THIS ISSUE
Ground rents get corny; That silky feeling; Distance law; Service charge dispute costs; Revised civil forms
The COVID-19 pandemic had a side-effect of making the justice system and litigation management more environmentally sound and sustainable. How can we maintain the gains post-pandemic?
Can Boris Johnson’s successor repair ‘the damage that has been done to the UK’s reputation in law’?
The judiciary and Ministry of Justice intend to make it easier for judges to move from one practice area to another, ‘removing barriers that prevent judges with appropriate authorisation from hearing different types of cases’
Divided opinions over fairness to students
Criminal barristers have entered their third week of strike action, downing tools from Monday to Thursday, and enduring uncomfortable temperatures to protest outside Birmingham, Preston and Plymouth Crown Courts and the Supreme Court in London
The Supreme Court handed down 56 judgments while the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council gave 34 judgments in 2021-22, according to their annual report and accounts, laid in Parliament this week
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has a temporary team in charge until at least 5 September, when Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to give way to a new leader of the Conservative Party
Former District Judge Stephen Gold casts a judge’s eye on remote observation and recording of cases
Not guilty by reason of insanity is one of the oldest principles of criminal law. In the 2022 case of R v Keal, the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) revisited the M’Naghten rules, which stem from 1843
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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