THIS ISSUE
Accelerated package of measures could end impasse
Internet companies should bear more responsibility in stopping online sexual offences, law reform and human rights group JUSTICE has said
The prison population would need to reduce by 20,000 inmates for current funding to match running costs, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has told MPs
Plans to establish an online court give ministers too much power, raising constitutional concerns, a parliamentary committee has warned
The Supreme Court has given an important ruling on the ‘serious harm’ test for libel.
The Law Society has welcomed the signing of a continuity free trade agreement with Korea that will allow English and Welsh solicitors to continue to practise there after Brexit
Barristers volunteering through Advocate (the new name for the Bar Pro Bono Unit) in 2018 gave more than 10,000 hours of legal help, amounting to nearly £2.25m in fees if they had charged
Solicitors will pay £30 less and firms will pay £530 less towards the Compensation Fund next year
QC, judge and president of the ‘spies tribunal’, Sir Michael Burton has been awarded a knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List
Security for costs: Rakesh Kapila reports on the forensic accountant's role
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Kennedys—Milan Devani
Chief information officer appointment strengthens technology leadership
-sophie-hughes-(r).tmb-mov69x69.jpg?sfvrsn=7a9dca4b_1)
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
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
