Lawyer news

• After the shooting of Renee Good, we see dissent can be fatal in Trump’s America – all bets are off | Emma Brockes

  14-01-2026 18:46
  A line has been crossed, and it’s vital to understand that. A system that sends paramilitaries on to the streets will observe no limitsA few years ago, towards the end of the second Obama administration, a friend and her wife flew back to New York from a holiday in Mexico, landing for a connecting flight in South Carolina. At immigration, the officer looked from one to the other, asked their relation to one another and on receiving the reply, made a noise of disgust – “ugh&rdqu
  
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• Michigan senator says she is being investigated for imploring US troops to refuse illegal orders

  14-01-2026 18:24
  Elissa Slotkin says US is investigating her for video in which Democrats say service members ‘must refuse illegal orders’US politics live – latest updatesMichigan senator Elissa Slotkin said on Tuesday that she was under federal investigation for her participation in a video last year in which she and fellow Democrats implored troops to refuse illegal orders.Slotkin, a former CIA officer and military veteran who served three tours in Iraq, organized the video with five other De
  
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• UK branch of leading Chinese firm closes and files for administration

  14-01-2026 13:32 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  SRA register confirms Zhong Lun is in the process of closing in England.
  
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• Court orders document return after firm sent wrong files to opponent

  14-01-2026 12:25 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Files included confidential and privileged information that defendant wanted to keep.
  
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• Victims’ commissioner for England and Wales warns against U-turn on limiting jury trials

  14-01-2026 12:00
  Exclusive: Claire Waxman says justice system risks collapse and no other viable way to drastically reduce courts backlogA potential government U-turn on changes to jury trials risks breaking a justice system on the brink of collapse, the new victims’ commissioner for England and Wales has warned.The justice secretary, David Lammy, must face down MPs and the legal profession over proposals to reduce the number of jury trials or “we will not have victims coming into the system”,
  
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• Carter-Ruck partner pursues SRA for £1m over failed ‘SLAPP’ case

  14-01-2026 11:07 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Regulator warns that ‘eye-watering’ costs order would have a ‘chilling’ effect on its ability to go after media lawyers.
  
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• Justice for Jeyasre: how a brutal murder led to a better deal for garment workers in India

  14-01-2026 06:00
  After a 21-year-old employee was raped and killed by her supervisor in 2021, campaigners ensured conditions at the factory were overhauled. But its order book never recoveredAsk the women working at Natchi Apparels in the historic city of Dindigul in Tamil Nadu and many will describe the turnaround in their working conditions in the garment factory over the past five years as extraordinary.On 5 January 2021 the decomposing body of Jeyasre Kathiravel, a 21-year-old Dalit woman who was an employee
  
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• Jury curbs could apply to cases awaiting trial, minister tells MPs

  13-01-2026 18:17 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Sarah Sackman says some cases currently in the system could be heard by a judge in the 'swift court'.
  
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• Hillsborough law to be delayed over security services concerns

  13-01-2026 18:04
  Ministers hope to reach compromise after MPs and families said bill went too far in shielding intelligence officersThe government is to delay the progress of the Hillsborough law while ministers thrash out a compromise, amid concerns from MPs and families over how it will apply to serving intelligence officers.The bill will enforce a duty of candour on public officials and contractors to tell the truth in the aftermath of disasters. But concerns were raised by campaigners that it went too far in
  
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• US aircraft that attacked suspected drug boat reportedly disguised as civilian plane

  13-01-2026 16:56
  Experts say obscuring plane’s military identity would constitute a war crimeThe US aircraft that carried out the first airstrike on a suspected drug-trafficking boat in the Caribbean was reportedly disguised as a civilian plane – a possible war crime.The New York Times reported that the aircraft had been painted to obscure its military identity, and its munitions were hidden inside its fuselage rather than visible under its wings. Continue reading...
  
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• Lammy hikes JAC chair's salary by 30%

  13-01-2026 16:46 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Lord chancellor decides to relaunch recruitment campaign for top post at quango for appointing judges.
  
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• Lammy hikes JAC chair's pay by 30%

  13-01-2026 16:46 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Lord chancellor decides to relaunch recruitment campaign for top post at quango for appointing judges.
  
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• DJ's 'racially pejorative' comment leads to formal advice

  13-01-2026 16:40 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  District judge apologised but investigation found the comment was ‘not respectful of the defendant or their appearance’.
  
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• District judge's 'racially pejorative' comment leads to formal advice

  13-01-2026 16:40 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  District judge apologised but investigation found the comment was ‘not respectful of the defendant or their appearance’.
  
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• ‘I was robbed of justice’: woman raped as child criticises years of delays in bringing father to trial

  13-01-2026 14:00
  Police apologise after it took almost seven years for man to be charged and he died months before trial had been dueA woman who was raped by her father as a child has told how he died before standing trial after she endured almost nine years of police and court delays.Rachel believes she was robbed of justice by the excessively long police investigation, which left her feeling suicidal. She waited almost seven years for her father to be charged with abusing her and a second person. His trial was
  
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• Sackman faces MPs amid rumours jury curbs will be 'watered down'

  13-01-2026 12:56 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Officials reportedly revisiting proposals for 'swift courts' and magistrates sitting alongside judge to hear cases.
  
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• MPs to grill minister on 'watered down' jury reforms

  13-01-2026 12:56 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Officials reportedly revisiting 'swift courts' proposal and having magistrates sit alongside judge to hear cases.
  
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• Former criminal bar chief fails with disbarment appeal

  13-01-2026 12:54 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Mr Justice Choudhury finds tribunal was entitled to sanction Jo Sidhu KC as it did for sexual misconduct.
  
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• Solicitor denies stalking court observer following Law Society lunches

  13-01-2026 11:12 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Stratford Magistrates’ Court hears that the defendant allegedly sent more than 120 emails and letters.
  
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• Solicitor cleared but paralegal barred over misleading emails

  13-01-2026 10:58 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Solicitor had denied authorising misleading emails about conveyancing transactions.
  
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• Government pressed to rule out fixed costs for housing cases

  13-01-2026 10:20 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  MoJ has ruled out any change until at least 2028, but should the exemption go further?
  
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• BBC seeks dismissal of $10bn Trump lawsuit over Panorama ‘fight like hell’ clip

  13-01-2026 08:52
  Broadcaster’s submission calls on Florida court to throw out defamation case where US president is suing over editing of 6 January 2021 speechThe BBC is to attempt to have Donald Trump’s $10bn defamation lawsuit over the editing of a speech for Panorama thrown out, according to court documents.The broadcaster faced criticism for airing an episode of the investigative documentary series that featured an edited clip of Trump’s address to a rally on 6 January 2021, which it is all
  
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• Death on the inside: as a prison officer, I saw how the system perpetuates violence

  13-01-2026 06:00
  A rise of murders is traumatising inmates and staff, and making life harder for staff. But even in prison, violence isn’t inevitableThere are hotspots for violence in prison. The exercise yard, the showers. There are peak times, too. Mealtimes and association periods are particularly volatile.But first thing in the morning is not when you expect to hear an alarm bell. I certainly didn’t, at 6am in my office on the residential wing of a high-security prison in late 2018. All prisoners
  
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• Criminal defence firm develops training and exam in client care

  13-01-2026 01:01 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Managing director says accreditation reflects unique care that must be paid to clients whose liberty or reputation is at risk.
  
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• Plans to limit jury trials in England and Wales may be watered down after backlash

  12-01-2026 20:30
  Exclusive: David Lammy’s proposals could be altered to avoid fight in Lords after criticism from MPs, peers and lawyersProposals to limit jury trials could be watered down after a backlash from MPs, peers and senior figures in the legal profession, the Guardian has been told.Sources say senior government officials are discussing potential changes in an attempt to draw the sting out of the plans and avoid a bruising fight in the House of Lords. Continue reading...
  
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• New bar chair seeks solicitor backing for fairer allocation of briefs

  12-01-2026 20:01 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  In her inaugural speech, Kirsty Brimelow KC outlined 12 priorities - including addressing the earnings gap and protecting lawyers from abuse.
  
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• Shamima Begum case raises fears for dual nationals | Letter

  12-01-2026 18:21
  Stripping her of British citizenship set a dangerous precedent, argues Dr Alexander SmithPeter Walker’s analysis of the stakes in the Shamima Begum case before the European court of human rights gives voice to fears I and no doubt many other dual nationals living in the UK harbour (Ministers cannot go on ignoring the Shamima Begum case, for two important reasons, 2 January).I am an Australian citizen who has lived in the UK for half my life and was naturalised as a British citizen almost 2
  
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• Palestine Action hunger strikers are still the state’s responsibility | Letters

  12-01-2026 18:21
  The power is in the hands of the DPP or the attorney general, writes Stephen Sedley. Plus Roshi Fernando on Keir Starmer’s unforgivable conductThe prisons minister may justifiably say that temporary release for prisoners awaiting trial is a matter for an independent judiciary, but this by no means absolves the state of responsibility for the fate of those on hunger strike (Health of Palestine Action hunger strikers deteriorating, supporters say, 6 January).Given the almost unbelievable len
  
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• Oxfordshire’s oldest law firm set to disappear in takeover

  12-01-2026 17:04 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  HMG Law, which dates from 1838, is to be acquired by top 100 outfit RWK Goodman.
  
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• Ward Hadaway posts record income but profits stall

  12-01-2026 16:17 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Top-100 full-service firm continues to make progress towards goal of doubling in size over the next decade.
  
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• High Court dismisses appeal in nil costs assessment

  12-01-2026 16:10 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Judge finds ‘no doubt that there is no room for a claim in unjust enrichment’ under conditional fee agreement.
  
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• Underlying profits rise at Knights - along with redundancy costs

  12-01-2026 14:16 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Listed national firm also reveals that 'churn' of fee-earner staff has more than halved in a year.
  
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• Master of the rolls Sir Geoffrey Vos announces retirement

  12-01-2026 13:55 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Vos, 70, is to retire on 31 October after four years in the role.
  
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• Master of the rolls announces retirement

  12-01-2026 13:55 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Sir Geoffrey Vos, 70, is to retire on 31 October after four years in the role.
  
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• Trump’s move to pull US from key UN climate treaty may be illegal, experts say

  12-01-2026 13:30
  President’s memo stating US ‘shall withdraw’ from UNFCCC marks first time any country has tried to exit the agreementThe Trump administration’s long-anticipated decision this week to pull the US from the world’s most important climate treaty may have been illegal, some experts say.“In my legal opinion, he does not have the authority,” Harold Hongju Koh, former head lawyer for the US state department, told the Guardian. Continue reading...
  
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• Trump’s cannabis order will still leave users at risk of prosecution, experts say

  12-01-2026 13:00
  Justice department is pushing to pursue simple possession cases, and ICE uses cannabis offenses to speed deportationExperts say Donald Trump’s recent executive order on cannabis rescheduling is unlikely to make a meaningful difference for those most vulnerable to cannabis-related criminal charges, which the president has ramped up in various ways during his second term.Under the Biden administration, the Department of Health and Human Services recommended that cannabis be removed from sche
  
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• How the US supreme court case on trans athletes could unravel LGBTQ+ rights

  12-01-2026 13:00
  If bans on trans youth athletes are upheld, more girls could face ‘invasive sex testing’ and trans people could broadly lose civil rights protectionsThe US supreme court will consider state bans on transgender athletes on Tuesday in a major LGBTQ+ rights legal battle that could have far-reaching consequences beyond youth sports.The court is hearing oral arguments in two cases brought by trans students who challenged Republican-backed laws in West Virginia and Idaho prohibiting trans
  
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• Solicitor cleared of telling client to fabricate defence in cricket match-fixing case

  12-01-2026 11:09 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  No evidence to show that criminal lawyer Shahid Ali encouraged his client, a former professional cricketer, to lie.
  
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• Criminal solicitor cleared of telling client to fabricate defence

  12-01-2026 11:09 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Tribunal says there was no evidence to show Shahid Ali encouraged client to lie.
  
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• Bill found to repeal 'presumption of parental contact'

  12-01-2026 10:52 via lawgazette.co.uk
  Celebratory event hosted by Right to Equality given update on family court reform.
  
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• Bill found for 'presumption of parental contact' repeal

  12-01-2026 10:52 via lawgazette.co.uk
  Celebratory event hosted by Right to Equality hears from ministers and campaigners on family court reform.
  
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• 20 things for solicitors to look out for in 2026

  12-01-2026 10:08 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Imperialism, SLAPPs, juries, PACCAR, Mazur and more.
  
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• UK ‘pays substantial sum’ to tortured Guantánamo Bay detainee

  12-01-2026 09:59
  Lawyers for Abu Zubaydah accused British intelligence services of providing questions to his CIA interrogatorsThe UK has settled out of court by paying a “substantial sum” to a Guantánamo Bay detainee who was suing the government for its alleged complicity in his rendition and torture, according to the inmate’s legal team.Lawyers for Abu Zubaydah have accused the British intelligence services of providing questions to his CIA interrogators to put to him while they were t
  
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• ‘Big step forward’: Myanmar military faces Rohingya genocide case at UN court

  12-01-2026 09:38
  Survivors of violence hope proceedings will bring justice a step closer and set a precedent for future genocide allegations“Finally, I feel like our voices are being heard, and like something is going to happen that is positive for the community,” says Monaira*. She was forced to flee her home in Myanmar in 2017, when the military launched so-called clearance operations across Rohingya villages.During the violence, her brother was taken by military soldiers, shot dead, and his home s
  
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• Father welcomes new parental leave rights for bereaved in Great Britain

  12-01-2026 06:00
  Aaron Horsey says measures in Employment Rights Act will give support ‘at one of most difficult moments imaginable’A father who has fought for a change in the law so that bereaved parents can look after their babies after the death of a partner will tell his son he can make the “impossible” happen after new rights for workers are laid before parliament on Monday.Aaron Horsey was shocked when he discovered he had no right to take leave to look after his newborn son, after
  
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• Employment tribunal judge sanctioned over late orders

  12-01-2026 01:42 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Judicial watchdog says the judge had written to the complainants in both cases and apologised for the delay.
  
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• Legal requirements for a claim in deceit

  12-01-2026 01:01 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Fraudulent misrepresentation.
  
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• Slashing jury trials could clear courts backlog within a decade, says Lammy

  11-01-2026 19:00
  Exclusive: Lord chancellor urges MPs to back judge-only trials in thousands of criminal cases in England and WalesThe backlog of nearly 80,000 trials clogging up the court system could be cleared within a decade if parliament agrees to slash the number of jury trials, David Lammy, the lord chancellor, has claimed.In an interview with the Guardian, the deputy prime minister, who is facing a backbench rebellion over the proposals, has urged Labour MPs and the public to back a version of Canada&rsq
  
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• Should speed cameras be hidden?

  11-01-2026 15:00
  The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions tackles a road safety issue• Read this week’s replies: Can you really fake it to make it?What’s the point of having speed limits if camera-warning signs and apps allow drivers to slow down in advance – then just continue speeding? Maybe the UK government in its new consultations on road safety should add the question of hiding speed cameras to their list of concerns. I’m a driver, but also
  
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• Federal judge blocks White House freeze of childcare subsidies in Democratic states

  10-01-2026 15:53
  Funding was paused because health department said benefits were going to people in country illegallyA federal judge ruled on Friday that the Trump administration cannot block federal money for childcare subsidies and other programs aimed at supporting low-income families with children from flowing to five Democratic-led states for now.The states of California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York argued that a policy announced on Tuesday to freeze billions of dollars in funds for three gra
  
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