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08 May 2026
Issue: 8160 / Categories: Legal News , Civil way , Procedure & practice , Landlord&tenant , ADR , Personal injury
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NLJ this week: Civil procedure gets a spring overhaul

Stephen Gold’s latest Civil Way column rounds up a flurry of procedural and regulatory changes reshaping housing, alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and personal injury litigation

Writing in NLJ this week, Gold surveys the first phase of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, including new possession grounds for landlords wishing to sell properties or house family members, alongside transitional provisions for students and existing tenancies. He notes that contractual rent review clauses are effectively abolished and jokes that the legislation ‘bizarrely’ encourages tenants to challenge rent increases in tribunals.

Elsewhere, Gold highlights the arrival of mandatory accreditation for ADR providers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, complete with a hefty £6,151 application fee.

He also reviews the 18th edition of the Judicial College Guidelines, which increase personal injury compensation brackets and expand aggravating factors in abuse claims. In one eye-catching update, he notes a High Court award of £125,000 in a domestic abuse case that narrowly missed inclusion in the new edition.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Jordan Wallace

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Jordan Wallace

Thomson Hayton Winkley strengthens family law team

Ward Hadaway—Barnaby Rosenthall

Ward Hadaway—Barnaby Rosenthall

Construction lawyer returns to Ward Hadaway in Teesside role

Bird & Bird—Shahin Baghaei

Bird & Bird—Shahin Baghaei

Bird Bird hires leading legal transformation expert

NEWS
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

How forcefully can a litigant criticise a public authority before robust advocacy crosses the line into unreasonable conduct? 
Can a meticulously maintained spreadsheet turn a couple’s informal financial arrangements into legally enforceable obligations? 
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