THIS ISSUE
The mix of artificial intelligence (AI) and copyright is a legally complex, hotly debated and rapidly evolving area of practice. In this week’s NLJ, Ciara Cullen, Joshy Thomas and Emma Dunnill, RPC, discuss the multi-faceted issues involved and what may happen next.
Professor Graham Zellick KC, the Criminal Cases Review Commission’s second chairman, argues that the Law Commission’s proposal is wrong
A former chief coroner of England and Wales expresses surprise that the important safeguard of coronial oversight has been lifted from those seeking an assisted death, in this week’s NLJ.
Affifa Farrukh & John F Mayberry examine the research on homeland marriages originating in Pakistan & protecting vulnerable people
Respect orders, cuckooing & more: Michael Zander KC reports on the provisions of the mammoth Crime & Policing Bill
Professor Dominic Regan, of City Law School, turns his attention to judges and experts, in this week’s NLJ column. On the importance of experts, it seems a judge can change their mind.
How do you write a letter to a child? Judges stumped about what to say and how to put it when explaining the outcome of proceedings to children have been issued with a helpful toolkit, writes former district judge Stephen Gold, in this week’s NLJ.
A family court judge hearing care proceedings for a baby girl did not have the power to order an investigation and interim supervision order for three other children mentioned in the case, the Court of Appeal has held.
Home Office plans to process asylum seekers’ appeals within 24 weeks may not be achievable, the Law Society has warned.
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Foot Anstey—Jasmine Olomolaiye
Investigations and corporate crime expert joins as partner
Fieldfisher—Mark Shaw
Veteran funds specialist joins investment funds team
Taylor Wessing—Stephen Whitfield
Firm enhances competition practice with London partner hire
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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