THIS ISSUE
Conduct unbefitting? John Gould weighs up the evidence surrounding legal but anti-social lawyering
David White provides a review of the last year in the data protection world & considers future challenges
Richard Harrison examines the delicate art of drafting comprehensive, careful & effective witness statements
Alec Samuels reflects on the particular duty of the police to protect us
A claim arising in the French office of an international law firm should stay in France, as Charles Pigott explains
In the second part of this special series on R & S Pilling t/a Phoenix Engineering v UK Insurance Ltd, Nicholas Bevan analyses the Supreme Court’s approach to motor policy construction
A child who is the great-grandson of a reigning Queen could never be anything but royal, as Michael Nash explains
Bullying & harassment are rife in UK law. And it’s time for us all to act, says Sarah Goulbourne
Formal constitutional upheaval can mask the vast amounts of work being undertaken on all sides to find a workable Brexit, says David Greene
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Kennedys—Milan Devani
Chief information officer appointment strengthens technology leadership
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Maguire Family Law—Hannah Barlow & Sophie Hughes
Firm strengthens Wilmslow team with two solicitor appointments
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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