THIS ISSUE
Michael L Nash shares his reflections on a remarkable reign
Is the ‘self-contained code’ of the Part 36 regime showing signs of opening up? Stephen Burns & Emilie Brammer examine some recent developments
Lucie Clinch provides a guide to the Law Commissions’ report on automated vehicles and next steps for road traffic law
Measures introduced in the Queen’s Speech risk fuelling legislative bad habits. Nick Wrightson sets out why
Avneet Baryan reports on the inviolability of embargoed judgments: what does this mean for practitioners?
Defendants trapped on portal; Peppercorn menu; More abuse; The danger of trusting relatives
Any ten years will do: Richard Oughton hails the return of clarity & common sense to claims for adverse possession
Neil Parpworth reports on fixed penalty notices for COVID offences: have they muddied the waters between civil & criminal penalties?
Time to steady the law on privacy & anonymity in family proceedings? David Burrows makes the case
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
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
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
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