THIS ISSUE
Claimants: smile for the camera; costs risks of will challenge; bye bye holiday lets; costs schedules unappealing.
Civil procedure continues to evolve with a distinctly practical edge. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold highlights how courts are resisting technical traps—from overlooking missing costs schedules to admitting late surveillance evidence where no ‘ambush’ arises
Should police personnel disclose membership of the Freemasons? Neil Parpworth explores a telling case
Government plans to slash Crown Court delays by cutting jury trials face mounting criticism. In NLJ this week, Michael Zander KC warns proposals to shift cases to magistrates’ courts could ‘make the present very bad situation even worse’
Michael Zander KC on the Courts & Tribunals Bill
Pathfinder courts—renamed ‘Child focused courts’—are to be rolled out nationally, following a successful pilot where backlogs halved and cases were resolved up to seven and a half months faster
The Court of Appeal has unanimously dismissed a £385,000 costs order against a father, in a case that centred on what is required to meet the threshold of ‘reprehensible or unreasonable’ behaviour
Centuries-old burial laws would be overhauled, under Law Commission proposals to address the burgeoning problem of shortage of cemetery space
The government has committed an extra £32m to women’s charities and services tackling addiction, trauma, abuse and homelessness
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly
Gateley Legal expands Midlands residential development team
Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees
Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees
Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron
Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes
NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
