THIS ISSUE
Making history: Ian Smith performs a perfect loop-the-loop & serves up three significant Court of Appeal decisions
A cruel joke followed by a slap grabbed the headlines and inspired heated debate at this year’s Oscars. Some even speculated it was staged
Family lawyers have hailed the new era of fault-free divorce, which takes effect this week after decades of campaigning
In the second part of a feature on the new fault-free divorce laws, NLJ columnist and solicitor-advocate David Burrows asks: is there a right to challenge an assertion of irretrievable breakdown?
Law firm welcomes banking and finance partner
The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is to revise the statutory consultation part of the recruitment process from September, sometimes referred to as ‘secret soundings’
Insurer AXA has declined to appeal the Wolseley COVID-19 business interruption judgment test case, Corbin & King Ltd and others v AXA Insurance UK plc [2022] EWHC 409 (Comm), giving the hospitality sector hope of recovering their losses
Any child who witnesses domestic abuse will also be treated as a victim, under revised Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidance published for consultation this week
A legal Task Force on Accountability for Crimes Committed in Ukraine has been formed, with all member law firms and lawyers acting pro bono
Tini Owens, whose high-profile divorce went all the way to the Supreme Court, has welcomed the new ‘no-fault’ process
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Birketts—trainee cohort
Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025
Keoghs—four appointments
Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Brabners—Ben Lamb
Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner
NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
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