THIS ISSUE
Barrister Ian Smith covers agency workers and ‘fire and rehire’ among a range of topics in Employment Law Brief, in this week’s NLJ
What is e-presenteeism? How is it affecting people working from home? And what do law firms need to do about it?
David Mayor & Alastair Gillespie look at the potential for litigation arising from the sportsfield, amid a spate of allegations
Legal information and analytics provider LexisNexis has created a powerful research tool for UK lawyers
There has been a rise in disclosures of historic abuse in sport. Writing in this week’s NLJ, David Mayor and Alastair Gillespie, look into what can be done about this shocking issue
It's been 25 years since the Arbitration Act 1996 came into force, so what has worked and what needs reform?
The Ministry of Justice has extended its consultation to reform the Human Rights Act 1998, replacing it with a Bill of Rights, after legal groups including Justice and Liberty pointed out accessibility issues
Fast track entry is now available at all courts and tribunals through the Professional Users Access Scheme (PUAS)
The Next 100 Years, the successor project to the First 100 Years, has launched a photo competition to mark the centenary of the first four women to be admitted to the Law Society as solicitors―Carrie Morrison, Maud Crofts, Mary Pickup and Mary Sykes
Only 30 Nightingale courtrooms―introduced to help with the backlog during the COVID-19 pandemic―are to be kept in use until March 2023, the government has said
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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