Nicholas Dobson
Consultant
Nicholas Dobson writes on local government, public law & governance. Towards the Light is available on Amazon in hardback, paperback and Kindle e-book. Newlawjournal.co.uk
Consultant
Nicholas Dobson writes on local government, public law & governance. Towards the Light is available on Amazon in hardback, paperback and Kindle e-book. Newlawjournal.co.uk
Nicholas Dobson on judicial shortcomings & Shakespeare
A recent case has provided a timely reminder of the key ingredients of the tort of misfeasance in public office: Nicholas Dobson reports
Nicholas Dobson examines the case of a school ski trip, a confiscated mobile phone & a permanent exclusion
Defamation matters, but claimants need to prove they have suffered serious reputational harm: Nicholas Dobson
Care proceedings and public interest were centre stage in a recent case involving the BBC. Nicholas Dobson reports
Nicholas Dobson analyses the Supreme Court ruling on the public right to camp in Dartmoor National Park
Nicholas Dobson follows up on Higgs v Farmor’s School, examining the Court of Appeal judgment on a gross misconduct dismissal
Nicholas Dobson examines the reasoning behind the Supreme Court’s recent decision on sex & gender
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach
Partner joins commercial property team in Taunton office
Farrer & Co—Richard Lane
Londstanding London firm appoints new senior partner
Bird & Bird—Sue McLean
Commercial team in London welcomes technology specialist as partner
NEWS
The legal profession’s claim to be a ‘guardian of fairness’ is under scrutiny after stark findings on gender imbalance and opaque progression. Writing in NLJ this week, Joshua Purser of No5 Barristers’ Chambers and Govindi Deerasinghe of Global 50/50 warn that leadership remains dominated by a narrow elite, with men holding 71% of top court roles
A legal challenge to police disclosure rules has failed, reinforcing a push for transparency in policing. In NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth examines a case where the Metropolitan Police required officers to declare membership of groups like the Freemasons
Bereavement leave is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation. Writing in NLJ this week, Robert Hargreaves of York St John University explains how the Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a day-one right to leave for a wider range of losses, alongside new provisions for pregnancy loss and bereaved partners
Courts are beginning to grapple with whether AI-generated material is legally privileged—and the answers are mixed. In this week's issue of NLJ, Stacie Bourton, Tom Whittaker & Beata Kolodziej of Burges Salmon examine US rulings showing how easily privilege can be lost
New guidance seeks to bring order to the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Minesh Tanna and David Bridge of Simmons & Simmons set out a framework stressing ‘transparency’, ‘explainability’ and ‘reliability’
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