THIS ISSUE
Richard Scorer reflects on the conclusions of the Thirlwall Inquiry & warns against repeating past inaction
If the essence of a contentious business agreement is certainty, why are we still confused? Victoria Morrison-Hughes
A divorced woman has secured funding to participate in her former husband’s inquest after the Legal Aid Agency reconsidered repeated refusals
The Thirlwall Inquiry has exposed a ‘complete failure’ to protect babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital, but its recommendations must now be put into practice
Developers in areas with poorly performing councils can apply directly to the Planning Inspectorate for permission under section 62A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990
MPs cannot simply resign their Commons seats. Instead, they take a nominal Crown office, usually the Chiltern Hundreds or Manor of Northstead, which disqualifies them from sitting
Neil Parpworth traces the history of the constitutional & controversial device that enables MPs to resign
Section 62A: Joel Semakula & David Poole track the pros & cons of taking this alternative route to securing planning permission
When does a solicitor’s retainer become a contentious business agreement? The Court of Appeal’s decision in Broadfield Law UK LLP v Barnes shows that listing hourly rates alone will not do, leaving firms and clients uncertain about their rights over bills
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Haynes Boone—Chris Acton
Chris Acton joins Haynes Boone as chair of UK derivatives platform
Clarke Willmott—Alexia Haines & Kelsey Wells
Clarke Willmott strengthens Birmingham private client team with double appointment
NLJ Career Profile: Hugo Plowman, Mishcon de Reya
From global fraud cases to fishing off-grid, Mishcon de Reya’s chair of dispute resolution Hugo Plowman discusses mentors, management switching off
NEWS
Law firm Hugh James has successfully batted away Ministry of Defence (MoD) accusations of ‘systematic overcharging’ while pursuing military deafness claims
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published good and poor practice for financial services firms on the use of artificial intelligence (AI)
International arbitration agreements will become more difficult to enforce due to increased use of artificial intelligence (AI), the Master of the Rolls Sir Geoffrey Vos has warned
Corporate counsel in Europe are leading their global counterparts in pushing junior lawyers into higher-value, strategic roles while artificial intelligence (AI) deals with the humdrum, research shows
The sub judice resolution that prevents MPs from referring to active legal proceedings in the House of Commons is fit for purpose, the Procedure Committee has concluded
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