THIS ISSUE
The Access to Justice Foundation funds law centres, local citizens’ advice, independent advice agencies, pro bono projects and national charities.
With judicial review under scrutiny from the Independent Review of Administrative Law (IRAL), Michael Zander examines the responses of the many professional and public bodies, research organisations and practitioners, who overwhelmingly declared there is no case for legislative reform of judicial review.
The much-anticipated consultation on potential changes to Guideline Hourly Rates runs until the end of March 2021.
Cases in limbo, lives put on hold, COVID-19 outbreaks in the courts. Writing in NLJ this week, columnist Jon Robins begins a special series on the impact of the pandemic on the justice system.
Greg Hodder outlines the role & impact of the Access to Justice Foundation
In the first of three articles, Julian Chamberlayne sets the debate on guideline hourly rates in context & discusses Civil Justice Council recommendations for reform
Felicity Gerry QC on why being trauma-informed is an issue for court integrity
Alec Samuels explores a basic concept of criminal law
Nicholas Dobson navigates the murky world of free speech & cancel culture
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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