THIS ISSUE
Barbara Mills KC, chair of the Bar Council, sets out her plans to pilot reflective practice—an approach used successfully by doctors, social workers and other stress-ridden professionals—at the Bar, in this week’s NLJ.
Recent caselaw in property come under the careful scrutiny of Fern Schofield and Gwyneth Everson, Falcon Chambers, in this week’s NLJ, in a new series of quarterly reviews.
Sir Mark Hedley on what needs to be considered as a result of this amendment to the assisted dying Bill
He was known as ‘Baron Ego of Eye’, and also as ‘the greatest ever exponent of the art of persuasion when addressing judges and juries’. Writing in this week’s NLJ, David Walbank KC, Red Lion Chambers, pays tribute to Thomas Erskine, a barrister of extraordinary eloquence.
David Walbank KC pays tribute to Thomas Erskine, ‘the invincible orator & undaunted patriot’
Diane Dickson examines the legal framework for green building, explaining the latest changes & their impact on practitioners & clients
Enforcement of debt recovery through the courts ‘does not work’ and ‘adds unnecessary complexities’, a Civil Justice Council (CJC) working group has concluded in a ground-breaking report.
Two brothers have been sentenced at Southwark Crown Court in the first-ever UK prosecution of Russian sanction breaches.
The former Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett, former Lady Justice of Appeal Dame Anne Rafferty and former director of public prosecutions Max Hill KC have backed the creation of an intermediate criminal court consisting of a judge and two magistrates.
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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