THIS ISSUE
"This is a bible for those who have to show that they keep the AML faith"
Third-class service; Scissors special; Site owners fazed; Up the PI damages; New employment law; Snoozing with the FPRs
Sophie Houghton rounds up some key points for practitioners to consider ahead of the extension of fixed recoverable costs
Time to get to the point? Laura Rees addresses issues with the current guidance on raising points of dispute
What is behind the recent increase in will & inheritance disputes? Niamh Wilkie & Stephanie Coker consider the complications caused by cohabitation & blended families
Holding your tongue? Mary Young considers when a party’s right to silence applies in civil proceedings
When is a corporate foundation right for your business, & when might alternatives be more suitable? Elizabeth Jones, Emma James & Sarah Gill set out the benefits & challenges
It pays to be specific when setting out points of dispute, as Laura Rees, council member of the Association of Costs Lawyers, explains in this week’s NLJ
NLJ's latest Charities Appeals Supplement has been published in this week's issue
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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