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26 March 2021 / Stephen Gold
Issue: 7926 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Civil way
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Civil Way—26 March 2021

Tommy Tanked; Online going off a bit; That Was the Week That Was; PPI trap; Tenants stay put

TOMLIN JITTERS

Many regard the Tomlin order as the best thing since sliced bread. Alas, CFL Finance Ltd v Laser Trust [2021] EWCA Civ 228 in which the creditor was unrepresented may have persuaded some debt litigators to return to the carbohydrates for it decided that the schedule to the typical Tomlin order involved a contract which was capable of amounting to a regulated agreement within the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (CCA 1974). That being so, the contract could be unenforceable for non-compliance with one or more of ss 40 (enforcement of agreement made by unlicensed trader), 61–64 (making the agreement including duties to supply copy and notify cancellation rights), 77A (statements in relation to fixed-term agreements) and 86B (notice of arrears under fixed-term etc agreements) of CCA 1974.

But the battleground will be whether a particular scheduled Tomlin contract provided credit by way of debt deferment and on this battle, the Court

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Foot Anstey—Jasmine Olomolaiye

Foot Anstey—Jasmine Olomolaiye

Investigations and corporate crime expert joins as partner

Fieldfisher—Mark Shaw

Fieldfisher—Mark Shaw

Veteran funds specialist joins investment funds team

Taylor Wessing—Stephen Whitfield

Taylor Wessing—Stephen Whitfield

Firm enhances competition practice with London partner hire

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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