THIS ISSUE
Solicitor professional indemnity cover may be wide in scope, but firms still find themselves facing claims for which they are not covered
The basis of the shareholder principle is ‘shaky’, according to the recent High Court case of Various claimants v G4S
The Bar Council’s two main aims for this year are securing more resources for the justice system and creating a more resilient and sustainable profession, Chair Sam Townend KC said in his inaugural speech this week
The government is ‘considering options’ for post-PACCAR funding reforms, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed
Employers must accommodate changes to the law on holiday pay, TUPE and working time records from this month
The Law Commission will publish in the spring a consultation paper on potential reforms to contempt of court, according to its annual report
Hundreds of wrongfully convicted former sub-postmasters have yet to come forward and seek justice, according to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC)
Mr Justice Waksman has been appointed as the judge in charge of the Technology and Construction Court, succeeding Mrs Justice O’Farrell
Journalists and legal bloggers will be able to report on proceedings in the Financial Remedies Court from the end of January 2024, in a pilot project
An array of legal professionals appear in King Charles III’s New Year honours list, including criminal barrister Max Hill KC, director of public prosecutions for five years until 2023, who receives a knighthood
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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