THIS ISSUE
Is cryptocurrency a help or a hindrance in security for costs applications? Sonia Kenawy examines the court’s approach thus far
Simon Davison, Michael Goodwin QC & Tom Davies investigate the growing problem of crypto fraud
Relationships matter, says Ian Smith. And nowhere more so than in modern employment law which grapples with some of the more painful aspects of working life
Michael Zander on the final stages
Stephen Gold continues his nose through the archives. This week—war law rations & a voyage around the courts
Non-fungible tokens have been confirmed as property by the High Court: Racheal Muldoon of 36 Commercial and counsel for the successful applicant hails the ruling & explores its implications for NFTs going forward
Ashley Hodgkinson, Sample Collections Manager at AlphaBiolabs, looks at drug testing methods and some of the most common ways that people try to cheat a drug test
In the first of a special three-part series by Penningtons Manches Cooper, David Niven & Nicole Blakey sketch out the changing landscape of group actions & litigation funding in the UK
Roe v Wade: the situation in the US highlights a gross lack of understanding of law and process, and its exploitation for political purposes, says David Locke
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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