Category: news

‘Published in July 2025, the AI Action Plan for Justice set out the Ministry of Justice’s approach to the proportionate and responsible adoption of AI across the justice system. This update looks at progress made in the first year against the plan’s commitment to strengthen our foundations, embed AI across the justice system, and invest in our people and partners. It also introduces a new fourth strategic priority focused on identifying and responding to the emerging risks the justice system posed by AI. The update includes a link to a new Action Plan Explorer, providing specific detail on each action.’

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Ministry of Justice, 24th September 2026

Source: www.gov.uk

‘A new campaign launched today (24 September 2026) is urging people from all backgrounds to consider becoming magistrates, by showing that many people already have the skills needed. Magistrates are local people who play a crucial role in delivering justice in their local communities.’

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Ministry of Justice, 24th September 2026

Source: www.gov.uk

‘A paralegal who was convicted of a public order offence and lied to her employer about why she was not in work that day has been banned from the profession.’

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Legal Futures, 24th September 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘The UK should impose fewer short custodial sentences on women and invest more in community-based alternatives, according to a report by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT).’

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Law Society Gazette, 24th September 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘Marriages are lasting longer than ever, according to official divorce statistics released today – despite divorce being ‘more accessible than ever’. However, longer marriages potentially mean greater complexity, family lawyers warn.’

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Law Society Gazette, 23rd September 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘The Ministry of Justice has launched a recruitment exercise for the next phase of its LawtechUK programme to nurture innovation in legal services. A new advisory board and ambassador network is to be established to champion the project.’

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Law Society Gazette, 23rd September 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘On Monday 7th September 2026, Jamaica filed a petition with King Charles asking him to refer three specific questions on transatlantic slavery to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (‘JCPC’) under s.4 of the Judicial Committee Act 1833 (‘JCA’). The questions focus on whether enslavement in Jamaica was ever lawful and whether there is an obligation on the UK to provide some form of reparation. The move has raised a number of interesting constitutional questions. What exactly is the JCPC, and what is the monarch’s connection to it? How does the s.4 mechanism work, and what role does the monarch play in relation to it? Ultimately, what is the likelihood that King Charles will make the referral and, in the words of Jamaica’s Culture Minister, ‘allow our case to have a fair hearing in the British courts’?’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 23rd September 2026

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

‘In Vince v Associated Newspapers [2026] EWCA Civ 899, the Court of Appeal held that an unfair processing compensation claim under data protection law provided redress against the seriously misleading publication of a juxtaposed headline and captioned photographs, even though this claim had not been raised in initial proceedings and redress was ruled out in defamation law. As with earlier cases, its facts confine it to the data protection/defamation interface whereas data protection law’s true potential will only be revealed when it is used with potent effect against journalistic privacy invasion/intrusion in the ordinary courts. Nevertheless, Vince’s clear focus on both the far-reaching and autonomous nature of data protection standards and the limits of its journalistic defence may help mainstream data protection law within journalistic proceedings and catalyse the recognition of new rights and remedies for the contemporary online media environment.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 22nd September 2026

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

‘The IFoA carried out a thematic review of the quality of expert reports produced by actuary PODEs and the way in which they work. A working party was set up to address the points raised, and this blog post launches its output in relation to standardisation and simplification of reporting.’

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Financial Remedies Journal, 22nd September 2026

Source: financialremediesjournal.com

‘Welcome to the sixth edition of Counsel magazine’s Bar Student & Pupillage Applicant Guide. Whether you are just beginning to explore a career at the Bar, starting your Bar training course or preparing to submit pupillage applications, we bring together practical advice, first-hand experiences and expert insight to help you navigate each stage of the journey. This edition also shines a spotlight on access to the Bar for those with visible and non-visible disabilities, including practical insights into securing the accommodations and support needed to thrive. And explore Counsel’s new Aspiring Barristers resource, which provides a wealth of content from previous guides; an excellent companion to this 2026 edition.’

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Counsel, 22nd September 2026

Source: lnprodstorage.z35.web.core.windows.net

‘A judge laid up at home in bed after surgery on a ruptured Achilles tendon should not have heard an optician’s disciplinary appeal by video, the Court of Appeal has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 23rd September 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘The value of legal services exports from the UK has grown by more than 60% in five years. Research compiled by the Law Society found that exports of legal services rose to almost £11bn in 2025, giving a trade surplus of around £9.6bn. The US (£3.2bn) and European Union (£3.7bn) account for almost two-thirds of export revenue.’

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Law Society Gazette, 22nd September 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘Refusing to tell a client what commissions you were paid may be ‘unwise’, but the court cannot enforce disclosure through a Solicitors Act costs assessment, a new ruling has established.’

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Law Society Gazette, 22nd September 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘King Charles has referred a landmark slavery reparations petition from Jamaica to a high-level UK appeals court for legal advice, Jamaica’s culture minister announced in parliament on Tuesday.’

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The Guardian, 23rd September 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Two men have had theft convictions quashed at the court of appeal half a century after they were wrongfully arrested because of a corrupt police officer, although one did not live to see his exoneration.’

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The Guardian, 22nd September 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Scrapping a law that could have shortened a man’s prison sentence because he committed murder as a child was not a breach of human rights, the Supreme Court has ruled.’

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BBC News, 22nd September 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘A new legal right to unpaid time off work after suffering a bereavement will cover step and half relatives, as well as foster, kinship care and adoptive relationships, the government has said.’

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BBC News, 21st September 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘A man has been charged with crimes linked to the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 in the first case of its kind to be brought in the UK.’

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The Guardian, 21st September 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘A 20-year-old man who lost control of his car and crashed head-on into another driver has been jailed.’

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BBC News, 21st September 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘An employee at a claims firm who sent an all-staff email entitled “Why I wasn’t at the Christmas party – and why I am taking the company to tribunal” did not make a protected disclosure, a judge has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 21st September 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk