THIS ISSUE
The golden touch is that this former district judge is a wonderful ‘explainer’
Sophia Purkis & Judith Davidge examine proposals to hold unscrupulous directors to account: do they go far enough?
Geoffrey Bindman reflects on the stark imbalance between commercial prosperity & frontline poverty
Ian Smith serves up some employment classics & shares some wise lessons from the past
Merricks v Mastercard heralds a new era of opt-out claims: what does this mean for insurers & consumers? Samantha Silver reports
Nicholas Dobson considers whether the interpretation of human rights has too often become counter-intuitive to many outside a patrician élite
Legislative proposals to hold delinquent company directors to account are a step in the right direction but do they go far enough?
The Master of the Rolls, Sir Geoffrey Vos, has confirmed acceptance of the final report on Guideline Hourly Rates (GHR), which are used to help determine costs
In the first of a two-part series, Julian Chamberlayne examines the changes to be implemented following the Civil Justice Council’s report on guideline hourly rates
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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