THIS ISSUE
The Civil Justice Council is consulting on what role pre-action protocols (PAPs) should play in the civil justice system
Eversheds Sutherland and Osborne Clarke are to offer all trainees the opportunity to work part-time, as part of a Lawyers with Disabilities Division (LDD) project to promote part-time qualifying opportunities
Investigations into judges behaving badly would be speeded up and more details made public, under a consultation launched this week by the Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice
An online portal to match lawyers with pro bono opportunities has been launched by the charity LawWorks, (the solicitors pro bono group)
Commercial property lawyers are keen to adopt AI (artificial intelligence) or automation software but have encountered a series of obstacles, research has found
The Windrush Compensation Scheme is over-complex, lacks independence, suffers from delays and inconsistencies and is administered by inexperienced caseworkers, legal rights group JUSTICE has said, in its report, 'Reforming the Windrush Compensation Scheme’.
A passenger cannot use the fact they were too drunk to realise the driver was drunk as an excuse to avoid or reduce their contributory negligence, the Court of Appeal has held
The Supreme Court has called a halt to a massive class action against Google over a data protection breach
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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