THIS ISSUE
Are claims in trespass & nuisance mutually exclusive? Mark Pawlowski investigates intrusions which are more than meets the eye
What implications does the Merricks v Mastercard case have for insurers and consumers?
CILEx Regulation has appointed the University of Law as its training and assessment provider for practice rights. Chartered Legal Executives can now obtain the right to practise one or more reserved areas of activity by completing an assessment of competence
Climate laws such as the UK’s Climate Change Act 2008 are under-delivering on net-zero goals, a report by environmental law firm ClientEarth has found
The Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) launched this month, marking the biggest change to qualification routes in 30 years
Fewer than 50% of mid-sized businesses have a formal process in place to track off-payroll workers, despite the IR35 rules for the private sector coming into force five months ago, according to research by accountancy firm BDO
The Big Four accountancy firms are cornering the legal market in a far more sophisticated way than simply poaching work from law firms, according to an investigative report by LexisNexis Legal & Professional
Fixed recoverable costs are to be extended to all cases in the fast track (valued up to £25,000) and, via a new regime, to ‘simpler’ cases valued up to £100,000, the Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland QC has confirmed
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
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
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
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