THIS ISSUE
Frontline legal services have the most to gain from artificial intelligence, but also face unique challenges in its provision, write Emily Carter & Sahil Kher
How do overlapping insurance policies interact? In NLJ this week, Chris Bates and Jordan Ball of Penningtons Manches Cooper explore this question in Watford Community Housing Trust v Arthur J Gallagher Insurance Brokers Ltd
In this week's NLJ, Emily Carter and Sahil Kher of Kingsley Napley reflect on the Ayinde case and the broader implications of AI in frontline legal services. The authors argue that while AI offers transformative potential for under-resourced law centres, it also deepens the divide between well-funded firms and those on the frontline
How is tech changing the way companies do business, & how can the law keep pace? By Piers Larbey & Izabella Brooks
Strategist, educator, collaborator… the Supreme Court’s decision illustrates the many lives of a high-net-worth adviser, write Sean Hilton & Penny Marshall
Dan Moore, Richard Ellis & Jack Sears provide a guide for insolvency practitioners
Natalie Todd & Nicholas Bortman on the extraordinary measures parties are taking to gather evidence
The murky rise of unlawfully obtained evidence in litigation is explored in this week's NLJ by Natalie Todd of Cooke, Young & Keidan and Nicholas Bortman of Raedas. From hacked emails to covert recordings and pretexting, investigators are pushing legal boundaries—and courts in England and beyond are increasingly admitting such material if it serves the public interest, even as they condemn the methods used
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
