THIS ISSUE
Probate delays cost money, cause distress & have collapsed house sales. Helen Stewart makes some suggestions
Nicholas Dobson surveys recent case law on the redaction of civil servants’ names
Nick Barnard considers a little-used opportunity for investigative agencies, which could soon come into fashion
Elizabeth Rimmer sets out some common barriers that prevent people from seeking help
While we await the Supreme Court judgment in Hirachand v Hirachand, Andrew Wilkinson analyses the case and its implications on inheritance—for lawyers, families and the third sector
Final fire & rehire code treads carefully through a legal & policy minefield, says Charles Pigott
A timely step in the right direction or a late arrival? Thomas Rudkin & Emily Costello share their verdict on the Online Safety Act
Neil Parpworth reviews the results of an investigation into police use of suspicionless stop & search
Remember the P&O fire and rehire scandal? A final draft of the statutory code on dismissal and re-engagement has now been laid before Parliament, Charles Pigott writes in this week’s NLJ
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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