THIS ISSUE
Diversity in arbitration optimises outcomes both in the boardroom & the hearing room: Alexander G Fessas explains how the ICC International Court of Arbitration is creating positive change
Has the delicate balance put in place by
Lord Justice Jackson toppled over? David
Bailey-Vella reports on the new landscape
for qualified one-way costs shifting
Equality before the law for all? Michael L Nash navigates
the complexity of cases involving royal litigants
For LGBT+ History Month, Michael Walker & Nadjia Zychowicz explore the legality of the Rugby Football Union’s ban on transgender women competing in female-only forms of their games
Lawyers have welcomed plans to keep 24 Nightingale Courts open for another year, but warned more was needed to tackle the backlog of cases.
A family judge was wrong to take a limited approach in a case concerning an ex-husband’s deliberate and repeated non-disclosure of assets, the Court of Appeal has held.
The Law Commission has highlighted serious safety concerns surrounding driverless cars, and has called on the government to impose a ban on remotely driving a vehicle from overseas due to lack of enforcement powers.
Proposals to fine firms up to 5% of their annual turnover for breaches of the professional rule book have been confirmed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
The Law Society has called for the UK to sign and ratify the Hague 2019 Convention on the recognition and enforcement of judgments ‘as quickly as possible’.
The final rules for bringing the Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF) under the control of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) have been agreed.
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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