THIS ISSUE
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has said it anticipates a significant call on resources in the next financial year
The UK’s legal services sector generated £43.7bn in 2023 (up 5.6% on the previous year), according to research by industry lobby group TheCityUK
Barristers have been told they must remove wigs and gowns before leaving the Old Bailey, as this has been highlighted as a security concern
Inappropriate or unacceptable behaviour, bullying, harassment and discrimination at the Bar is a ‘systemic issue’, the Bar Council has said, after research uncovered shocking levels of abuse at work
MPs have passed the controversial Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill despite concerns expressed by lawyers
The High Court was due to hear a judicial review this week brought by the Law Society against the Lord Chancellor’s decision not to increase criminal defence solicitors’ legal aid rates by 15%
Increasing numbers of deprivation of liberty orders are being made against children, family law campaigners have warned. Yet, in the majority of cases, the parents or carers concerned have no access to legal advice
Baroness Carr, the Lady Chief Justice, and senior judiciary have issued guidance advising that judicial office holders ‘must be alive to the potential risks’ of artificial intelligence (AI)
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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