THIS ISSUE
Lawyers can no longer afford to ignore the metaverse, says Jacqueline Watts of Allin1 Advisory in this week's NLJ. Far from being a passing tech fad, virtual platforms like Roblox host thriving economies and social interactions, raising real legal issues
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
From the wreck of the Titanic to looted treasure, Michael L Nash considers the complexities that separate possession from ownership
Dominic Regan reports on traffic jams in the county court, delays across the board & the headline action of 2026
Access to AI risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms. Robert Taylor sets out the tools they need—& how to find them
As virtual worlds continue to expand, so do the avenues for legal disputes within them: Jacqueline Watts explains why lawyers should get to grips with the metaverse
Six out of ten lawyers now use artificial intelligence (AI) in their day-to-day work (up from 46% in January), according to a LexisNexis UK report, ‘The AI culture clash’
The Court of Appeal has confirmed the judiciary’s discretion to grant anonymity orders to vulnerable claimants in personal injury claims, in a landmark judgment
Law firms are failing to protect clients’ best interests in high-volume no-win no-fee claims, regulators have warned
MOVERS & SHAKERS
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HFW—Guy Marrison
Global aviation disputes practice boosted by London partner hire
Morrison Foerster—Jenny Galloway & Luke Rowland
Firm grows London practice with two partner promotions
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Hogan Lovells—David Hansom
Government contracts and procurement practice expands with London partner hire
NEWS
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
Boris Johnson’s 2019 attempt to shut down Parliament remains a constitutional cautionary tale. The move, framed as a routine exercise of the royal prerogative, was in truth an extraordinary effort to sideline Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC dissects how prorogation was wrongly assumed to be beyond judicial scrutiny, only for the Supreme Court to intervene unanimously
A construction defect claim in the Court of Appeal offers a sharp lesson in pleading discipline. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains how a catastrophically drafted schedule of loss derailed otherwise viable claims. Across the areas explored in this week's column, the message is consistent: clarity, economy and proper pleading matter more than ever
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