THIS ISSUE
Making history: Ian Smith performs a perfect loop-the-loop & serves up three significant Court of Appeal decisions
A cruel joke followed by a slap grabbed the headlines and inspired heated debate at this year’s Oscars. Some even speculated it was staged
Family lawyers have hailed the new era of fault-free divorce, which takes effect this week after decades of campaigning
In the second part of a feature on the new fault-free divorce laws, NLJ columnist and solicitor-advocate David Burrows asks: is there a right to challenge an assertion of irretrievable breakdown?
Law firm welcomes banking and finance partner
The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is to revise the statutory consultation part of the recruitment process from September, sometimes referred to as ‘secret soundings’
Insurer AXA has declined to appeal the Wolseley COVID-19 business interruption judgment test case, Corbin & King Ltd and others v AXA Insurance UK plc [2022] EWHC 409 (Comm), giving the hospitality sector hope of recovering their losses
Any child who witnesses domestic abuse will also be treated as a victim, under revised Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidance published for consultation this week
A legal Task Force on Accountability for Crimes Committed in Ukraine has been formed, with all member law firms and lawyers acting pro bono
Tini Owens, whose high-profile divorce went all the way to the Supreme Court, has welcomed the new ‘no-fault’ process
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams
Private wealth and tax team welcomes cross-border specialist as consultant
Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias
International hospitality and leisure specialist joins corporate team as partner
Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven
Firm appoints head of intellectual property to drive northern growth
NEWS
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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