THIS ISSUE
Former district judge Stephen Gold covers the legal issues and remedies where a lawyer makes a harmless error, in this week’s NLJ. Gold notes the court’s view, in the particular case mentioned, that ‘the court should not punish a party for the harmless error of its legal representatives’.
Can the Law Commission’s consultation finally deliver radical reforms 30 years in the making? Martin Rackstraw weighs up the issues at hand
Whiplash mini-rise; discrimination bands up; apologies OK; wrong defendant blues; non-binary name change.
Dr Chris Pamplin explores evidence of fact among ‘the tangled thicket’ of expert evidence
Like the elephant in the famous parable, trade mark dilution isn’t easily determined, writes Mark Engelman
Disputes over pets during divorce are on the rise. In this week’s NLJ, Shivi Rajput, partner at Stowe Family Law, looks at recent developments in the law.
Is it possible to own a freehold or leasehold estate in a tree? Mark Pawlowski digs deep
Planned cuts to the Civil Service risk adding further pressure to a public court system already at breaking point: Mark Jones & Alex Curran report on the deepening crisis
Experts can give evidence that is then considered factual rather than expert evidence within CPR 35. In this week’s NLJ, Dr Chris Pamplin, editor of the UK Register of Expert Witnesses, explores the fine line between evidence of fact and expert opinion.
The wrongful convictions of innocent sub-postmasters and of Andrew Malkinson, who was also entirely innocent, are shocking. The appeals system has been in need of ‘radical overhaul’ for decades, Martin Rackstraw, criminal partner at Russell-Cooke, writes in this week’s NLJ.
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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