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02 December 2016
Issue: 7725 / Categories: Features , Civil way , Procedure & practice
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Civil way: 2 December 2016

Defamatory guts; blame the accountant; & wretched costs

​ORDER AFTER CONSULTATION

It is hereby ordered by the Civil Courts (Amendment No 2) Order 2016 (SI 2016/1068) and the Lord Chancellor that the following district registries and/or hearing centres shall have given or shall give up possession of the premises they occupy together with all judicial office holders, staff, sandwich remnants and “How to complain about the judge” leaflets situated therein on the dates specified, namely, Halifax 28 November 2016, Tunbridge Wells 9 December 2016, Scunthorpe 13 January 2017, Hartlepool 28 November 2016 and Reigate 31 March 2017

Note: any person affected by this order may never apply for it to be stayed, set aside or varied.

SERIOUS HARM

A claimant may have the guts to pursue a defamation claim and lawyers the guts to take it on. But was the reputational harm serious? These days, a statement will not rank as defamatory unless its publication caused or is likely to cause serious harm (s 1(1) of the Defamation Act 2013). We get an

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Kennedys—Milan Devani

Kennedys—Milan Devani

Chief information officer appointment strengthens technology leadership

Maguire Family Law—Hannah Barlow & Sophie Hughes

Maguire Family Law—Hannah Barlow & Sophie Hughes

Firm strengthens Wilmslow team with two solicitor appointments

DWF—Ian Plumley

DWF—Ian Plumley

Londoninsurance and reinsurance practice announces partner appointment

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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