THIS ISSUE
Data is available for the first time on the policing of public processions & assemblies: what does it reveal? Neil Parpworth looks behind the figures
Amanda Smallcombe examines success fees in claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975
Would you ask a bricklayer to install a boiler, asks Jack Ridgway? If not, you should probably get a regulated costs lawyer to manage your costs
How should copyright laws function in the context of artificial intelligence? Emma Kennaugh-Gallacher highlights the urgent need for clarity in the UK’s approach
Casey Randall, Head of Genetics at AlphaBiolabs, discusses the benefits of Non-invasive Prenatal Paternity testing for the timely resolution of family disputes
Creative approaches & daring action can lead to surprisingly positive outcomes for clients, writes Rachel Buckley
Immunity laws designed to protect embassies are incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the Court of Appeal has confirmed.
Three family judges who made historic decisions concerning Sara Sharif have been named.
The family justice Pathfinder courts pilot will expand into Mid and West Wales next month and West Yorkshire in June, ministers have announced.
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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