THIS ISSUE
The legal status of smart contracts and cryptoassets under English law has been confirmed by a taskforce chaired by the Chancellor of the High Court
Litigants in person should seek legal aid from the Legal Aid Agency not the High Court for civil contempt proceedings, Mr Justice Chamberlain has said in a case about an alleged ticket tout
The Association of Costs Lawyers (ACL) has reopened its training scheme for the first time in three years
Multiple family homes have been the fastest growing type of household during the past two decades, rising by three-quarters to 297,000 households in 2019, Office of National Statistics figures have revealed.
The Law Society has issued its own manifesto for the election, challenging the political parties to prioritise justice in their plans for government
The High Court rejected claims by the Liberal Democrats and SNP that they were unfairly and unlawfully excluded from the ITV election debate between the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition this week
The solicitors’ Handbook will be replaced by ‘Standards and Regulations’ on 25 November
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva
Group partner joins Guernsey banking and finance practice
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Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson
London labour and employment team announces partner hire
Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly
Double partner appointment marks Belfast expansion
NEWS
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not done enough to protect the future sustainability of the legal aid market, MPs have warned
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
Boris Johnson’s 2019 attempt to shut down Parliament remains a constitutional cautionary tale. The move, framed as a routine exercise of the royal prerogative, was in truth an extraordinary effort to sideline Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC dissects how prorogation was wrongly assumed to be beyond judicial scrutiny, only for the Supreme Court to intervene unanimously
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