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NLJ this week: Safeguarding failures, Letby & the upcoming Thirlwall report

09 May 2025
Issue: 8115 / Categories: Legal News , Abuse , Child law , Family , National Health Service , Health & safety
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The Thirlwall Inquiry into the deaths of babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital, in respect of which nurse Lucy Letby was convicted of murder and attempted murder, held its final hearings in March

In this week’s NLJ, Richard Scorer, head of abuse law and public inquiries, Slater & Gordon Lawyers, reports on the disturbing detail which emerged from the inquiry and considers what its final recommendations are likely to encompass.

Lady Justice Thirlwall has indicated she will publish her final report before the end of the year. Scorer writes: ‘A striking aspect of the case is how parents were kept entirely in the dark about the hospital’s concerns regarding Letby, only discovering the true picture through the later criminal investigation and trial... it is beyond argument that the duty of candour was not honoured in this case, and this reinforces concerns that the duty of candour is being routinely ignored across much of the NHS.’ 

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Charles Russell Speechlys—Matthew Griffin

Charles Russell Speechlys—Matthew Griffin

Firm strengthens international funds capability with senior hire

Gilson Gray—Jeremy Davy

Gilson Gray—Jeremy Davy

Partner appointed as head of residential conveyancing for England

DR Solicitors—Paul Edels

DR Solicitors—Paul Edels

Specialist firm enhances corporate healthcare practice with partner appointment

NEWS
In this week's issue, Stephen Gold, NLJ columnist and former district judge, surveys another eclectic fortnight in procedure. With humour and humanity, he reminds readers that beneath the procedural dust, the law still changes lives
Generative AI isn’t the villain of the courtroom—it’s the misunderstanding of it that’s dangerous, argues Dr Alan Ma of Birmingham City University and the Birmingham Law Society in this week's NLJ
James Naylor of Naylor Solicitors dissects the government’s plan to outlaw upward-only rent review (UORR) clauses in new commercial leases under Schedule 31 of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, in this week's NLJ. The reform, he explains, marks a seismic shift in landlord-tenant power dynamics: rents will no longer rise inexorably, and tenants gain statutory caps and procedural rights
Writing in NLJ this week, James Harrison and Jenna Coad of Penningtons Manches Cooper chart the Privy Council’s demolition of the long-standing ‘shareholder rule’ in Jardine Strategic v Oasis Investments
Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School and the Frenkel Topping Group—AKA The insider—crowns Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP as his case of 2025 in his latest column for NLJ. The High Court’s decision—that non-authorised employees cannot conduct litigation, even under supervision—has sent shockwaves through the profession. Regan calls it the year’s defining moment for civil practitioners and reproduces a ‘cut-out-and-keep’ summary of key rulings from Mr Justice Sheldon
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