THIS ISSUE
In this week’s NLJ, Michael Zander KC reports on research out this week that reveals the government’s plan to tackle low conviction rates in rape cases has been based on a fundamentally flawed premise.
Greater diversity among arbitration professionals leads to better outcomes in arbitration proceedings, according to research.
NLJ columnist Roger Smith covers a House of Lords paper on the roles of the Lord Chancellor and the law officers, in this week’s NLJ.
NLJ columnist Stephen Gold takes us back to the grimy days of the 1980s in this week’s 'Archive: Civil Way'.
Pillars of integrity? Roger Smith stresses the importance of character, intellect & a commitment to the rule of law in those serving as Lord Chancellor & Law Officers
Andrew Francis takes a good look at Fearn v Tate Gallery Trustees: what lessons can property practitioners learn from the Supreme Court’s judgment?
The government’s action plan on conviction rates in rape cases has been based upon a fundamentally flawed premise, as Michael Zander KC explains
Stephen Gold discovers a criminal poet, Clerkenwell solicitors cut up rough over PACE pay, & the NLJ gives the thumbs up to Spider Woman
To what extent has the Court of Appeal clarified the power of the magistrates’ court to reopen cases in order to rectify mistakes? Dr Charanjit Singh reports
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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