THIS ISSUE
Mr Justice Trower in
the High Court has granted permission to serve court documents on unknown
fraudsters via the transfer of a token on blockchain, in a legal first
This month, David Walbank QC examines one of the longest established principles of criminal law: the courts’ approach to the concept of insanity
It is important that the courts do not lose the environmental gains made as a result of the pandemic, say Francesca Berry & Karen Hutchinson
"This book is an icon of criminal practice and will be with us, no doubt for the next 200 years"
David Greene asks if Boris Johnson’s successor can repair the effect in law of UK’s hostilities with the EU
Coincidence or copycat? Laura Trapnell & Louis Iveson examine the increasing trend in litigating copyright disputes over hit songs
UNITEd we stand: Ian Smith rounds up the latest employment cases, covering collective bargaining, disability discrimination & defining ‘workers’
In the second of a special three-part series by Penningtons Manches Cooper, Colin Hayes considers developments on costs sharing in group actions
Reform is needed when juries are summoned for inquests, says David Regan
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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