THIS ISSUE
Who, ultimately, has power in the UK? And how do we, the people, safeguard our rights? In this week’s NLJ, Sir Geoffrey Bindman KC, NLJ columnist and senior consultant, Bindmans, explains why we should all be concerned with the need for constitutional restraints.
No-fault eviction may be on its way out, but what replaces it? And is it an improvement? In this week’s NLJ, Daniel Bacon, housing solicitor at Duncan Lewis Solicitors, takes an in-depth look at the Renters (Reform) Bill.
Compulsory mediation sounds like an oxymoron to the uninitiated, but is a serious government proposal. In this week’s NLJ, Catherine Penny, partner at Stevens & Bolton, asserts that it can work well for lower value claims, but questions its value for larger commercial claims.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has faced some serious stumbling blocks in its time, so is it fit for purpose? In this week’s NLJ, in the first of a three-part series, Penningtons Manches Cooper lawyers Kate Bridgland, associate, Oliver Cooke, senior associate, and Richard Marshall, partner, put SFO prosecutions in the dock.
Delays are a major headache for family lawyers working in private law children cases. Natasha Grande, head of family at Wilsons Solicitors, writing in this week’s NLJ, suggests they proactively explore alternative avenues for their clients.
Political power needs constitutional restraints: Sir Geoffrey Bindman KC discusses the need for checks & balances on parliamentary sovereignty
With delays in private children cases continuing to climb, Natasha Grande urges family practitioners to take action to resist such slowdowns becoming the norm
As part of long-awaited proposals to reform the English private rental market, no-fault eviction is on its way out: Daniel Bacon takes a look at what is set to replace it
In the first of a three-part series on the changing economic crime landscape in the UK, Kate Bridgland, Oliver Cooke & Richard Marshall put Serious Fraud Office prosecutions in the dock
Paul Jackson examines the complex relationship between drill music artists & the admissibility of music lyrics & videos to establish gang affiliation
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Charles Russell Speechlys—Matthew Griffin
Firm strengthens international funds capability with senior hire
Gilson Gray—Jeremy Davy
Partner appointed as head of residential conveyancing for England
DR Solicitors—Paul Edels
Specialist firm enhances corporate healthcare practice with partner appointment
NEWS
In this week's issue, Stephen Gold, NLJ columnist and former district judge, surveys another eclectic fortnight in procedure. With humour and humanity, he reminds readers that beneath the procedural dust, the law still changes lives
Generative AI isn’t the villain of the courtroom—it’s the misunderstanding of it that’s dangerous, argues Dr Alan Ma of Birmingham City University and the Birmingham Law Society in this week's NLJ
James Naylor of Naylor Solicitors dissects the government’s plan to outlaw upward-only rent review (UORR) clauses in new commercial leases under Schedule 31 of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, in this week's NLJ. The reform, he explains, marks a seismic shift in landlord-tenant power dynamics: rents will no longer rise inexorably, and tenants gain statutory caps and procedural rights
Writing in NLJ this week, James Harrison and Jenna Coad of Penningtons Manches Cooper chart the Privy Council’s demolition of the long-standing ‘shareholder rule’ in Jardine Strategic v Oasis Investments
Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School and the Frenkel Topping Group—AKA The insider—crowns Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP as his case of 2025 in his latest column for NLJ. The High Court’s decision—that non-authorised employees cannot conduct litigation, even under supervision—has sent shockwaves through the profession. Regan calls it the year’s defining moment for civil practitioners and reproduces a ‘cut-out-and-keep’ summary of key rulings from Mr Justice Sheldon
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