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23 May 2019 / Sarah Goulbourne
Issue: 7841 / Categories: Features , Profession
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Time to embrace a better legal future

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Bullying & harassment are rife in UK law. And it’s time for us all to act, says Sarah Goulbourne
  • Leaders of law firms need to have more faith in their people, to give them the opportunity to take control of their workloads and to flourish as business people and human beings.

The announcement this month by the International Bar Association that over half of UK lawyers have been bullied, and over a third of female lawyers experienced sexual harassment, is very disappointing. My immediate reaction was—why? When we have made so much progress in society to address mental health, to embrace gender equality and diversity, to tackle ageism? How did the legal sector get left behind?

I believe that, despite modern law firms going about their business in impressive modern office blocks, a mindset persists that’s stuck in Dickensian times. Most of the working world has kept up with a natural evolution, embracing flexibility and freedom, and building a culture of trust which allows their people to thrive.

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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
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