THIS ISSUE
In this week’s Civil Way, Stephen Gold looks ahead to April, when the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 is due to come into force. He covers the rules, costs, fees and mediation
The government recently suggested the British Navy could be used to deter asylum seekers from crossing the English Channel on dinghies and small boats
When is a covenant enforceable by a person who claims the benefit of it and who is not the original covenantee?
Law firm DAC Beachcroft has launched a crisis management app, the DACB Crisis Room app
Evolving societal expectations of business and post-pandemic employee requirements are among four emerging risk trends for legal and compliance over the next two years, according to Gartner Legal and Compliance
The Civil Justice Council (CJC) has recommended a simplified procedure for civil claims worth £500 or less, in its final report on ‘The resolution of small claims’
More clients are challenging their solicitors’ bills, research from the Association of Costs Lawyers (ACL) has found
Clinical negligence claimants seeking damages of £25,000 or less would only be able to recover limited costs, under government proposals
The legal profession is slowly becoming more diverse, data from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and Bar Standards Board (BSB) reveals
The government’s Legal Support for Litigants in Person Grant programme (LSLIP) is currently funding 11 projects for unrepresented litigants, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig
Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire
EIP—Rob Barker
IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner
Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler
Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist
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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