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The Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme is being extended to a further 14 offences including stalking, harassment, child sexual abuse and other sex offences, the Ministry of Justice confirmed this week.

Judges should consider a child’s rights of ‘central concern’ when sentencing their mother to prison, MPs and Peers have said.

More support should be given to vulnerable claimants and defendants, the Civil Justice Council (CJC) said in a consultation report last week, ‘Vulnerable witnesses and parties within civil proceedings’.

MPs face ‘unprecedented threats’, with many reporting persistent online abuse, according to a ‘snapshot’ report last week by the Institute for Government thinktank.

"An in-depth study into what it means to represent children who find themselves in the criminal justice system”

Geoffrey Bindman believes the Treason Act is an anomaly & of little relevance to life today

Proposals could see youth courts added to solicitor advocate remit

The use of technology in business and the protection of victims of abusive online communications are the law reform priorities of the next appointees to the Law Commission.

The Parole Board has announced the appointments of a record number of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) candidates.

Victor Smith looks at when inference can result in conviction

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Kennedys—Milan Devani

Chief information officer appointment strengthens technology leadership

Maguire Family Law—Hannah Barlow & Sophie Hughes

Firm strengthens Wilmslow team with two solicitor appointments

DWF—Ian Plumley

Londoninsurance and reinsurance practice announces partner appointment

NEWS

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NLJ this week: Tightening the screws on JCT terminations

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

NLJ this week: Old rules, fresh warnings in employment law

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

NLJ this week: The rise of the ‘ChatGPT client’ rattles the profession

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

NLJ this week: Surrogacy children caught in succession gap

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’

NLJ this week: Online safety law at a crossroads

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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Criminal

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Kennedys—Milan Devani

Maguire Family Law—Hannah Barlow & Sophie Hughes

DWF—Ian Plumley