THIS ISSUE
Lawtech may be booming, but the impact of technology on access to justice is a lot less clear, solicitor and author Roger Smith writes in this week’s NLJ.
The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 broadens the definition of abuse, recognises children in abusive households as victims in their own right, recognises ‘revenge porn’ as a criminal offence, stops the cross-examination of victims by perpetrators in court, creates new protection orders and establishes a Domestic Abuse Commissioner to stand up for victims.
In the first of a three-part series, Roger Smith explores the current & future state of the access to justice sector
Family lawyers need to ensure they have a clear & comprehensive understanding of the wide-ranging nature of domestic abuse, say Jenny Duggan & Francesca White
In the light of a recent case, John McMullen highlights the potential use of TUPE, reg 4(9) in unfair dismissal claims
Nathan Wells examines the removal & replacement of personal representatives
Alistair Spencer outlines the law underpinning & resolving burial disputes
Making every vote count the same: Alec Samuels reports on long-overdue updates to parliamentary constituencies
Kris Kilsby outlines why a Pt 36 offer is the best method of protection during costs assessment proceedings
MOVERS & SHAKERS
London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy
Fieldfisher partner appointed president as LSLA marks milestone year
Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles
Firm promotes two lawyers to partnership across employment and family
Foot Anstey—five promotions
Firm promotes five lawyers to partnership across key growth areas
NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’
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