THIS ISSUE
Douglas Maxwell looks to the year ahead & examines what more can be done to level up building safety
"The Conveyancing Handbook is an essential item for every practitioner specialising in property law"
Donna Spence on why automating the conveyancing process is good news for clients & practitioners
With the floodgates beginning to open, Caroline Harbord & Candice Johnson examine the first collective competition claims under the opt-out regime
Are increasing professional indemnity insurance premiums posing a threat to small law firms? Veronica Cowan investigates
Simon Parsons examines the remit & limitations of international law in averting global conflict
John Cleverly & Azeem Suterwalla consider the potentially far-reaching & unexpected effects of proposals in the Judicial Review and Courts Bill
Ian Smith draws inner strength from a great statesman & tackles the impenetrable conundrum that is unjust enrichment & quantum meruit
The Judicial Review and Courts Bill may be described in some quarters as ‘relatively uncontroversial’―but it has ‘potentially far-reaching effects’. Writing in this week’s NLJ, John Cleverly, senior associate at Osborne Clarke and Azeem Suterwalla, barrister at Monckton Chambers, explore the unexpected effects of the Bill, which endured a bumpy ride at second reading in the House of Lords this week and is now on its way to scrutiny at committee stage
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
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
