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09 January 2026
Issue: 8144 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , Legal services , Costs , Damages
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NLJ this week: The insider returns

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Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome

Meanwhile, a long-awaited decision on ‘lost years’ damages for a severely injured child highlights how even priority cases can stall at the highest level.

Elsewhere, Judge Mark Pelling KC’s departure from the Commercial Court and Nigel Bird’s interim appointment underline the quiet but consequential changes in judicial leadership.

Regan also tracks mounting confusion over Part 36 settlements, budgeting practice and unresolved appellate disputes crying out for authoritative resolution.

As ever, procedural nuance rather than headline reform is shaping outcomes, leaving practitioners to navigate uncertainty with patience and precision.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Anthony Collins—20 promotions

Anthony Collins—20 promotions

20 promotions mark major people investment at national law firm, Anthony Collins

Sidley—Elaine Whiteford

Sidley—Elaine Whiteford

Sidley adds competition litigator Elaine Whiteford in London

Charles Russell Speechlys—Claudina D’Costa

Charles Russell Speechlys—Claudina D’Costa

Charles Russell Speechlys welcomes Claudina D’Costa as Director of Client Development Marketing

NEWS
The 25th Pro Bono Week begins today until 6 November, with events hosted by law firms, chambers, law schools and charities across the UK
Pro bono is celebrating a silver anniversary, with initiatives putting businesses and students at the heart of access to justice
Choosing the wrong expert can cost a clinical negligence claimant more than their case
Judges risk weakening their own independence by staying silent over government reforms, a leading public lawyer argues
A discount on damages does not automatically mean an equivalent haircut for legal costs in military deafness claims
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