THIS ISSUE
In the first of a two-part series, family lawyers Kim Beatson and Victoria Brown, of Anthony Gold, provide a cut out and keep guide to fact finding hearings in private children hearings
The annual eye-watering legal bill faced by the NHS never fails to shock
"[A] practical guide that succinctly & comprehensively captures the key points needed by busy practitioners"
"There is a wealth of information and education on offer. Litigators will join the medics and the researchers in lapping them up"
Survivors and children are being ‘let down and retraumatised’ by their experiences in the family courts, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Nicole Jacobs has said
A ‘substantial increase’ in complaints about barristers were made to the Bar Standards Board (BSB) last year
Lawyers have urged the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to give them more information and more time to consider an evaluation of immigration legal aid fees
Concerns about time estimates and urgency were raised at the latest Commercial Court user group meeting
The Justice Committee has issued a call for evidence
on the criminal justice system’s approach to tackling fraud, which accounts for
about half of all crimes
LGBT+ and disabled victims would be given the same protection as those targeted because of their race and religion, under a shake-up of hate crime legislation recommended by the Law Commission
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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