Category: news

‘Judicial independence matters. There is a clear constitutional value in the principle but recently, in amongst much more fractured politics, the safeguarding of judicial independence is not something to be taken for granted. Recognising the need for judicial independence is central to creating a democratic system of governance and promotes the importance of the role and work of the judiciary as a whole. This article was prompted by the then Shadow Lord Chancellor’s, Robert Jenrick MP, speech at the Conservative Party conference in October 2025. His comments present an opportunity to look at what can be done across party lines to engender more willingness to support judicial independence for broader constitutional benefit.’

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Judicial Review, 22nd April 2026

Source: doi.org

We are saddened to hear about the death of Giles Peaker. Nearly Legal has been a source that we have monitored and reshared many posts from over the years, and we are thankful for all the excellent content.

‘A “callous, calculating sexual predator” who raped and deliberately infected young, vulnerable men with HIV has been jailed for life and told he must serve at least 23 years.’

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The Guardian, 23rd April 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘In what context should breach of duty be assessed where national medical guidance is inconsistent with the Defendant’s local hospital protocol? How do epidemiological studies that underpin publications by Cochrane, RCOG and NICE inform causation where they show that earlier or different intervention improves outcomes?’

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Quarterly Medical Law Review, 22nd April 2026

Source: 1corqmlr.com

‘Ibrahim Hasan looks at recent regulations, introduced after an MP was subject of a complaint to social services, extending the law on the right to erasure.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 23rd April 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘The Supreme Court has today (22 April) ruled on the power of the court to revoke adoption orders, concluding that a first instance court has no jurisdiction to set aside a validly made adoption order, “whether under the inherent jurisdiction or otherwise”.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 22nd April 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘The Court of Appeal has made amendments to its Mazur ruling to make clear that law firms are not at risk of committing a criminal offence through inadequate supervision of unauthorised persons.’

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Legal Futures, 23rd April 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) should consider commissioning an independent KC to review its approach to prosecuting SLAPPs, a leading media lawyer has argued.’

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Legal Futures, 23rd April 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘AI is fast becoming a vital part of how law firms can afford to carry out legal aid work, according to the practice director of the country’s largest legal aid practice.’

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Legal Futures, 23rd April 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘The Law Commission of England and Wales has announced a new project which will identify opportunities to simplify, modernise and consolidate environmental legislation that applies to agricultural businesses in England.’

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Law Commission, 23rd April 2026

Source: lawcom.gov.uk

‘The Bar Council has published its response to the Civil Justice Council’s (CJC) consultation on using Artificial Intelligence (AI) when preparing court documents.’

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Bar Council, 21st April 2026

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

‘Daniel Jukes of Wilberforce Chambers examines a recent case applying a six-year limitation period to Beckmann claims, and why its reasoning may be open to challenge.’

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Pensions Barrister, 23rd April 2026

Source: www.pensionsbarrister.com

‘Thomas Corker, a 17th Century slave trader was a parishioner at the Grade II* church of King Charles the Martyr, Falmouth. A marble plaque and Latin eulogy to Corker, at present in a prominent position in the church, have been the subject of on-going local and national consultation. On 29 October 2024, we summarized the background to the plaque, and the introduction of a brass plaque (now removed), placed underneath the marble memorial without faculty approval. The following year, churchgoers were faced with a 1.2m diameter “blue plaque” which stated “Thomas Corker 1670 – 1700, slave trader memorialised here 1700-2025“.’

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Law & Religion UK, 23rd April 2026

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

‘We set out below some of the key employment changes businesses should be aware of over the next 12 months. Some of these changes have already come into effect.’

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Kingsley Napley Employment Law Blog, 23rd April 2026

Source: www.kingsleynapley.co.uk

‘The case of Meagher v The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Cambridge [2025] EWHC 30 (KB) has sparked debate regarding the extent of higher education providers’ duty of care towards students, when it comes to making reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010. Not uncommonly in higher education cases, both discrimination and negligence arguments were raised. This article provides an in-depth examination of the legal arguments presented, the broader implications for educational institutions, and the precedent it sets for future cases.’

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Neurodiversity in Law, 21st April 2026

Source: neurodiversityinlaw.substack.com

‘The Divisional Court (Holgate LJ, Farbey J) has held, in the judicial review challenging the Met’s policy governing the use of life facial recognition (“LFR”), that the mere fact of a discretionary power being broad is insufficient to make that power not “in accordance with the law” (“IAWL”) or “prescribed by law” (“PBL”) for Article 8/10/11 ECHR purposes. It was this finding on the law against the claimants that mainly contributed to the claim being dismissed. I will argue in this post that there are arguments based primarily on authority, but also on principle, suggesting that the Divisional Court’s conclusion on this central legal issue is wrong.’

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Administrative Court Blog, 22nd April 2026

Source: administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com

‘Personal injury firms have been put on high alert that any instances of fee inflation to reach the 25% cap will not be tolerated and could end up resulting in a regulatory probe.’

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Law Society Gazette, 22nd April 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘A High Court judge has appealed for clarification on the issue of whether parties can amend claim forms that have already been served. Mrs Justice Heather Williams opted to uphold the decision of Senior Master Cook in Beckett v Graham & Anor to rule that an amended claim form was validly served.’

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Law Society Gazette, 23rd April 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘The Metropolitan police has held talks with Palantir that could lead to the London force buying the US spy-tech company’s AI technology to automate intelligence analysis for criminal investigations, the Guardian has learned..

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The Guardian, 22nd April 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Black children are eight times more likely to be strip searched by police than their white peers in England and Wales, a new report by the Children’s Commissioner says.’

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BBC News, 22nd April 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk