THIS ISSUE
The recent change to QOCS (qualified one-way costs shifting) may have tipped the balance in favour of defendants, Samuel Hayman, partner, and Tom Jenkinson, senior associate solicitor, Bolt Burdon Kemp, write in this week’s NLJ.
One year and counting since the invasion of Ukraine, cracks are appearing in the sanctions regime, Ben Keith, Rhys Davies & Olivia Chessell at International Human Rights Advisors report in this week’s NLJ.
NLJ columnist Dominic Regan is on form in this week’s The Insider, with thoughts on District Judges, the cons as well as pros for the latest tranche of King’s Counsel, and more anecdotes on those who have found themselves in the right place at the right time.
Dispute resolution uses an astonishing amount of carbon resources, and it’s time to make it more environmentally sustainable, barrister Dr Mike Wilkinson and commercial director of AI-powered litigation platform TrialView, Eimear McCann write in this week’s NLJ.
In his latest column, Dominic Regan sets out next steps for fixed costs, some unexpected downsides of taking silk, & the importance of being in the right place at the right time
It is imperative that states maintain a robust, coherent & joined-up approach to sanctions if they are to succeed, argue Ben Keith, Rhys Davies & Olivia Chessell
On the clock: in this month’s employment brief, Ian Smith discusses judges acting up, bonus bonanzas & failures to mitigate
A more robust system for sharing information is essential to ensure that chances to protect vulnerable children are not missed, says Lucy Logan Green
Have the changes to the qualified one-way costs shifting regime tipped the scales too far in favour of defendants? Samuel Hayman & Tom Jenkinson examine the perilous new situation for claimants
Jamie Sutherland & Imogen Dodds consider the respective scope of the Party Wall etc Act 1996 & the common law
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson
Firm awards training contracts to paralegals through internal programme
Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton
Private client disputes specialist joins commercial litigation team
Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood
Cumbria firm appoints new head of residential property
NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
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