Revamped Courts and Tribunals Bill passes crucial hurdle – Law Society Gazette

Posted October 15th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘The Courts and Tribunals Bill will now head to the House of Lords after the government managed to get the proposed legislation – now revamped following a partial U-turn on jury trial reforms – through the House of Commons yesterday.’

Full Story

Law Society Gazette, 14th October 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Very few legal professionals know what they can legally copy and paste – Law Society Gazette

Posted October 15th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘Nearly three-quarters of legal professionals think they know what content they can legally copy at work – but only 2% actually do, according to research published by the Copyright Licensing Agency.’

Full Story

Law Society Gazette, 15th October 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Sentencing Council consults on knives and offensive weapons sentencing guidelines – Sentencing Council

Posted October 15th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘Six new and revised guidelines for sentencing offences involving bladed articles, offensive weapons and corrosive substances in England and Wales have been published for consultation today by the Sentencing Council.’

Full Story

Sentencing Council, 14th October 2026

Source: sentencingcouncil.org.uk

Capacity, presumptions and the Care Act 2014 – Local Government Lawyer

Posted October 15th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘The Court of Appeal recently considered whether a local authority was required to carry out an assessment of the appellant’s capacity under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 prior to completing the Care Act assessment. Members of 39 Essex Chambers analyse the ruling.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 15th October 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Article 8 protections after AGNI – Local Government Lawyer

Posted October 15th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘Alex Ruck Keene KC (Hon) considers a recent Court of Protection ruling on whether sufficiently effective safeguards were in place for the Article 8 rights of twins with significant disabilities.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 15th October 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Child arrangements orders and a child’s looked-after status – Local Government Lawyer

Posted October 15th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘When does a Child Arrangements Order bring a child’s looked-after status to an end, and what are the implications for local authority financial responsibility? Daniel Sheridan analyses a recent High Court ruling.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 15th October 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Victims to receive clearer communication on charging decisions to help them feel better informed and supported – Crown Prosecution Service

Posted October 15th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘A national expansion of the CPS Victims Programme means in the future, when a charging decision is made by the CPS, victims will receive direct communication explaining whether prosecutors decide to charge a case or take no further action, why the decision was made, their rights under the Victims’ Code, and what happens next in the case.’

Full Story

Crown Prosecution Service, 14th October 2026

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Speech by the Master of the Rolls: Legal Geek Conference – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted October 15th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘As I speak: (i) almost everyone with a legal problem asks an LLM for the answer before going anywhere near a lawyer, (ii) many, if not most, lawyers routinely ask an LLM or Harvey or Legora to assist with their legal work, (iii) judges in this jurisdiction are provided with a ring-fenced version of Microsoft CoPilot on their computers, and (iv) judges in other jurisdictions, such as South Korea, Kazakhstan and China routinely use AI-enabled programmes to assist them in deciding their cases.’

Full Story

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 15th October 2026

Source: www.judiciary.uk

‘Workers do not Form Organizations to Play Cards’… The Significance of the World Court Advisory Opinion on the Right to Strike for the UK – by Tonia Novitz and Lord John Hendy KC – UK Labour Law

Posted October 15th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘On 21 May 2026, the International Court of Justice (also known as the ‘ICJ’ or ‘World Court’) delivered an Advisory Opinion, which is of importance for workers across the globe. The question referred to the Court was whether the right to strike is protected under International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association and the Right to Organise (C87). It should not be surprising that a clear majority of the World Court answered this question in the affirmative (by ten in favour to four against); it is only surprising that it was not unanimous. Nevertheless, it is a significant acknowledgement of the importance of the right to strike for effective worker organisation and activities nationally and transnationally. The World Court has recognized the vital connection between freedom of association and the right to strike, as well as the ‘great weight’ to be given to the decisions of the ILO supervisory bodies. We find that this contrasts with the problematic approach taken by both Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government and Keir Starmer’s Labour government to these matters. In this blog, we explain the background to the dispute, the reasoning of the ICJ, and the potential application of the Advisory Opinion in the ILO, the UK, and beyond.’

Full Story

UK Labour Law, 14th October 2026

Source: uklabourlawblog.com

Weekly Round Up: Article 8 under the Immigration and Asylum Bill, Record Terrorism Arrests, and Honours Forfeiture Decision – UK Human rights Blog

Posted October 15th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘On Thursday 8 October, the government published factsheets on the Immigration and Asylum Bill. The Bill is currently at the committee stage in the Commons. The factsheets set out the government’s view that the current immigration and asylum system is not fit to deal with “the sheer number of individuals that it is seeing today”, noting that over 460,000 people have claimed asylum in the UK since 2021.’

Full Story

UK Human Rights Blog, 13th October 2026

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Life after buy-out: what if the insurer fails? – Pensions Barrister

Posted October 15th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘What happens to members’ pensions if a DB scheme buys out and the insurer later fails? Paul Newman KC offers a practical guide to the capital, liquidity, insolvency and FSCS protections behind bulk annuities.’

Full Story

Pensions Barrister, 15th October 2026

Source: www.pensionsbarrister.com

Hackers stole probation data in LAA cyber attack – Law Society Gazette

Posted October 15th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘Hackers who breached the Legal Aid Agency’s systems may be in possession of surnames and postcodes of suspects interviewed by the police and legal aid providers’ banking details, the government has revealed.’

Full Story

Law Society Gazette, 15th October 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

High Court chastises defence secretary over repeated deadline failures – Law Society Gazette

Posted October 15th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘Repeated failures by the Ministry of Defence to adhere to time limits set by court directions has led the High Court to advice that “parties should familiarise themselves with the principles” as “deadlines set by the court…must be met”.’

Full Story

Law Society Gazette, 14th October 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Judges not encouraged to ‘push people’ to consider out of court resolutions, conference told – Law Society Gazette

Posted October 15th, 2026 in news by Simon

‘Solicitors and lawyers must do more to help raise awareness of out-of-court dispute resolution while the judicial college must improve on how it teaches judges about the alternatives to court, judges have said.’

Full Story

Law Society Gazette, 13th October 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

The Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Search Warrant – What Went Wrong? – Five St Andrew’s Hill

Posted October 14th, 2026 in news by michael

‘On 8 October 2026 Mr Justice Hilliard quashed a search warrant which had been granted by the Central Criminal Court on the application of Thames Valley Police (“TVP”). The Court has released the High Court’s order and reasons, and it makes interesting reading.’

Full Story

Five St Andrew's Hill, 12th October 2026

Source: www.5sah.co.uk

Judge finds provisions of Care Act and MCA to be “adequate protections” in case involving twin sisters with disabilities – Local Government Lawyer

Posted October 14th, 2026 in news by michael

‘The Court of Protection has ruled that the provisions of the Care Act and the Mental Capacity Act are “adequate protections” in a case involving twin sisters who lack capacity to make decisions, while directing that both require a Care Act advocate.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 13th October 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

PODCAST: How employers can deal with an AI-assisted rise in employee claims – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 14th, 2026 in news by michael

‘Since AI use became widespread the number and complexity of claims against employers has soared. How should companies cope?’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 13th October 2026

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

High Court clarifies limits of dilapidations claims where landlords plan sustainability upgrades – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 14th, 2026 in news by michael

‘A recent ruling in a terminal dilapidations case in England determined that a landlord was not entitled to recover the full cost of significant refurbishment works after the commercial lease expired.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 13th October 2026

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Wayfair among firms fined millions for misleading sales tactics – BBC News

Posted October 14th, 2026 in news by michael

‘The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has fined the online furniture retailer £4.8m and electronics retailer Appliances Direct £1.2m for misleading customers with time-limited offers.’

Full Story

BBC News, 14th October 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Unfitness in the High Court / Sarah Cummins and Robin Stewart – Nearly Legal

Posted October 14th, 2026 in news by michael

‘Harvey v Heaver [2026] EWHC 1671 (KB). This is the first binding higher court judgment on the meaning of unfitness for human habitation in sections 9A and 10 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 as amended by the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018. The case is therefore important – but also procedurally a strikingly odd bit of housing litigation, involving a three-day hearing in the High Court to determine only whether or not an order for repairs and other works should be made against the landlord.’

Full Story

Nearly Legal, 8th October 2026

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk