THIS ISSUE
Aziz Rahman discusses the need for clarity on a centuries-old offence which remains as ambiguous as it is confusing
It’s 30 years since the last Royal Commission on Criminal Justice, and it will soon be time for another one―the government announced in 2019 that another commission will be established to review the criminal justice process.
Lawyers have called for higher compensation levels after ministers confirmed the whiplash reforms will be implemented on 31 May.
No damages awarded despite fraudulent misrepresentations
Reforms to better protect victims of ‘downblousing’, revenge porn and other intimate image abuse have been proposed by the Law Commission.
Fact-finding hearings in the family courts need to undergo a ‘cultural shift’, a working group set up by the president of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, has said.
City law firms have survived COVID-19 and 2020 in good shape, but many regional firms had a more challenging year, according to accountancy firm Crowe’s annual Law Firm Benchmarking survey.
Several celebrities have settled phone-hacking privacy claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), publisher of The Mirror and The People.
Trainees should receive a minimum salary of £22,794 in London and £20,217 outside London, the Law Society has recommended.
The Bar Council, Law Society and CILEx leaders marked Justice Week (1-5 March) by calling for ‘a vital health check on our rights, our justice system and ultimately on the rule of law’.
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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