THIS ISSUE
The cleaner did it! John Gould considers the rules & responsibilities which apply to non-solicitor employees of a firm
Andy Cullwick considers how law firms are facing up to an uncertain future, & how they can best adapt to it
David Jones & Evie Meleagros consider the progress & challenges of cryptoasset cases in the courts of England & Wales
Spying on your government is bad enough… but writing a book about it? Athelstane Aamodt explains why things are not always as they seem
Law firms have been warned again not to use litigation aimed at silencing critics—known as strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs).
A criminal offence of sharing ‘deepfakes’—explicit images or videos which have been manipulated to look like someone without their consent—is to be added to the Online Safety Bill, in a Ministry of Justice (MoJ) amendment.
An anonymous party known only as ‘Cøbra’ cannot take part in legal proceedings in England and Wales, the High Court has confirmed in a ground-breaking decision.
The Supreme Court’s decision regarding a draft Scottish Independence Referendum Bill will ‘not have come as a surprise’ to the first minister, according to public law specialist Stephen Parkinson.
The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett, is to retire on 30 September 2023, after six years in post.
Ten firms out of 40 taking part in a Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) thematic review of immigration services providers have been referred to disciplinary processes after ‘significant shortcomings’ were found.
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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