Roger Smith
NLJ columnist
Roger Smith, NLJ columnist & former director of JUSTICE. Newlawjournal.co.uk
NLJ columnist
Roger Smith, NLJ columnist & former director of JUSTICE. Newlawjournal.co.uk
What is the point of a state adhering to the rule of law if it doesn’t talk about it? Roger Smith ponders a mysterious cancellation
On the frontlines of the rule of law: Roger Smith applauds the work of the Open Society Justice Initiative
Reading between the lines of the government’s latest review of the civil legal aid system, Roger Smith unearths the same old fundamental problems at its heart
It does proponents of the rule of law no harm to admit to its many uncertainties: Roger Smith warns against the temptation to oversimplify
Roger Smith on why he believes the model of civil legal aid developed as part of the post-war welfare state is bust
Roger Smith reflects on the radical vision that created law centres & left a lasting legacy
Roger Smith presents his five-step process for the perfect letter of action
The new prime minister is quintessentially a lawyer, writes Roger Smith. What does that mean for his premiership?
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Charles Russell Speechlys—Matthew Griffin
Firm strengthens international funds capability with senior hire
Gilson Gray—Jeremy Davy
Partner appointed as head of residential conveyancing for England
DR Solicitors—Paul Edels
Specialist firm enhances corporate healthcare practice with partner appointment
NEWS
In this week's issue, Stephen Gold, NLJ columnist and former district judge, surveys another eclectic fortnight in procedure. With humour and humanity, he reminds readers that beneath the procedural dust, the law still changes lives
Generative AI isn’t the villain of the courtroom—it’s the misunderstanding of it that’s dangerous, argues Dr Alan Ma of Birmingham City University and the Birmingham Law Society in this week's NLJ
James Naylor of Naylor Solicitors dissects the government’s plan to outlaw upward-only rent review (UORR) clauses in new commercial leases under Schedule 31 of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, in this week's NLJ. The reform, he explains, marks a seismic shift in landlord-tenant power dynamics: rents will no longer rise inexorably, and tenants gain statutory caps and procedural rights
Writing in NLJ this week, James Harrison and Jenna Coad of Penningtons Manches Cooper chart the Privy Council’s demolition of the long-standing ‘shareholder rule’ in Jardine Strategic v Oasis Investments
Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School and the Frenkel Topping Group—AKA The insider—crowns Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP as his case of 2025 in his latest column for NLJ. The High Court’s decision—that non-authorised employees cannot conduct litigation, even under supervision—has sent shockwaves through the profession. Regan calls it the year’s defining moment for civil practitioners and reproduces a ‘cut-out-and-keep’ summary of key rulings from Mr Justice Sheldon
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