THIS ISSUE
The government’s sledgehammer approach to legal aid benefits neither access to justice nor the public purse, says Geoffrey Bindman
Alec Samuels discusses challenging service charges
Masood Ahmed reports on the interpretation & application of the ‘additional amount’ under Pt 36
Early cash; ADR: agree it, do it; eternally privileged; look, no boarding card
John McMullen provides an update on the automatic transfer principle & its effects
Peter Stevens traces the recent history of compensation awards for employee inventors
Nearly 60% of expert witnesses believe judges should have powers to permanently disqualify experts who don’t understand their role.
The main challenge law firms face with e-billing is the way in which they record their time, according to a report.
The Junior Lawyers Division (JLD) has warned that the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) ‘poses significant risks to the standing and credibility (both domestically and internationally) of the solicitor qualification’.
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson
Firm awards training contracts to paralegals through internal programme
Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton
Private client disputes specialist joins commercial litigation team
Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood
Cumbria firm appoints new head of residential property
NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
