‘In April 2023, the Information Commissioner issued TikTok with a Monetary Penalty Notice of £12.7m for the processing of underage users’ data and defective privacy notices (“the MPN”). TikTok appealed the MPN to the First-tier Tribunal (“the FTT”) on several grounds. Judge Griffin directed that the FTT consider the following preliminary issue (“the vires challenge”): “Was the MPN issued by the Commissioner under s.155 and Schedule 16 of the DPA 2018 on 4 April 2023 made “with respect to processing of personal data for the special purposes” within the meaning of ss.156 and 174 DPA?” The FTT dismissed the vires challenge. TikTok was granted permission to appeal to the Upper Tribunal (“the UT”), in a decision that suspended the effect of the FTT’s Decision pending determination of the appeal.’

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5RB, 24th August 2026

Source: www.5rb.com

‘Recent Ada Lovelace Institute research has identified harmful hallucinations from these technologies in real-world social work cases, including one AI-generated summary which stated a person had expressed suicidal ideation when they had not.’

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JUSTICE, 10th September 2026

Source: www.justice.org.uk

‘David Sandiford looks at recent Court of Appeal guidance on foreseeability, duty and breach in a case involving cycling accidents.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 9th September 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘Lisa Edmunds looks at a Court of Appeal ruling on a local authority’s application to set aside an adoption order on the basis that the court was misled about the true circumstances of the adopters.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 10th September 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘A judge recently described the vulnerability of the parents as a very significant feature impacting on the length and management of proceedings. Jacqueline Thomas KC and Kalsoom Maqsood explain how the Family Court addressed the issue.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 10th September 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘A Welsh conservation group has launched a judicial review challenge for the first time in its 60-year history over the approval of a hydroelectric scheme that it is claimed will divert water from a well-known waterfall in Eryri National Park.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 11th September 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘From 1 October 2026, the Practice Direction on Listing in the Criminal Courts introduces, for the first time, a National Listing Framework for Criminal Courts in England and Wales. It establishes common principles to guide judicial decision-making on listing whilst preserving the flexibility that justice requires in individual cases. It does not seek to impose rigid uniformity upon courts serving different communities; rather, it marks an important step towards a more consistent, transparent and principled approach to criminal listing, within which judicial discretion may continue to be exercised and local innovation may continue to flourish. It also provides a clearer understanding of the respective roles of judges, magistrates, HMCTS staff and practitioners in giving effect to those principles. This overview is intended to help everyone involved in criminal listing to understand what the Framework seeks to achieve and the part that each of us has to play in its success.’

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Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 8th September 2026

Source: www.judiciary.uk

‘Legal journalist John Hyde, author of Indefensible: How lawyers failed to stop the Post Office Scandal, published on 15 September, says the legal profession must use this episode to reset its relationship with expert witnesses. John will be speaking at Bar Conference 2026 in ‘(Un)Reliable? The rule of expert witnesses’ – a panel discussion which will consider how the role of experts has changed, the role of barristers in extracting the best evidence from experts, and whether and how expert witnesses should be regulated.’

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Bar Council, 10th September 2026

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

‘The government is reportedly considering new changes to criminal justice which would restrict the right to jury trial by giving judges the power to decide which cases go before a jury. The Times reported that a panel of judges would decide on a case-by-case basis which ‘either-way’ offences trials would take place before a jury and which would be before a judge. Currently a defendant can opt for their case to be heard in either a magistrates’ court or Crown Court. The Bar Council reiterated that the Bar stands firm in its objection to any restriction of jury trials.’

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Bar Council, 11th September 2026

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

‘More on mandatory reporting […] Tackling antisemitism […] Supreme Court […] And finally…’

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Law & Religion UK, 13th September 2026

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

‘In this guest post, Simon Hunter, of 3 Stone Chambers considers church ownership, trustees, and church membership.’

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Law & Religion UK, 14th September 2026

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

‘The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has upheld a decision by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to ban a police station representative convicted of a harassment offence from working for law firms.’

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Legal Futures, 14th September 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘A man has admitted using an online sexual abuse network to commit a host of sexual crimes, along with another man, against the latter’s unconscious wife.’

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The Guardian, 11th September 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘MPs have voted against proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales, bringing the latest effort to change the law to an end.’

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BBC News, 11th September 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘A cross-party group of MPs and peers has identified human rights risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) which existing laws, they argue, are ill-equipped to cover.’

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BBC News, 14th September 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘In this article, Neil Hext KC considers Siem v Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP [2026] EWHC 1168 (Ch), and its wider implications for causation and solicitors’ duties to third parties.’

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4 New Square, 8th September 2026

Source: www.4newsquare.com

• ‘Data shows the highest number of stalking offences charged by prosecutors in one year.
• Government, police and prosecutors come together with academics, survivors and stakeholders for the first multi-agency stalking conference.
• Joint initiatives show progress in tackling stalking or harassment for victims.’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 10th September 2026

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

‘A judge has ordered a group of Travellers to leave a site in Aldermaston as they lack planning permission from West Berkshire District Council to live there and it is dangerously near a nuclear warhead manufacturing plant.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 10th September 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘A barrister who made improper and inaccurate submissions during his closing speech in the Crown Court has been suspended for his “alarmingly incompetent” behaviour.’

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Legal Futures, 11th September 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk