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12 September 2014 / Roger Smith
Issue: 7621 / Categories: Opinion , Human rights
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Straws in the wind

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Roger Smith looks to the future

Three stories at the cutting edge of legal developments this month: two about human rights, a subject likely to feature in the next election, and one illustrating new developments in a rapidly changing profession.

The President on the road & in the groove

Lord Neuberger clearly decided on a busman’s holiday. He gave seven speeches during August in Australia (four), New Zealand (two) and Hong Kong. Some of his subjects reflected his commercial background. Let us pass over “The remedial constructive trust—fact or fiction”. It is as erudite as you would expect but not for the general reader. The meat for us came in Victoria with a speech on “the role of the judiciary in human rights jurisprudence”.

Lord Neuberger makes a nice point on the hierarchy of power: “In a parliamentary democracy without a constitution…there is a pecking order. First, there is the legislature who can always overrule court decisions; second come the judiciary, who have to give effect to statutes and respect to parliament,

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Kennedys—Milan Devani

Kennedys—Milan Devani

Chief information officer appointment strengthens technology leadership

Maguire Family Law—Hannah Barlow & Sophie Hughes

Maguire Family Law—Hannah Barlow & Sophie Hughes

Firm strengthens Wilmslow team with two solicitor appointments

DWF—Ian Plumley

DWF—Ian Plumley

Londoninsurance and reinsurance practice announces partner appointment

NEWS
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
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
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
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’
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
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