Issue: Vol 175, Issue 8137

Fern Schofield & Gwyneth Everson round up the headlines in property law, plus tackle procedural pointers & nuisance neighbours

If you’re exceeding guideline hourly rates, vague assertions won’t cut it, writes Sophie Houghton

Mazur has confirmed what we all knew, says John Gould: some legal services can only be provided by those who are authorised to do so

Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB) has restated a fundamental truth, writes John Gould, chair of Russell-Cooke, in this week's NLJ: only authorised persons can conduct litigation. The decision sparked alarm, but Gould stresses it merely confirms the Legal Services Act 2007

The government’s decision to make the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) the Single Professional Services Supervisor marks a watershed in the UK’s fight against money laundering, says Rebecca Hughes of Corker Binning in this week's NLJ. The FCA will now oversee 60,000 firms across legal and accountancy sectors—a massive expansion of remit that raises questions over resources and readiness 

The High Court's decision in Parfitt v Jones [2025] EWHC 1552 (Ch) provided a striking reminder of the need to instruct the right expert in retrospective capacity assessments, says Ann Stanyer of Wedlake Bell in NLJ this week

Paige Coulter of Quinn Emanuel reports on the UK’s first statutory definition of SLAPPs under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, in NLJ this week

Family lawyers have welcomed government plans to repeal the presumption of parental involvement from the Children Act 1989, but emphasised the need for each case to be determined on its facts

Transferring anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing supervision to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) could create extra paperwork and increase costs for clients, lawyers have warned 

Defendant lawyers are ‘routinely dangling’ the prospect of a fundamental dishonesty argument ‘as a tactic to instil fear and to discourage’ claimants, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) has warned.