THIS ISSUE
Publicans untied; Ombudsman justice; Spad(e)work; Bye bye costs; Latest FPR update; The Great (Rent) Escape; Public to see and hear
Harvey general editor Ian Smith celebrates a very special anniversary with a toast to history & the years to come
David Burrows on the law of family breakdown: where are we now & where are we going?
Sarah Rushton & Sophie Georgiou explore international developments in flexible working & the right to disconnect
Lucy Greenwood & Leonor Díaz-Córdova discuss impactful steps we can all take towards a greener future in arbitration
Can persons on the receiving end of targeted sanctions challenge this designation, & where do their legal representatives stand? Simon Davenport QC & Matthew Happold investigate
Stephen Gold dusts off the archive for the first in an extended series of updates tracing NLJ’s history in tandem with legal and practice developments through the centuries
Dominic Regan shares his predictions on judicial promotions, & maligns the misery caused by much-misunderstood rules on trial witness statements
In the first of a new series focusing on criminal matters in & out of court, David Walbank QC tackles one of the most politically charged criminal cases of recent times
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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