THIS ISSUE
Georgina Squire and Camilla Pratt explain how the business and property costs budgeting pilot will work in practice
Maurice Allen reflects on the enduring (& increasing) popularity of boutique firms
The Thirlwall Inquiry into the deaths of babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital, in respect of which nurse Lucy Letby was convicted of murder and attempted murder, held its final hearings in March
Civil liberties campaigners have urged the Home Secretary to scrap laws curbing protest rights, after the Court of Appeal held the legislation was introduced unlawfully
The Law Society has urged the government to renew discussions with India on legal services market access, following the signing of a historic free trade agreement (FTA)
The International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled this week it does not have jurisdiction to hear Sudan’s application against the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has authorised the first law firm providing legal services through artificial intelligence (AI)
Law firm escapes sanction for breaching judgment embargo
The term, ‘digital justice system’, has been ‘much misunderstood’, Sir Geoffrey Vos, Master of the Rolls, has said
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Birketts—trainee cohort
Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025
Keoghs—four appointments
Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Brabners—Ben Lamb
Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner
NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
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