THIS ISSUE
Freezing injunctions are 50 years old next year and still very much a developing area of law. In this week’s NLJ, Mary Young, partner, and Charlotte Dormon, associate, in the dispute resolution team at Kingsley Napley, take us through a raft of cases decided this year.
Should an immoral regime rise to power, it is tempting to think lawyers and the rule of law would act as a protective wall. But is this true? Sadly, history suggests not, as John Gould, chair of Russell-Cooke, writes in this week’s NLJ.
Retired costs judge John O’Hare discusses ADR in three contexts, in this week’s NLJ. He covers cases provisionally allocated to the small claims track, commercial litigation in the County Court, and claims opposed by liability insurers or by large self-insuring organisations such as local authorities or health authorities.
Ambiguity over the governing law of arbitration agreements continues to spark debate. In July, meanwhile, the government reintroduced the Arbitration Bill, which would have altered the outcome in September of the Supreme Court case, UniCredit. In this week’s NLJ, Valya Georgieva, senior associate, Penningtons Manches Cooper, and Ravi Aswani, barrister, 36 Group, examine the court’s reasoning and consider how the outcome might have differed if the Arbitration Bill, currently before Parliament, had been in force.
The remedy of ‘specific performance’ is little-used but can be ‘extremely beneficial’ in M&A disputes. In this week’s NLJ, Yasseen Gailani, partner, and Megan Hiluta, senior associate, Quinn Emanuel, explain why looking beyond the remedy of damages may pay dividends for clients.
In a system ruled by immoral leaders, it may be fanciful to believe that lawyers can or will make a difference: John Gould considers a chilling lesson from history
Even after five decades of freezing injunctions, the courts are still regularly asked to clarify the law: Mary Young & Charlotte Dormon round up this year’s causes of confusion
Charles Pigott outlines key employment measures contained within the government’s Employment Rights Bill
Yasseen Gailani & Megan Hiluta consider the advantages of the little-used remedy of ‘specific performance’
The Arbitration Bill is back on the agenda—but how would it have affected the outcome of the UniCredit case? Valya Georgieva & Ravi Aswani consider the implications
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
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
