Issue: Vol 157, Issue 7272

The House of Lords will rule next week in Lonsdale v Howard & Hallam Ltd whether or not the French approach of awarding a commercial agent two years’ gross commission on termination should be followed in England.

Protests against the government’s civil legal aid changes are being planned by the Access to Justice Alliance. Members from various advice organisations will meet in Parliament on Monday 14 May to discuss their strategy.

A company voluntary arrangement (CVA) which aimed to remove creditors’ rights under guarantee against a parent company has been deemed invalid by the High Court.

The House of Lords ruling in the dispute between OK! magazine and Hello! over the wedding photos of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas shows the law will only interfere with the world of business in clearly defined instances, lawyers say.

Released offenders guilty of technical breaches of licences should not automatically be sent back to jail, the Lord Chief Justice says.

Proposed changes to the civil law on damages have been published in a consultation paper by the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

The creation of the Ministry of Justice this week raises important issues of principle, according to senior members of the judiciary.

Opposition MPs hope to win a vote to scrap home information packs (HIPs) next week, less than three weeks before they are due to come into force.

A significant proportion of Tony Blair’s reforms have been forced upon him by crisis

Two thirds of people think asylum seekers and refused asylum seekers should be allowed to work and pay taxes, a poll commissioned by the Strangers into Citizens campaign has shown.