Issue: Vol 173, Issue 8041

With the rise in smaller specialist law firms showing no signs of slowing down, Sinead O’Callaghan explains how the boutique firm can stand out in a crowded field

How can the courts define & deal with cases of parental alienation? David Emmerson weighs up the causes of unjustified hostility & the importance of maintaining family contact

Former District Judge Stephen Gold offers his views on revisions to the judicial conduct guide, in this week’s NLJ

Donald Trump intends to stand for the US presidency come what may, even if he has been convicted of serious political charges. But, could he be stopped by a provision in the US constitution? 

The proposed ‘failure to prevent fraud’ offence is intended to close loopholes in existing legislation, but does it go far enough? 

Parental alienation has attracted some controversy. In this week’s NLJ, David Emmerson, of Anthony Gold Solicitors, considers a recent case in which the court ordered that a mother have no further direct or indirect contact with her children following a series of incidents including having an intermediary give the children tracking devices ad mobile phones which they were to keep secret from their father

In an employment law update, Charles Pigott looks at absence management and the band of reasonable responses test, in this week’s NLJ

The ever-evolving area of vicarious liability is tackled in this week’s NLJ personal injury update. Vijay Ganapathy, partner, and Catriona Ratcliffe, associate solicitor, at Leigh Day, look at the legal developments and implications of three recent cases

Law Society research into professional indemnity insurance (PII) has uncovered some interesting facts, not least that small firms tend to pay more and have a tougher time when renewing, Law Society President Lubna Shuja writes in this week’s NLJ