‘It is seldom that the much-mythologised Magna Carta is actually engaged. Yet in A Reference by the Attorney General for Northern Ireland [2026] UKSC 16 (the Deprivation of Liberty Reference) the Supreme Court arguably permitted the violation of one of the oldest constitutional rights on our statute book: that no person shall be detained except by the law of the land. That guarantee first appeared as clause 39 of the 1215 charter, and survives today as chapter 29 of the Magna Carta confirmed in 1297, which remains in force. Eight hundred years later, the Supreme Court held that a person who appears content with their confinement is not, in law, detained at all, and so no legal authorisation of safeguarding is required. The right was not, exactly, violated. It was defined away through sleight of law, and for those least able to articulate objection.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 15th June 2026

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

‘The BBC has heard that inaccessible courts have led to a number of issues for disabled people, including jurors feeling vulnerable, and lawyers having to join cases remotely despite being metres from the courtroom.’

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BBC News, 15th June 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘A groundbreaking test of how persuadable an AI judge can be has raised serious concerns about access to justice and miscarriages of justice.’

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Legal Futures, 15th June 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘Joseph Raz’s early work on the rule of law has had an immense influence in both jurisprudence and public law. Raz’s has become the paradigm “formal” account of the rule of law. It is a model for many of those who seek, like Raz, to distinguish the rule of law from the other values that law and legal systems may embody, and the most prominent target for others who defend a thicker, or “substantive”, conception of the rule of law as a comprehensive ideal of legality.’

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Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 2nd June 2026

Source: doi.org

‘Conventional anti-discrimination law in the UK, the Equality Act 2010, is governed by a single-axis framework which requires individuals to make a discrimination claim on the basis of a single category of discrimination. Crenshaw’s theory of intersectionality reveals the existence of a distinct form of discrimination, intersectional discrimination, which is unable to be recognised by the single-dimension logic embedded within the conventional legislative approach. Due to the fundamental limitation of having discrete categories within which discrimination has to be placed, certain forms of intersectional discrimination are not included within the conventional criteria of anti-discrimination law. This article acknowledges hair discrimination as a form of intersectional discrimination, that is, ‘intersectional natural hair discrimination’, and critically examines the current judicial position, as exemplified in G v St Gregory’s Catholic Science College, through a detailed intersectional critique.’

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Industrial Law Journal, 10th June 2026

Source: doi.org

‘The term “zero hours” is generally used to describe a form of work in which the employer does not guarantee the worker any particular amount of work, or any work at all. This enables the employer to tailor the supply of labour very precisely to its needs. For example, if the workplace is getting busy, more workers can be called in, but if it is quiet, their shifts can be cancelled or terminated early. Sophisticated algorithms can be used to predict the need for workers, taking into account factors such as consumer demand or the weather. Workers in these arrangements often find that they are given very little notice of work opportunities or changes to their schedule. Platform work is a specific modern incarnation of zero-hours working: the employer offers work opportunities, which may be accepted by any worker who is signed up to the employer’s platform and logged in to the app at the time. There is no guarantee that any work will be offered, and workers may spend a lot of time waiting for work opportunities to become available at short notice, or competing with other workers to secure them.’

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King's Law Journal, 31st May 2026

Source: doi.org

‘This article argues that the lack of an explicit and systematic role for the restoration of P’s decision-making capacity within the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) framework is problematic, in particular in light of the significant developments being made in neurointerventions that have the potential to restore, or at least repair, the abilities required to demonstrate decision-making capacity under the MCA. The article first demonstrates where the challenge lies, through an examination of the current legal framework. It then explores three points in the MCA framework at which the consideration of whether capacity can and should be restored might be incorporated, including the “practicable steps” requirement, the best interests assessment, and a potential additional stage between the assessment of capacity and the best interests assessment. It is argued that there are significant challenges with all three of these possibilities, and some directions for the way forward are suggested.’

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Medical Law Review, 29th May 2026

Source: doi.org

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has issued substantially revised guidance on effective supervision, setting out in detail how firms can delegate legal work to non-authorised staff following the landmark Court of Appeal ruling in Mazur.’

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Legal Futures, 12th June 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘Two men have been found guilty in a UK court of running an arms brokering operation that tried to send weapons – including fighter jets and surface-to-air missile systems – to conflict zones.’

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BBC News, 11th June 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Children who were groomed, sexually abused and then prosecuted for crimes, including prostitution, are still being failed, the author of a landmark report has said.’

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BBC News, 12th June 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘The UK asylum appeals backlog has hit a new record high, with new figures revealing it is now more than seven times the level it was a decade ago.’

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The Independent, 11th June 2026

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘The landscape of local planning in England is set to change significantly. On June 1, 2026, the Government laid before Parliament the draft of the “Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026” (referred to as “the 2026 Regulations”) and released the final statutory guidance on planning committees and the national scheme of delegation (referred to as the “Guidance”). On the same day, the Government also published its response to the latest consultation regarding the technical details and drafting of regulations and guidance, which took place from March 26 to April 23, 2026.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 11th June 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘Simon Ricketts looks at two recent cases on time limits in planning cases, and sets out the Government’s latest proposed restrictions on legal challenges to infrastructure project decisions.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 11th June 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘People are already using AI tools to help them with legal problems, from housing disputes and employment rights to debt and family issues. For many who cannot afford a lawyer, these tools offer a real route to understanding their situation and knowing what to do next.

‘But new research from the Legal Services Board (LSB) shows that people using these tools may not have the protections they expect, or any clear route to complain if something goes wrong.’

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Legal Services Board, 11th June 2026

Source: legalservicesboard.org.uk

‘The government remains committed to overturning the PACCAR ruling but the delay in doing so may allow it to bring forward broader litigation funding reform, justice minister Sarah Sackman said yesterday.’

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Legal Futures, 10th June 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘There should be “clearer national signposting” to point consumers towards both legal advice services and insurance-backed provision, a report has recommended.’

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Legal Futures, 10th June 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘The Justice Committee has published its report on the Courts and Tribunals Bill, setting out several issues with the bill.

‘The Committee pointed out several flaws in the government’s proposal to restrict the right to jury trial, in part because it “lacks a concrete evidential basis”. The Committee has also flagged the significant concerns around the potential equality impacts of the bill, particularly in relation to race.’

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Bar Council, 10th June 2026

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

‘Paul Newman KC looks at a recent DWP consultation which has revived an old question: does pensions law need a public trustee of last resort for orphan or troubled schemes?’

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Pensions Barrister, 11th June 2026

Source: www.pensionsbarrister.com