THIS ISSUE
Some 53 firms have been successfully assessed for legal aid contracts for inquest work and will now move to the verification stage, the Legal Aid Agency has confirmed
More than a third of small businesses have experienced at least one legal issue in the previous year, according to the Legal Services Board (LSB) Small Business Legal Needs Survey
The Family Justice Council (FJC) is consulting on draft guidance for judges, lawyers, Cafcass and local authorities on hair strand testing in family proceedings
The government has said it will legislate to give the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) powers to search and examine design applications to prevent bad actors registering designs that don’t belong to them
Ian Smith makes a plea for common sense & finds solace in some good old-fashioned case law
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Carter-Ruck—Tomas Vail
Carter-Ruck strengthens International team with appointment of arbitration partner Tomas Vail
Slater Heelis—Nick Terry
Slater Heelis strengthens crime and regulatory team with appointment of Nick Terry as partner
Payne Hicks Beach—Thomas Moran & Sarah Gogan
Payne Hicks Beach strengthens private wealth offering with appointment of two new partners
NEWS
Construction workers injured in comparable accidents can face sharply different routes to compensation on opposite sides of the Atlantic
Victims of undue influence may have more options than simply unwinding a tainted transaction, with courts able to order profits accounts, compensation and, exceptionally, severance
Disabled people could lose vital safeguards following the Supreme Court’s reversal of the Cheshire West test for deprivation of liberty, two barristers warn
A formidable reputation cannot protect a law firm when partner departures, fragile finances and client uncertainty begin feeding each other
Businesses incorporating open-source software into commercial products could face obligations to disclose valuable source code, with AI-assisted development making licensing risks harder to track
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