THIS ISSUE
Business around the world are dusting off the force majeure clauses in contracts as they seek to deal with the disruption caused by COVID-19, say barristers from Fountain Court
Extra wording has been added to the statement of truth―the verification that a witness or party believes their statement to be true, which is required by many court documents
Amendments to civil legal aid will come into force on 15 May, removing the ‘much maligned gateway’ for advice in discrimination, debt and special educational needs and reinstating face-to-face advice in these areas, as well as a small change to the evidence required to prove a person is at risk from domestic abuse and therefore eligible for legal aid, NLJ columnist Stephen Gold writes in the latest Civil Way
The Legal Aid Agency has amended its arrangements for hardship claims
A rugby spectator who exaggerated his injuries has had 15% knocked off his recoverable costs
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Land Registry is accepting deeds signed using the Mercury signing approach from 4 May.
The Civil Justice Council (CJC) has commissioned an urgent review into the impact of COVID-19 on the civil justice system
Dana Denis-Smith, CEO of Obelisk Support, has written an open letter to general counsel for diversity & inclusion, signed by 27 other female founders of legal services businesses
Judges must be ‘hard-headed’ when deciding which cases to prioritise for remote hearings and which can wait, the senior family judge has said
Law centres and advice charities have been offered a £5.4m boost to help them cope with increased demand for social welfare advice during the COVID-19 pandemic
MOVERS & SHAKERS
NLJ Career Profile: Nikki Bowker, Devonshires
Nikki Bowker, head of litigation and dispute resolution at Devonshires, on career resilience, diversity in law and channelling Elle Woods when the pressure is on
Ellisons—Sarah Osborne
Leasehold enfranchisement specialist joins residential property team
DWF—Chris Air
Firm strengthens commercial team in Manchester with partner appointment
NEWS
Contract damages are usually assessed at the date of breach—but not always. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Gascoigne, knowledge lawyer at LexisNexis, examines the growing body of cases where courts have allowed later events to reshape compensation
The Supreme Court has restored ‘doctrinal coherence’ to unfair prejudice litigation, writes Natalie Quinlivan, partner at Fieldfisher LLP, in this week' NLJ
The High Court’s refusal to recognise a prolific sperm donor as a child’s legal parent has highlighted the risks of informal conception arrangements, according to Liam Hurren, associate at Kingsley Napley, in NLJ this week
The Court of Appeal’s decision in Mazur may have settled questions around litigation supervision, but the profession should not simply ‘move on’, argues Jennifer Coupland, CEO of CILEX, in this week's NLJ
A simple phrase like ‘subject to references’ may not protect employers as much as they think. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, analyses recent employment cases showing how conditional job offers can still create binding contracts
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
