THIS ISSUE
Andrew Francis welcomes the court’s much-needed clarity on rights of light
The Supreme Court’s historic ruling in Johnson v FirstRand Bank [2025] UKSC 33 is unpacked by Toby Riley-Smith KC, Thomas Samuels and Douglas Maxwell of Henderson Chambers in this week's NLJ
The case of Caster Semenya highlights the disadvantages faced by athletes under mandatory sports arbitration systems: Dr Estelle Ivanova sets out the need for greater oversight
The Leveson review proposes mandatory judge-alone trials in serious & complex fraud cases: Lloyd Firth argues this runs counter to the interests of justice
A recent case gives clarity on arbitral awards & stay of execution: Masood Ahmed & Osman Mohammed report
In this week's issue, Ellie Hampson-Jones of Stewarts analyses the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Standish v Standish [2025] UKSC 26. The court clarified that non-matrimonial property—such as assets acquired before marriage—should generally be excluded from the sharing principle in divorce
Are your bags packed? Globetrotting guru Dominic Regan signs off for the summer with an au revoir, plus some top travel tips
Despite the initial headlines, the decision in Johnson is likely to be the end of a new beginning. Toby Riley-Smith KC, Thomas Samuels & Douglas Maxwell set out why
New arbitration law in; October’s CPR treats; needs of a Sch 1 mum; CPR 187th update; covert recordings; good news for shy directors.
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Red Lion Chambers—Maurice MacSweeney
Set creates new client and business development role amid growth
Kingsley Napley—Tim Lowles
Sports disputes practice launchedwith partner appointment
mfg Solicitors—Tom Evans
Tax and succession planning offering expands with returning partner
NEWS
The rank of King’s Counsel (KC) has been awarded to 96 barristers, and no solicitors, in the latest silk round
Neurotechnology is poised to transform contract law—and unsettle it. Writing in NLJ this week, Harry Lambert, barrister at Outer Temple Chambers and founder of the Centre for Neurotechnology & Law, and Dr Michelle Sharpe, barrister at the Victorian Bar, explore how brain–computer interfaces could both prove and undermine consent
Comparators remain the fault line of discrimination law. In this week's NLJ, Anjali Malik, partner at Bellevue Law, and Mukhtiar Singh, barrister at Doughty Street Chambers, review a bumper year of appellate guidance clarifying how tribunals should approach ‘actual’ and ‘evidential’ comparators. A new six-stage framework stresses a simple starting point: identify the treatment first
In cross-border divorces, domicile can decide everything. In NLJ this week, Jennifer Headon, legal director and head of international family, Isobel Inkley, solicitor, and Fiona Collins, trainee solicitor, all at Birketts LLP, unpack a Court of Appeal ruling that re-centres nuance in jurisdiction disputes. The court held that once a domicile of choice is established, the burden lies on the party asserting its loss
Early determination is no longer a novelty in arbitration. In NLJ this week, Gustavo Moser, arbitration specialist lawyer at Lexis+, charts the global embrace of summary disposal powers, now embedded in the Arbitration Act 1996 and mirrored worldwide. Tribunals may swiftly dismiss claims with ‘no real prospect of succeeding’, but only if fairness is preserved
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