THIS ISSUE
Catherine Cain, senior solicitor at Which?, on why AI can’t replace the human touch
Charlotte Andrews explores the limits of LASPO 2012’s family categories & the role of exceptional case funding in inquests
Bhavul Haria & Daniel Sheehan explain why serious disclosure failures did not end hundreds of former players’ brain injury claims
More than 500 former rugby players can pursue brain injury claims despite serious failures to disclose documents ordered by the High Court
Harry Hatwell pitches in on unstable wedding venues & the right to a price reduction
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, examines the role of expert interpretation in providing fair, accurate hair drug and alcohol test results for family proceedings
An optometrist contesting a misconduct finding appealed his case because the judge heard it remotely while reclining in bed at home where he was recovering from surgery on a ruptured Achilles tendon
Official figures showing record criminal court backlogs provide further evidence ministers should abandon controversial plans to scale back access to jury trials, the Bar Council has said
A naturist walking naked on a public footpath near Macclesfield did not have his human rights breached when a police officer arrested him, the High Court has held
CILEX has urged the government to maintain the Access to Justice Foundation’s (AJF’s) status as the only charity entitled to undistributed damages and settlements from opt-out collective actions
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Trowers & Hamlins—Paul Batchelor
Trowers Hamlins strengthens Birmingham Office with senior corporate partner hire
Birketts—trainee appointments
Birketts welcomes largest ever Trainee Solicitor cohort for 2026
Sidley—James Sherlock
Sidley Expands Private Equity Practice With James Sherlock in London
NEWS
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
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
A divorced woman has secured funding to participate in her former husband’s inquest after the Legal Aid Agency reconsidered repeated refusals
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
More than 500 former rugby players can pursue brain injury claims despite serious failures to disclose documents ordered by the High Court
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