THIS ISSUE
The ‘long-awaited’ Home Office guidance on failure to prevent fraud (FPF) is now available and the new law will come into effect in September. In this week’s NLJ, Michael Goodwin KC and Theo Burges, third-six pupil barrister, Red Lion Chambers, write that ‘the spectre of the likely interaction between FPF and deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) also looms for corporates’.
Mediators should not be celebrating the repeated extension of the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, according to Stuart Hanson, an FMC-accredited mediator, professional practice consultant and legal aid internal supervisor at Direct Mediation Services.
As the EU Artificial Intelligence Act rolls out, arbitrators must get to grips and ensure compliance with its ‘robust standards’. Writing in this week’s NLJ, Gustavo Moser, independent arbitrator and consultant, and arbitration specialist lawyer at Lexis+® UK Arbitration, gives the lowdown on the Act’s requirements and its implications for arbitrators.
What challenges lie ahead in litigation? Two key areas are interim billing and ethics—explored in this week’s NLJ by Frank Maher, partner in Keystone Law specialising in professional regulation & professional indemnity insurance law.
The Procurement Act 2023, which comes into force on 24 February 2025, ushers in a new regime for the awarding of public contracts. In this week’s NLJ, Paul Henty, partner at Beale & Co, a specialist in public procurement law, looks at the Act’s provisions on debarment and exclusion.
Bought a car in the past ten years? Secret commission on motor finance has been in the headlines recently, with a major case pending in the Supreme Court in April. Writing in this week’s NLJ, Henry Warwick KC and Douglas Maxwell, Henderson Chambers, analyse the Court of Appeal ruling in Johnson v FirstRand Bank Ltd, which opened the can of worms.
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Stuart Hanson on why mediators should not be celebrating the repeated extension of an inadequate scheme
A litigator’s year of risk: Frank Maher runs through some of the challenges that lie ahead
Henry Warwick KC & Douglas Maxwell discuss the £30bn+ decision for the Supreme Court
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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