THIS ISSUE
Keir Starmer says the UK won’t rejoin the EU in his lifetime. David Wolchover looks back at the withdrawal process & re-examines the legality of Brexit
Former district judge Stephen Gold sounds a ‘sanctions alert’ for those filing judicial review applications, in this week’s ‘Civil way’ column
What constitutes nuisance when foul water escapes from overloaded sewers? Richard Buckley examines two cases, showing a change in water companies’ liability
Fixed costs in intermediate track cases: how to calculate what’s recoverable, by John O’Hare
The Online Safety Act 2023 aims to tackle illegal content. Claire Cross & Eve Campbell explain the new duties on service providers
Costs are an essential part of litigation but can be baffling for lawyers. Help is at hand in this week’s NLJ, with no less than two articles on this hugely important topic
Dishonest solicitors & aggregation clauses: Christopher Stanton explains how recent rulings have exposed insurers to further liabilities
Claudine Morgan & Mary Barrett on why defendants should not presume their costs will be met when claims are discontinued
The Online Safety Act 2023 aims to tackle illegal content, but what are the duties on service providers?
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Kennedys—Milan Devani
Chief information officer appointment strengthens technology leadership
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Maguire Family Law—Hannah Barlow & Sophie Hughes
Firm strengthens Wilmslow team with two solicitor appointments
DWF—Ian Plumley
Londoninsurance and reinsurance practice announces partner appointment
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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