THIS ISSUE
Judgment debtors hit for VAT; Success fee through back door; Divorce reform latest; Document redaction OK? Service charge battle; Mercy for Personal Reps
When the Bar Pro Bono Unit, now known as Advocate, was set up 25 years ago it immediately recognised the value of celebrating its barristers and publicising pro bono by handing out an award every year
Hugh Johnson & Miriam Spencer weigh up the current system of litigating against the NHS: is root-and-branch reform the answer?
Charlotte Bijlani and Soraya Corm-Bakhos chart the arbitration landscape in Dubai and the changes made by Decree 34
Lack of diversity on the bench has persisted despite the best efforts of legislators & the legal profession: Geoffrey Bindman asks what more can be done
In the first of a two-part series, Kim Beatson & Victoria Brown provide an expert guide to split hearings
Get me out of here! In his end of year address, Ian Smith navigates a series of obstacles & challenges including notification, blacklisting, reconsideration, anonymisation & postponements
Former District Judge Stephen Gold puts the Christmas tree decorating to one side and surveys the latest legal developments in Civil Way this week, covering the enforcement of debts, or rather who pays the fees for it, as well as the question of success fees in an inheritance battle
Lack of diversity in the judiciary is an issue that has persisted despite the efforts of legislators and the legal profession. Writing in this week’s NLJ, Geoffrey Bindman asks what more can be done
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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