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04 October 2024 / Stephen Gold
Issue: 8088 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Civil way , Harassment , Tribunals , Property
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Civil way: 4 October 2024

Portal rules, OK!; Harassed by CPR; Just one claim form, please; judicial review sins

PORTALS FOR MORTALS

HMCTS has issued specific rules for naming documents which are to be uploaded to ‘case file view’ on the contested financial remedy portal. Be warned. You are stuck with the name you create so eschew ‘filthy respondent’s lie pack’. Renaming is out of the question. The name should be ‘sufficiently short’ and contain: type of document; first and last name of the person whose ‘evidence’ is set out in it; and date of creation or signature. ‘Form E Sella Storey 04/10/24’ would do nicely.


THE HARASSMENT TRAP

The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 is a fine piece of legislation. Not only does it create criminal offences but, my dear litigators, it allows for the grant of an injunction and damages in civil proceedings. All you need is harassment. It was present in Pattinson v Winsor [2024] EWHC 1910 (KB), where the claimant, a district judge (magistrates’ court) was after

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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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