THIS ISSUE
COVID laid the groundwork for mandatory arbitration for commercial leases: could it now be on the way for landlord & tenant disputes more broadly? Edward Peters KC & Kavish Shah set out the advantages
These are interesting times in mediation, with the courts due to reconsider Halsey (on whether judges can order parties to mediate) and the government poised to integrate commercial mediation in contested claims below £10,000 in the county courts
Is compulsory arbitration coming in landlord and tenant disputes? Edward Peters KC and Kavish Shah, barristers at Falcon Chambers, share their views in this week’s NLJ, as part of an ADR special focus
A confusing name has been chosen for the court office in Northampton, seasoned NLJ columnist & former District Judge Stephen Gold notes in this week’s Civil Way. Fortunately, Gold was not foxed—he knows his way around the civil justice system too well
Is it time for England and Wales to follow the examples of other jurisdictions and introduce mandatory alternative dispute resolution (ADR)? In this week’s NLJ, Thomas H Curran, managing partner at Curran Antonelli, part of the IR Global network, looks ahead to the changing landscape of dispute resolution
Dominic Regan makes some predictions on the future of ‘negotiated dispute resolution’, in this week’s NLJ, with the Court of Appeal due to reconsider Halsey (on whether judges can order parties to mediate) in the autumn
The Lord Chancellor and Home Secretary this week announced the launch of a ‘dedicated taskforce’ as part of ‘a clampdown on crooked lawyers who coach illegal immigrants to lie’
Legal professionals could face tougher financial penalties and heightened scrutiny, under plans put forward by super-regulator the Legal Services Board (LSB)
Welsh property and private client law solicitor Mark Evans has been elected deputy vice president of the Law Society
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has set up a scheme to provide free legal advice to families facing eviction or repossession
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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