THIS ISSUE
It’s time to limber up and get ready for the London Legal Walk, due to take place on 28 June
What happens if the owner of Bitcoin loses their private key? (And is the owner really the owner?) The courts recently grappled with this perplexing question, as Malcolm Dowden and Owen Afriye, of Squire Patton Boggs, explain in this week’s NLJ
A well-known Magic Circle lawyer and a former attorney general are among lawyers recognised in the Queen’s Birthday honours list
The Bar Council is launching a Pupillage Gateway platform for applicants and recruiters
The Legal Services Board (LSB), eight regulators and two disciplinary tribunals have committed themselves to taking action to ensure more inclusive workplaces
Former District Judge Stephen Gold takes another spin in his Tardis this week, revisiting the lawyers of yore (actually 1859 and 1860), as part of an ongoing series to mark 200 years since the founding of NLJ in 1822
Email is the Achilles’ heel of law firms when it comes to cybercrime, acting as the conduit for 83% of cybercrimes reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in 2021
Law firms which fall within the scope of the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 will need to provide the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) with more data by the end of July, or face regulatory action
The dangers of a police force enchanted with tech do not need spelling out―enough dystopian sci fi thrillers exist already. Writing in this week’s NLJ, Fred Allen, senior associate at Kingsley Napley, addresses the increasing reliance on tech by law enforcement agencies in England and Wales.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) consultation on reforms proposed by the criminal legal aid review closed this week, with alarm bells raised across the profession
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
