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10 December 2025
Issue: 8143 / Categories: Legal News , Profession
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New Legal Ombudsman chosen

Former deputy chief constable of North Yorkshire Police Phil Cain is to be the next Legal Ombudsman, taking over from interim chief executives Steve Pearson and David Peckham in February

Cain spent more than a decade in the Royal Air Force, serving in Northern Ireland and Iraq, and 20 years at North Yorkshire Police, before his current role as executive director of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority.

Elisabeth Davies, chair of the Office for Legal Complaints, said Cain’s ‘extensive experience and unwavering commitment to public service set him apart in a highly competitive field, alongside his clear vision and collaborative leadership style’.

Issue: 8143 / Categories: Legal News , Profession
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FEATURES
The date-of-breach rule remains central to contractual damages, yet courts continue to recognise important exceptions: Ian Gascoigne explores the evolving case law
Liam Hurren reports on the legal & ethical risks highlighted by the recent Joe Donor case

Mark Pawlowski asks the unromantic question of who keeps the ring, and when, if a couple split

How many employment lawyers can dance on the head of a pin? Ian Smith weighs up the latest cases & celebrates the calm before the storm
Fewer cases, faster outcomes? James Tyler considers the future of enforcement at the Financial Conduct Authority
A recent decision has provided long-awaited clarity on how medical reporting organisations can fairly recover costs, writes Kris Kilsby
Natalie Quinlivan looks into limitation and unfair prejudice petitions after THG v Zedra and offers practical advice

The latest case involving a serial sperm donor serves to highlight the serious legal & ethical issues around unregulated donation, write Isabelle James & Lee Henderson

The rise of litigants in person: Clare Hughes-Williams sets out how to respond to this growing challenge
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Nikki Bowker, Devonshires

NLJ Career Profile: Nikki Bowker, Devonshires

Nikki Bowker, head of litigation and dispute resolution at Devonshires, on career resilience, diversity in law and channelling Elle Woods when the pressure is on

Ellisons—Sarah Osborne

Ellisons—Sarah Osborne

Leasehold enfranchisement specialist joins residential property team

DWF—Chris Air

DWF—Chris Air

Firm strengthens commercial team in Manchester with partner appointment

Meet our legal trainees
NEWS
The High Court’s refusal to recognise a prolific sperm donor as a child’s legal parent has highlighted the risks of informal conception arrangements, according to Liam Hurren, associate at Kingsley Napley, in NLJ this week
The Court of Appeal’s decision in Mazur may have settled questions around litigation supervision, but the profession should not simply ‘move on’, argues Jennifer Coupland, CEO of CILEX, in this week's NLJ
A simple phrase like ‘subject to references’ may not protect employers as much as they think. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, analyses recent employment cases showing how conditional job offers can still create binding contracts

An engagement ring may symbolise romance, but the courts remain decidedly practical about who keeps it after a split, writes Mark Pawlowski, barrister and professor emeritus of property law at the University of Greenwich, in this week's NLJ

Medical reporting organisation fees have become ‘the final battleground’ in modern costs litigation, says Kris Kilsby, costs lawyer at Peak Costs and council member of the Association of Costs Lawyers, in this week's NLJ
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