Reddit fined £14m for ‘concerning’ child age check failings – BBC News
‘Reddit has been fined £14.47m by the UK’s data watchdog for unlawfully using children’s personal information.’
BBC News, 24th February 2026
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Training of lawyers “not good enough”, MPs told – Legal Futures
‘The training of lawyers in England and Wales, both at law schools and through CPD, “is not good enough” and could be improved by regulation, a leading legal academic has told MPs.’
Legal Futures, 25th February 2026
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Freemasons in the police force – Administrative Court Blog
‘The High Court has refused five claimants permission to bring a challenge to the Metropolitan Police’s policy requiring practicing Freemasons to declare membership of that organisation to their superiors. None of the grounds, including a challenge based on ECHR rights, had a realistic prospect of success. The judgment did not, however, consider the affected claimants’ rights under Article 9 ECHR, which may be a significant omission. The case is R (United Grand Lodge of England) v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2026] EWHC 330 (Admin) (17 February 2026).’
Administrative Court Blog, 23rd February 2026
Experts and Alienating Behaviour: The Modern Approach – The Transparency Project
‘Last week saw publication of an important judgment from the President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, in a case called Re Y (Experts and Alienating Behaviour: The Modern Approach) [2026] EWFC 38.’
The Transparency Project, 23rd February 2026
Source: transparencyproject.org.uk
Restrictions on compliance roles “will harm access to justice” – Legal Futures
‘Preventing the owners of law firms from being compliance officers could lead to “additional regulatory expenses” which will be passed onto clients, the Law Society has warned.’
Legal Futures, 24th February 2026
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
High Court refuses anti-abortion protester permission for judicial review over conviction – Local Government Lawyer
‘The High Court has refused an anti-abortion protester permission for a judicial review challenge after the Crown Court dismissed his appeal over his conviction for breaching a safe zone around a clinic.’
Local Government Lawyer, 24th February 2026
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
The Importance of Evidence in Human Rights Cases – Administrative Court Blog
‘Last week, the Court of Appeal dismissed the Home Secretary’s appeal against the decision of the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) to allow the appeal of Kamran Safi against his deportation to Afghanistan on Articles 2 and 3 ECHR grounds. The result turned on the fact that the Home Secretary had not contested expert evidence adduced by Mr Safi in the FTT, underlining the importance of evidence in human rights cases. The case is Safi v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2026] EWCA Civ 149.’
Administrative Court Blog, 23rd February 2026
Solicitor faces probe after putting client documents into ChatGPT – Legal Futures
‘The Upper Tribunal has warned lawyers against putting client documents into ChatGPT and other open-source AI tools after a solicitor admitted doing so.’
Legal Futures, 24th February 2026
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Family Division president issues ‘firm’ guidance over unregistered experts – Law Society Gazette
‘Individuals who “hold themselves out to be psychologists” but who are not registered or chartered should not be instructed to provide assessments in proceedings relating to children, the president of the Family Division has said in a ruling following a “parental alienation” case.’
Law Society Gazette, 23rd February 2026
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
In depth: ‘Buildings alone will not deliver justice’ – Law Society Gazette
‘First purchased by HMCTS in 2022 for £111m and scheduled to go live the following year, the UK’s largest dedicated tribunal centre is set to open at last. The Newgate Street development next door to the Central Criminal Court in London, which houses 30 hearing rooms, will host its first employment tribunal (ET) case in March.’
Law Society Gazette, 24th February 2026
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Police AI chief admits crime-fighting tech will have bias but vows to tackle it – The Guardian
‘A police chief has admitted artificial intelligence used to boost crime fighting will contain bias but pledged to combat the risks.’
The Guardian, 24th February 2026
Source: www.theguardian.com
David Lammy lifts cap on court sitting days in effort to cut backlog of cases – The Guardian
‘A cap on court sitting days is to be lifted as the government seeks to ease the cases backlog, David Lammy has announced.’
The Guardian, 24th February 2026
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Undoing’ an adoption – an update – The Transparency Project
‘Occasionally, we receive enquiries from adults who want to be ‘un-adopted’ – although the formal order was validly made when they were children – because of their own experiences of being an adopted person. However, being adopted changes your status so profoundly, normally this can’t be reversed. This problem is currently being considered by the Supreme Court.’
The Transparency Project, 20th February 2026
Source: transparencyproject.org.uk
Judge can grant injunction to protect party’s lawyers from abuse – Legal Futures
‘The High Court was wrong to rule that it did not have jurisdiction to grant claimants a protective injunction stopping a defendant from harassing their lawyers, the Court of Appeal has decided.’
Legal Futures, 23rd February 2026
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Consultation opens on draft guidance to reduce short notice applications in the family courts – Family Law
‘Consultation opens on draft guidance to reduce short notice applications in the family courts.’
Family Law, 23rd February 2026
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
Mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse in England moves forward under Crime and Policing Bill – Family Law
‘The long-running debate over mandatory reporting of child abuse in England has entered a new legislative phase, with provisions in the Crime and Policing Bill progressing through Parliament amid continued professional and political scrutiny.’
Family Law, 23rd February 2026
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
Divisional Court quashes Palestine Action proscription: an extended look – UK Human Rights Blog
‘The Divisional Court in R (Ammori) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2026] EWHC 292 (Admin)(Dame Victoria Sharp P and Swift and Steyn JJ) has held that the proscription of Palestine Action should be quashed on the basis that the Home Secretary had failed to follow relevant policy guidance and had not struck a fair balance in respect of relevant rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Home Secretary has indicated that she intends to appeal.
This ‘extended look’ article will examine the grounds on which the claim succeeded and evaluate the Home Secretary’s potential prospects on appeal.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 23rd February 2026
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
The Government’s Electoral Reform Proposals: Good Intentions, Unrealised Potential – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘The long-awaited Representation of the People Bill was laid before the House of Commons on 12 February 2026. This followed the Government’s earlier policy paper, “Restoring Trust in our Democracy”, published in July 2025, which outlined the Government’s bold aim to “usher in a new chapter in our democracy, reflecting our principles, and restoring faith in our politics”.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 23rd February 2026
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘Significant’ changes to English planning rules on way as industry consulted – OUT-LAW.com
‘Planning reform in England this year is expected to accelerate, with updates from both the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the Planning and Infrastructure Act set to take effect.’
OUT-LAW.com, 20th February 2026
Source: www.pinsentmasons.com
Steps too far – Nearly Legal
‘This was a s.204 appeal of Haringey’s decision on review that Mr Zikic was not homeless because it was reasonable to remain in his then accommodation, a private assured shorthold tenancy of a one bed flat. The flat, notably, could only be accessed by a flight of 15 steps. Mr Z is disabled.’
Nearly Legal, 22nd February 2026
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
