THIS ISSUE
The Jackson reforms made the courts more cost-conscious and, consequently, stricter. In this week’s NLJ, Dr Chris Pamplin, editor of the UK Register of Expert Witnesses, asks whether a more balanced approach should be taken by courts which, ten years after Jackson, remain loathe to admit late expert evidence.
NLJ columnist Roger Smith reviews legal technology specialist Professor Richard Susskind’s latest book through an access to justice lens, in this week’s issue.
The construction of HS2 has provided work for criminal lawyers as well as construction engineers, writes NLJ columnist David Walbank KC, of Red Lion Chambers, in this week’s ‘Crime Brief’. Walbank looks at the recent case concerning protestors who tunnelled beneath Euston Square Gardens in central London.
Dishonesty is certainly in the headlines this week, but politics aside, what happens when solicitors are dishonest? In this week’s NLJ, Jessica Clay and Lucinda Soon examine the ‘exceptional circumstances’ which can save a dishonest solicitor from being struck off.
No matter the advances of legal tech in widening access to justice, there will always be a place for human advisers, as Roger Smith explains
When does dishonest conduct in the solicitors’ profession not lead to strike-off? Jessica Clay & Lucinda Soon consider some exceptional circumstances
Novel methods of case management & consolidation are emerging in the Competition Appeal Tribunal: Annabel Elliott considers the umbrella proceedings order one year on
Vijay Ganapathy discusses recent developments in sports injury & noise-induced hearing loss claims, plus the rules on limitation for professional negligence cases
Agency fees or expert fees? Masood Ahmed & Lal Akhter clarify the rules surrounding fees paid to a medical reporting organisation when assessing costs
Thus far, arguably the most significant output of the HS2 project has been a stream of litigation: David Walbank KC charts the path to judicial review
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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