22 October 2020 / John Gould

Issue: 7907 / Categories: Legal News , Procedure & practice , Regulatory , Profession

NLJ this week: Lawyers behaving badly—misconduct outside of the office

If my wife were a solicitor and she had murdered me during lockdown, and if (notwithstanding the many defences available to defence counsel) she had been convicted, I expect she would be struck off. That’s obvious, but is it right?

Would it make any difference if the murderer was one of the saintly and long-suffering associates with whom I work? Suppose the murder was by defenestration from a penthouse during a purely social event?

John Gould considers what is meant by professional misconduct where allegations relate to ‘outside conduct’ in this week’s NLJ.

Issue: 7907 / Categories: Legal News , Procedure & practice , Regulatory , Profession

Misconduct outside of legal practice

E-newsletter Sign-Up

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All

Foot Anstey—Jasmine Olomolaiye

Investigations and corporate crime expert joins as partner

Fieldfisher—Mark Shaw

Veteran funds specialist joins investment funds team

Taylor Wessing—Stephen Whitfield

Firm enhances competition practice with London partner hire

NEWS

Read All

NLJ this week: Tightening the screws on JCT terminations

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

NLJ this week: Old rules, fresh warnings in employment law

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

NLJ this week: The rise of the ‘ChatGPT client’ rattles the profession

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

NLJ this week: Surrogacy children caught in succession gap

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’

NLJ this week: Online safety law at a crossroads

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

Error message

NLJ this week: Lawyers behaving badly—misconduct outside of the office

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Foot Anstey—Jasmine Olomolaiye

Fieldfisher—Mark Shaw

Taylor Wessing—Stephen Whitfield