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THIS ISSUE
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Issue: Vol 174, Issue 8074

07 June 2024
IN THIS ISSUE

The word ‘neurotechnology’ conjures images of dystopian sci-fi landscapes, but this is an emerging area of law and you’re reading NLJ, not watching the latest Christopher Nolan screening

Fraud, money-laundering and other financial crimes are difficult to prosecute, and the enforcement agencies such as the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) have had a patchy record of success to date, but is that about to change?

More legal duties are set to be imposed on financial institutions in 2024. In this week’s NLJ, Michael Brown, partner, and Harriet Campbell, senior knowledge lawyer, Penningtons Manches Cooper, provide an overview of the new duties, including the Consumer Duty and the reimbursement rules, and consider the future of financial disputes

The Bar Council has called for a ‘whole system review’ of criminal justice through a Royal Commission, in written evidence to the Public Accounts Committee’s inquiry into the backlog in the criminal courts

Controversial ‘enhanced’ searches at Stratford Magistrates’ Court have been dropped, following complaints about heavy-handed security

This year’s London International Disputes Week (LIDW) was bigger than ever with predictions on the future of disputes funding and trends in global enforcement of judgments among the topics up for discussion

Insurers have lost a claim for priority over uninsured losses where money has been recovered, in a shipping case

More than a quarter of parties in some areas of England and Wales are unrepresented in public family law cases, which determine whether a child should be removed into local authority care

Research commissioned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has identified multiple factors explaining why candidates from certain ethnic groups perform better than others in professional legal assessments

Support Through Court, a charity that provides practical and emotional support to unrepresented civil and family court users, has launched a free online video explaining the key things to know about going to court
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cripps—Radius Law

Cripps—Radius Law

Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

Switalskis—Grimsby

Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

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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