THIS ISSUE
Neil Parpworth looks into Sentencing Council proposals
to give litterbugs a taste of their own medicine
The government intends to abolish the joint posts of Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner, which would be a big mistake, Michael Zander KC writes in this week’s NLJ
‘More than 80,000 children are presently caught up in Children Act 1989, Pt 2 proceedings, according to court statistics,’ writes David Burrows, NLJ columnist and family law solicitor-advocate
The Arbitration Act is 25 years old and in line for reform courtesy of proposals put forward by the Law Commission, but are they needed? Is anything missing? Do they go too far?
In an NLJ expert witness double-bill this week, Mark Solon looks at the way experts work with instructing solicitors and what might compel them to forego their responsibilities to the court, while forensic accountant Rakesh Kapila tackles the financial aspects of fraudulent trading from an expert witness perspective
The heinous act of fly-tipping, scourge of landlords anywhere stray mattresses, broken sofas and unidentifiable lumber might appear, has caught the attention of the Sentencing Council
Deliveroo riders cannot be classed as workers, the Supreme Court has held unanimously in a landmark judgment
Lawyers have welcomed a commitment to update the guideline hourly rates (GHR), review the costs provisions of the Solicitors Act 1974 and uprate the fixed recoverable costs cap
One third of in-house legal teams aim to use artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce costs, research has found
The routine redaction of names of civil servants below the senior ranks in documents disclosed to court is not justified, the High Court has held
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig
Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire
EIP—Rob Barker
IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner
Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler
Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist
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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