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07 October 2010 / Stephen Gold
Issue: 7436 / Categories: Features , Civil way , Procedure & practice
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Civil way: 8 October 2010

Kicked when down; THE RUNNER; YEAR END STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT

Kicked when down

The Office of Legal Complaints and its ombudsman scheme picked up their licence to condemn as from 6 October 2010 and will deal with all new service complaints against legal professionals and, in relation to solicitors, that’s in place of the Law Society (which retains its conduct regulatory powers). Any client wishing to challenge a solicitor’s non-contentious bill will need to go to the ombudsman for a fee determination. The Solicitors Code of Conduct 2007 rule 2.05 has been amended as to notice to the client about the ombudsman and its timing. 

THE RUNNER

The 10th and latest edition of the Judicial Studies Board’s personal injury general damages guidelines published by Oxford University Press has just come out – red covered but not quite as bright as the current red, At a Glance though they look attractive if carried together, preferably accompanied by a red pocket handkerchief with white spots.

It’s been two years since the last

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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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