THIS ISSUE
In the first of a two-part series, family lawyers Kim Beatson and Victoria Brown, of Anthony Gold, provide a cut out and keep guide to fact finding hearings in private children hearings
The annual eye-watering legal bill faced by the NHS never fails to shock
"[A] practical guide that succinctly & comprehensively captures the key points needed by busy practitioners"
"There is a wealth of information and education on offer. Litigators will join the medics and the researchers in lapping them up"
Survivors and children are being ‘let down and retraumatised’ by their experiences in the family courts, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Nicole Jacobs has said
A ‘substantial increase’ in complaints about barristers were made to the Bar Standards Board (BSB) last year
Lawyers have urged the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to give them more information and more time to consider an evaluation of immigration legal aid fees
Concerns about time estimates and urgency were raised at the latest Commercial Court user group meeting
The Justice Committee has issued a call for evidence
on the criminal justice system’s approach to tackling fraud, which accounts for
about half of all crimes
LGBT+ and disabled victims would be given the same protection as those targeted because of their race and religion, under a shake-up of hate crime legislation recommended by the Law Commission
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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