THIS ISSUE
Forfeiture forfeited; LiPs misbehaving; The peril of Airbnb lettings; Gas certificate relief; No fault divorce near & far; Family on the air; Special Guardianship guidance
Law Commission update: Jagoda Klimowicz & Lisa Smith discuss key recommendations for the employment law hearing structures
Dr Michael Arnheim advocates the need for Parliament (not judges) to step into the law-making breach
Keith Wilding & Sue Bent assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic & question the wellbeing of the poorest in society both now & in the post-lockdown world
On the bicentenary of the South Sea Bubble, Michael L Nash finds history littered with gamblers
Firm expands team with two strategic hires
The Bar Council and Law Society have given a cautious welcome to government investment of £142m in digital upgrades and maintenance for about 100 courts this year
Firm announces five promotions
Criminal barristers have voted against cutting jury trials and overwhelmingly in favour of converting more buildings into courts
Barristers suffering financially by the reduction in court work during the COVID-19 crisis have complained that cases are being adjourned unnecessarily
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Foot Anstey—Jasmine Olomolaiye
Investigations and corporate crime expert joins as partner
Fieldfisher—Mark Shaw
Veteran funds specialist joins investment funds team
Taylor Wessing—Stephen Whitfield
Firm enhances competition practice with London partner hire
NEWS
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
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
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