THIS ISSUE
John Gould looks at the rules on out-of-office bad behaviour
Guidance on how to apply for probate online using the MyHMCTS portal has been published by HM Courts & Tribunals Service
The winter 2020–spring 2021 Pre-Application Judicial Education Programme (PAJE) is now open for applications
The Department for Transport has launched a Consultation on using a hand-held mobile phone while driving, due to end at 11.59pm on 17 January 2021
The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett has hosted an online event with Chief Justices from around the Commonwealth to discuss their experiences of responding to COVID-19
More than 10,000 potential victims of modern slavery were identified in the UK last year, the Home Secretary Priti Patel has said
A telecom operator must pay a landowner £5,000 per year for a rooftop phone mast in Peckham, South London, the Upper Tribunal has held in a landmark case
A claimant did not give informed consent to her no win no fee lawyers deducting £385 from her damages, the High Court has held in a test case on recoverability of costs
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has published draft guidance for prosecutors on rape myths and stereotypes, in the first full update in eight years
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
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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