THIS ISSUE
Judgment debtors hit for VAT; Success fee through back door; Divorce reform latest; Document redaction OK? Service charge battle; Mercy for Personal Reps
When the Bar Pro Bono Unit, now known as Advocate, was set up 25 years ago it immediately recognised the value of celebrating its barristers and publicising pro bono by handing out an award every year
Hugh Johnson & Miriam Spencer weigh up the current system of litigating against the NHS: is root-and-branch reform the answer?
Charlotte Bijlani and Soraya Corm-Bakhos chart the arbitration landscape in Dubai and the changes made by Decree 34
Lack of diversity on the bench has persisted despite the best efforts of legislators & the legal profession: Geoffrey Bindman asks what more can be done
In the first of a two-part series, Kim Beatson & Victoria Brown provide an expert guide to split hearings
Get me out of here! In his end of year address, Ian Smith navigates a series of obstacles & challenges including notification, blacklisting, reconsideration, anonymisation & postponements
Former District Judge Stephen Gold puts the Christmas tree decorating to one side and surveys the latest legal developments in Civil Way this week, covering the enforcement of debts, or rather who pays the fees for it, as well as the question of success fees in an inheritance battle
Lack of diversity in the judiciary is an issue that has persisted despite the efforts of legislators and the legal profession. Writing in this week’s NLJ, Geoffrey Bindman asks what more can be done
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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