THIS ISSUE
"Politicisation of the judiciary has seemed less of a problem in Britain—though we should never be complacent about it."
Lawyers shouldn’t fear judges―they’re ‘gentle’ and like ‘teddy bears’. Those are the words of Sir Rupert Jackson, architect of the civil justice costs reforms (who also confesses he sometimes saw judges as ‘ogres’ when starting out).
Law firms are generally making progress when it comes to boosting the number of women in leadership roles―but some mentoring initiatives may be backfiring.
A coalition of lawyers, police and homelessness charities has called on the government to scrap the Vagrancy Act 1824, which criminalises rough sleeping and begging.
More than two-thirds of adults below the age of 50 and earning £50,000 or more per year do not have a will, law firm Collyer Bristow has warned.
Political consensus supported by ‘robust legal frameworks’ are required to tackle climate change and other environmental concerns, Lord Carnwath has said.
The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), which is due to replace the current system for entry to the profession in 2021, will lower professional standards, junior lawyers have warned.
The courts and tribunals in England and Wales benefited from an extra £15m worth of repairs and improvements last year, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said.
The biggest Legal Walk outside of London took place this week in Leeds, with more than 500 lawyers raising funds for access to justice causes.
Artificial intelligence (AI) software that helps law firms price their services has been launched by IT company Intapp.
MOVERS & SHAKERS
NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson
Daniel Burbeary, office managing partner of Michelman Robinson, discusses launching in London, the power of the law, and what the kitchen can teach us about litigating
Joelson—Jennifer Mansoor
West End firm strengthens employment and immigration team with partner hire
Sidley—Jeremy Trinder
Global finance group strengthened by returning partner in London
NEWS
Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
In a striking financial remedies ruling, the High Court cut a wife’s award by 40% for coercive and controlling behaviour. Writing in NLJ this week, Chris Bryden and Nicole Wallace of 4 King’s Bench Walk analyse LP v MP [2025] EWFC 473
A €60.9m award to Kylian Mbappé has refocused attention on football’s controversial ‘ethics bonus’ clauses. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Estelle Ivanova of Valloni Attorneys at Law examines how such provisions sit within French labour law
The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ
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