THIS ISSUE
Profession remains resilient in the face of COVID-19
Chief Master Marsh retired as Chief Master of the High Court, Chancery Division on 1 May after a distinguished career.
Lawyers with judicial aspirations should keep an eye out for the 2021/22 High Court Judicial Assistant Scheme.
Numerical nightmares & conjured-up counterclaims: Dominic Regan counts the costs of some headline headaches
Have expenses under a freezing injunction become a further means to dissipate? Natalie Todd & Richard Swan investigate
Part 36 settlement offers: Helen Armstrong & William Rowell outline how to avoid the pitfalls
Michael Zander concludes his account of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill
Alexandra Felix QC & Ruth Broadbent examine the complexities of modern slavery within the UK’s criminal justice system
Amid the proliferation of COVID-related powers around the country, what of the long-standing common law right to silence? Nicholas Dobson reports
In this month’s brief, Ian Smith serves up some insight into items which are always on the employment law menu
MOVERS & SHAKERS
NLJ Career Profile: Ken Fowlie, Stowe Family Law
Ken Fowlie, chairman of Stowe Family Law, reflects on more than 30 years in legal services after ‘falling into law’
Jackson Lees Group—Jannina Barker, Laura Beattie & Catherine McCrindle
Firm promotes senior associate and team leader as wills, trusts and probate team expands
Asserson—Michael Francos-Downs
Manchester real estate finance practice welcomes legal director
NEWS
Holiday lets may promise easy returns, but restrictive covenants can swiftly scupper plans. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Francis of Serle Court recounts how covenants limiting use to a ‘private dwelling house’ or ‘private residence’ have repeatedly defeated short-term letting schemes
Artificial intelligence (AI) is already embedded in the civil courts, but regulation lags behind practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Ben Roe of Baker McKenzie charts a landscape where AI assists with transcription, case management and document handling, yet raises acute concerns over evidence, advocacy and even judgment-writing
The cab-rank rule remains a bulwark of the rule of law, yet lawyers are increasingly judged by their clients’ causes. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian McDougall, president of the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation, warns that conflating representation with endorsement is a ‘clear and present danger’
The Supreme Court has drawn a firm line under branding creativity in regulated markets. In Dairy UK Ltd v Oatly AB, it ruled that Oatly’s ‘post-milk generation’ trade mark unlawfully deployed a protected dairy designation. In NLJ this week, Asima Rana of DWF explains that the court prioritised ‘regulatory clarity over creative branding choices’, holding that ‘designation’ extends beyond product names to marketing slogans
From cat fouling to Part 36 brinkmanship, the latest 'Civil way' round-up is a reminder that procedural skirmishes can have sharp teeth. NLJ columnist Stephen Gold ranges across recent decisions with his customary wit
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
