THIS ISSUE
Former district judge Stephen Gold covers the legal issues and remedies where a lawyer makes a harmless error, in this week’s NLJ. Gold notes the court’s view, in the particular case mentioned, that ‘the court should not punish a party for the harmless error of its legal representatives’.
Can the Law Commission’s consultation finally deliver radical reforms 30 years in the making? Martin Rackstraw weighs up the issues at hand
Whiplash mini-rise; discrimination bands up; apologies OK; wrong defendant blues; non-binary name change.
Dr Chris Pamplin explores evidence of fact among ‘the tangled thicket’ of expert evidence
Like the elephant in the famous parable, trade mark dilution isn’t easily determined, writes Mark Engelman
Disputes over pets during divorce are on the rise. In this week’s NLJ, Shivi Rajput, partner at Stowe Family Law, looks at recent developments in the law.
Is it possible to own a freehold or leasehold estate in a tree? Mark Pawlowski digs deep
Planned cuts to the Civil Service risk adding further pressure to a public court system already at breaking point: Mark Jones & Alex Curran report on the deepening crisis
Experts can give evidence that is then considered factual rather than expert evidence within CPR 35. In this week’s NLJ, Dr Chris Pamplin, editor of the UK Register of Expert Witnesses, explores the fine line between evidence of fact and expert opinion.
The wrongful convictions of innocent sub-postmasters and of Andrew Malkinson, who was also entirely innocent, are shocking. The appeals system has been in need of ‘radical overhaul’ for decades, Martin Rackstraw, criminal partner at Russell-Cooke, writes in this week’s NLJ.
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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