THIS ISSUE
In his second update on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, Michael Zander focuses on Pts 5 to 10
Is the role of the foster carer slowly shifting? John Bowers QC considers the evidence
Post-Maymask, Cecily Crampin & Tricia Hemans consider the effect of mortgage receivership on company directors’ powers to deal with property
What now for COVID-19 business interruption claims? Celso De Azevedo discusses the Supreme Court’s judgment & the issues likely to drive future litigation
Theo Huckle QC puts UK anti-discrimination laws & inequality in the spotlight & asks what we can do to effect lasting change
With allegations of abuse & misconduct hitting the headlines, Simon Cheetham QC examines the data protection implications for the schools investigating them
Lawyers have welcomed a £1m family mediation voucher scheme launched by the Ministry of Justice
The Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland QC, paid tribute to legal philosopher Professor HLA Hart’s ‘nightmare and the noble dream’, in a speech at the Queen Mary University conference last week
The Ministry of Justice is consulting on proposals to raise court fees, to raise 'an extra £11m-£17m’
The Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law has highlighted a ‘significant rule of law problem’ with the looser COVID-19 lockdown regime introduced this week
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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