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NLJ this week: Pets, probate & public access—civil law’s busy winter

28 November 2025
Issue: 8141 / Categories: Legal News , Civil way , Procedure & practice , Landlord&tenant , CPR
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NLJ columnist Stephen Gold surveys a flurry of procedural reforms in his latest 'Civil way' column

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 abolishes assured shortholds and grants tenants the right to keep pets with landlords’ consent from May 2026—Rufus the labradoodle included.

Meanwhile, a pilot under new CPR PD 51ZH from January 2026 will publish key Commercial Court documents online, a win for transparency but a headache for practitioners.

Court fees rise again, with probate copies soaring from £1.50 to £16, and ACAS conciliation windows double from six to 12 weeks. Even Help with Fees gets a technical fix.

Beneath the wit, Gold’s message is clear: litigation costs are climbing, openness is expanding, and housing lawyers must brace for a post-section 21 world that brings as many barking disputes as legal briefs.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Red Lion Chambers—Maurice MacSweeney

Red Lion Chambers—Maurice MacSweeney

Set creates new client and business development role amid growth

Kingsley Napley—Tim Lowles

Kingsley Napley—Tim Lowles

Sports disputes practice launchedwith partner appointment

mfg Solicitors—Tom Evans

mfg Solicitors—Tom Evans

Tax and succession planning offering expands with returning partner

NEWS
The rank of King’s Counsel (KC) has been awarded to 96 barristers, and no solicitors, in the latest silk round
Can a chief constable be held responsible for disobedient officers? Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth, professor of public law at De Montfort University, examines a Court of Appeal ruling that answers firmly: yes
Early determination is no longer a novelty in arbitration. In NLJ this week, Gustavo Moser, arbitration specialist lawyer at Lexis+, charts the global embrace of summary disposal powers, now embedded in the Arbitration Act 1996 and mirrored worldwide. Tribunals may swiftly dismiss claims with ‘no real prospect of succeeding’, but only if fairness is preserved
The Ministry of Justice is once again in the dock as access to justice continues to deteriorate. NLJ consultant editor David Greene warns in this week's issue that neither public legal aid nor private litigation funding looks set for a revival in 2026
Civil justice lurches onward with characteristic eccentricity. In his latest Civil Way column, Stephen Gold, NLJ columnist, surveys a procedural landscape featuring 19-page bundle rules, digital possession claims, and rent laws he labels ‘bonkers’
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