THIS ISSUE
Business fears about a tough GDPR regime have been confirmed after the first company to be penalised, British Airways, received a £183.39m fine.
Many individuals who divorce are losing out due to a lack of understanding of pensions, lawyers have warned.
Current procedures for scrutinising legislation in Parliament are ‘unsatisfactory’, the House of Lords Constitution Committee has said in a report.
Anyone hoping to take part in the Legal Access Challenge has until 11 August to apply.
Women in the Law UK, a national professional development and support organisation, is raising funds for a performance coach, counsellor and mental health first aider training.
When choosing a lawyer, Brits would rather have Barack Obama than Tony Blair, research by digital marketing specialist mmadigital has found.
Doughty Street Chambers has launched a children’s rights group, which will focus on innovative legal advocacy aimed at securing the rights set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Solicitors are getting better at handling complaints, the latest figures show.
Clifford Chance litigation partner Simon Davis has taken office in Chancery Lane as the Law Society’s 175th president.
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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