THIS ISSUE
Residential property law isn’t exactly leading tech innovation. Why not, & how can it change? Peter Ambrose investigates
Jeremy Richmond KC, Michael Rhode & Alexander Emmott provide an overview of developments in sustainability regulations, push payment fraud & de-banking
Exactly how thick-skinned do local politicians need to be? Nicholas Dobson looks at recent case law
Government proposals to introduce radical reform in the leaseholder’s favour will have a huge impact on practitioners when acting for landlords, says Shabnam Ali-Khan
Andrew Francis on the application of three important principles advising upon the meaning & effect of legal documents
How do we regulate the treatment of the dead? Athelstane Aamodt digs up the truth
The law is tying itself in knots over gender critical cases. A new approach is needed urgently to make the UK safer for trans people, says Oscar Davies
Ruth Pratt examines the little-used ‘procedural abuse torts’ in civil claims
You’ve got to be thick-skinned to go into local politics, but to how much aggravation should a publicly spirited person be subjected? In this week’s NLJ, Nicholas Dobson tests the limits
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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