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Making the headlines (Pt 2)

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28 November 2025 / Kerry Jack , Justin Penrose
Issue: 8141 / Categories: Features , Media , Profession , Marketing
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Journalists want legal commentators who are punchy, pithy & don’t sit on the fence, write Kerry Jack & Justin Penrose

When it comes to legal commentators, it’s common to see the same lawyers appearing regularly in the media.

It may not be immediately obvious why or how some lawyers become the go-to legal commentators in their practice area. Yet with focused effort, most lawyers can establish themselves as trusted media experts.

What journalists need

When a story breaks and a reporter needs reaction, or if they need an expert to comment on a story they are working on, they will do one of four things. First, they will look on the news wires such as the Press Association for good comments that slip into their story seamlessly.

Secondly, they keep an eye on their emails for decent and timely reactive comments. Failing that, they contact legal PR agencies who have access to multiple lawyers across various firms. Finally, they search Google for any lawyers who had

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Sponsored by
Boies Schiller Flexner—Tim Smyth

Boies Schiller Flexner—Tim Smyth

Firm promotes London international arbitration specialist to partnership

Katten Muchin Rosenman—James Davison & Victoria Procter

Katten Muchin Rosenman—James Davison & Victoria Procter

Firm bolsters restructuring practice with senior London hires

HFW—Guy Marrison

HFW—Guy Marrison

Global aviation disputes practice boosted by London partner hire

NEWS
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NLJ this week: Drawing the line on contempt
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
NLJ this week: Stop and search by the numbers
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
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Boris Johnson’s 2019 attempt to shut down Parliament remains a constitutional cautionary tale. The move, framed as a routine exercise of the royal prerogative, was in truth an extraordinary effort to sideline Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC dissects how prorogation was wrongly assumed to be beyond judicial scrutiny, only for the Supreme Court to intervene unanimously
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A construction defect claim in the Court of Appeal offers a sharp lesson in pleading discipline. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains how a catastrophically drafted schedule of loss derailed otherwise viable claims. Across the areas explored in this week's column, the message is consistent: clarity, economy and proper pleading matter more than ever
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