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11 December 2019 / Grania Langdon-Down
Issue: 7868 / Categories: Features , Profession
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Magic circle ‘lifer’ with a heart: Simon Davis

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Law Society President Simon Davis, a career ‘lifer’ in a magic circle firm, tells Grania Langdon-Down why he is keen to demonstrate Chancery Lane’s relevance to all sides of the profession & the public

As the country wakes up to a new government, Simon Davis, the Law Society’s 175th president, has warned against a ‘kneejerk’ reaction to the London Bridge attack that left two young people dead.

During the election campaign, politicians had been polishing up their law and order credentials with promises of extra police officers. But there was little in the party manifestos that presented a coherent set of policy reforms across the justice system in relation to legal aid, prisons, probation or the court estate. And it took the tragic events on London Bridge to expose what practitioners have been warning for years—that the whole justice system has been systematically starved of funds for more than a decade.

Immediately after the attack, party leaders launched into a ‘blame game’ about who was responsible for Usman

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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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