THIS ISSUE
The Justice Committee has called for fundamental reforms to Coroners Courts, including legal ‘equality of arms’.
The closure of the Solicitors indemnity Fund (SIF) should not be treated as a fait accompli, solicitor (non-practising) Andrew Stovin writes in this week’s NLJ.
Possession laws and coronavirus regulations have together knitted a jumble sale of dates, deadlines, notice periods and requirements.
Should lawyers choose clients that match their own beliefs? They should not, says John Gould, senior partner at Russell-Cooke, in this week’s NLJ.
Lawyers must not be drawn into choosing cases based on their beliefs… or even worse, their prejudices, says John Gould
Retired solicitors could be left out in the cold with the closure of the Solicitors Indemnity Fund, as Andrew Stovin explains
The legal & regulatory landscape surrounding automated vehicles is taking shape: David Mason considers the questions still to be answered
Celso De Azevedo examines cyber-attacks, theft of confidential information & Norwich Pharmacal orders
Proposals to make mental health services more person-centred are highly welcome, but Keith Wilding fears they may founder without sufficient financial investment
Caroline Shea QC & Thomas Rothwell examine the history & relationship between proprietary estoppel & a section 2 defence
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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