THIS ISSUE
Do you suffer from imposter syndrome? If not, do your colleagues?
The process for adopting a child is famously complex, with stringent checks and safeguards, whether adopting from within the UK or overseas
Sir Geoffrey Bindman QC laments the direction of travel of the UK government when it comes to human rights and turns his attention to the current Lord Chancellor’s stated views, in this week’s NLJ
Former District Judge Stephen Gold picks his way through the subjects of possession, death, prison and disqualification, in this week’s Civil Way
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has launched a consultation on possible changes to professional indemnity insurance cover for conveyancers and probate lawyers
Solicitors Lisa Mayhew and Nicola Williams are joining the Board of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)
The Supreme Court has launched a free, online course about its work, including interviews with current and former Justices
Solicitors have welcomed the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ’s) decision to invest an additional £1.3m into the family mediation voucher scheme, but reiterated calls for legal aid funding to be restored
Magistrates are to have their sentencing powers doubled to 12 months, under Ministry of Justice (MoJ) proposals
Barristers will down tools if the government has not agreed by mid-February to raise legal aid fees by the end of March
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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