THIS ISSUE
A procedural morass in the making? David Burrows discusses the urgent need for clarity in domestic abuse proceedings
The Autonomy judgment & the lessons lawyers can learn from ‘fraud on a grand scale’, by Ceri Morgan
The best things in life cannot always be free: Nicholas Dobson dives into the ruling on a controversial fee uplift at the Hampstead Heath swimming ponds
Challenging an arbitration award for serious irregularity causing substantial injustice: Ravi Aswani & Valya Georgieva examine section 68
In the last of a three-part series by Collas Crill on Jersey and Guernsey law, Karen Stachura explores restructuring procedures in Jersey and Guernsey
Stephen Gold can’t get enough of the archives. This month he has had his nose in The Law Journal for 1925 and encounters much merriment at the Law Society & some hotel sheets
Successful parties out of pocket: Fern Schofield & Anthony Tanney report on a hollow victory in the Court of Appeal
Won’t anyone think about the constitution, asks Roger Smith
Snippets from The Reduced Law Dictionary, by Roderick Ramage
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig
Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire
EIP—Rob Barker
IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner
Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler
Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist
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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