THIS ISSUE
Hard cases make bad law, as the saying goes, and the Post Office Horizon scandal certainly makes for a hard case
Flexi gets flexier, according to this week’s Civil Way, in which NLJ columnist and former district judge Stephen Gold encapsulates the latest developments in law
From nosy neighbours at the Tate to the employment rights of Deliveroo riders, the Supreme Court justices tackled a multitude of significant cases last year
The Bar Council ethics and practice hub has issued guidance on generative artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT and large language model systems
Criminal legal aid solicitors have been offered a pay rise for police station and youth court work
Fees for employment tribunal claims and Employment Appeal Tribunal appeals could be reintroduced, despite the Supreme Court ruling them unlawful seven years ago in R (on the application of Unison) v Lord Chancellor [2017] UKSC 51
The Legal Services Board (LSB) is partnering with Belfast law firm Carson McDowell to review the regulatory intervention into Axiom Ince
More than 1,000 law firms have been identified as having no or poor controls when it comes to compliance with financial sanctions
Ministers have scrapped plans for compulsory mediation and will pilot early legal advice instead—a decision welcomed by family lawyers
The government has issued a draft code of practice on cyber security governance to help businesses strengthen their protection against cyber-attack
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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