
Post-Beckwith, John Gould provides an update on the regulation of conduct outside of practice
John Bowers QC examines the interaction between freedom of religion & discrimination in recent caselaw
Liverpool set Exchange Chambers, which has 192 members including 16 silks, has launched a mentoring programme to inspire people from all backgrounds to pursue a career in the law
Some 23 members of the Law Society Council will have to stand down at the next election after solicitors voted in favour of term limits and constituency reforms
The Employment Lawyers’ Association (ELA) is launching a 21 Day Racial Habit-Building Challenge for members to help advance the conversation around race in the UK
The senior family judge has issued a warning to judges not to hold hearings out of normal 10am-4.30pm working hours despite pressure to deal with cases quickly
Sir Geoffrey Vos has been sworn in as Master of the Rolls, taking over from Sir Terence Etherton
The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) has questioned why the courts are to spend time piloting COVID-19 testing at selected sites when such a scheme has already ‘been administered in car parks up and down the land for many months’
The senior family judge has issued a warning to judges not to hold hearings out of normal 10am-4.30pm working hours despite pressure to deal with cases quickly
Reforms to whiplash claims have been postponed again, this time to May 2021, because of the impact of the pandemic on the insurance, legal and medical sectors
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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