THIS ISSUE
Is the law on infanticide fit for purpose? Dr Emma Milne, associate professor in criminal law and criminal justice at Durham University, is conducting interviews with criminal law professionals such as solicitors, barristers and retired judges who may have experience of one or more such cases
The latest edition of The Judge Over Your Shoulder (or JOYS, as its delightful acronym goes) is a trove of useful, concise and practical guidance on administrative law decision-making, Nicholas Dobson writes in this week’s NLJ
How much do you know about NFTs? It’s a rapidly-evolving technology but you may not need excessive technical or programming knowledge to be able to assist clients on cryptoassets
If the justice system is to work, all of its parts must be in working order and that’s why the funding of criminal legal aid matters, writes John Gould, senior partner, Russell-Cooke, in this week’s NLJ
David Walbank QC revisits the Human Rights Act 1998 and takes a look at how it affects cases in the present day
"Renton tackles the hard questions. He doesn’t toss them down from the towers of academe but lobs them up from the practitioner’s trenches where he and his colleagues battle daily for employees, tenants and refugees"
JOYS to the world (of administrative law): Nicholas Dobson praises the invaluable guidance provided by The Judge Over Your Shoulder
With law & order on its knees after decades of neglect, either the whole system must be made to work, or none of it will: John Gould reports
Nicholas Towers provides a handy introduction to injunctive relief against cryptoassets
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Kennedys—Milan Devani
Chief information officer appointment strengthens technology leadership
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Maguire Family Law—Hannah Barlow & Sophie Hughes
Firm strengthens Wilmslow team with two solicitor appointments
DWF—Ian Plumley
Londoninsurance and reinsurance practice announces partner appointment
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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