Day: 19 February 2026

‘This decision has been long awaited. The logic of the decision of the Court of Appeal in Croke v Wiseman [1982] 1 WLR 71 has been difficult to reconcile with other cases but has governed the decision of first instance judges since 1982. Attempts at challenging it have generally resulted in compromises as the amount involved in a lost years claim alone will usually not justify the costs of an appeal. It is therefore good that this position has finally been clarified.’

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Quarterly Medical Law Review, 18th February 2026

Source: 1corqmlr.com

‘Manchester City Council’s refusal to provide consent as landlord for the demolition of two warehouses to make way for a 1000-home housing development was “unreasonable”, the High Court has found.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 18th February 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘Litigators should have to declare that they did not use artificial intelligence (AI) in preparing witness statements for trial, the Civil Justice Council (CJC) has proposed.’

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Legal Futures, 19th February 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘A former Bolton Council worker has been jailed for defrauding almost £900,000 in DWP benefits from vulnerable adults whose finances he was employed to protect.’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 18th February 2026

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

‘On 13 February 2026, the Divisional Court (Dame Victoria Sharp PKBD, Swift and Steyn JJ) upheld the judicial review brought against the proscription of Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000: R (Ammori) v Home Secretary [2026] EWHC 292 (Admin).The Court dismissed two grounds: failing to give Palestine Action the opportunity to make representations (ground 8), and failing to have regard to relevant considerations (ground 5). The Court upheld two grounds: that the decision was in breach of the Home Secretary’s policy (ground 6), and that it amounted to an unjustified interference with Arts 10 and 11 ECHR (ground 2).’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 18th February 2026

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

‘The ombudsman who handled the aftermath of the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire has been picked to chair the legal profession’s complaints-handler as it staggers under the weight of new business. The Legal Services Board today announced Richard Blakeway as its preferred candidate to chair the Office for Legal Complaints, which oversees the legal ombudsman for England and Wales.’

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Law Society Gazette, 18th February 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘The role of conduct in financial remedy proceedings is firmly back in the spotlight following two recent decisions of Cusworth J published in 2026. This article looks at the legal framework on personal conduct, reviews Cusworth J’s decisions, and highlights key practical considerations for family lawyers.’

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Financial Remedies Journal, 17th February 2026

Source: financialremediesjournal.com

‘The deprivation of liberty is the most significant power the state can exercise. Drawing on frontline experience, Chris Henley KC explains why replacing trial by jury with judge-only trials risks undermining justice.’

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Counsel, 16th February 2026

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

‘This article is a necessary update to my previous piece on the rise and rise of fake cases, also known as AI hallucinations (Counsel September 2025). Interestingly, even the terminology is contested. The very label we use for this phenomenon has attracted debate, with many questioning whether it properly reflects what is happening when AI systems generate incorrect legal material.’

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Counsel, 16th February 2026

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

‘”Kindness at the Bar”, a project analysing patterns of kindness among barristers, the influence of rules of conduct and impact of poor working conditions, launched in 2022. Drawing on focus‑group responses from barristers, the initial report by Professor Robin Banerjee and researchers at the University of Sussex explored experiences of kindness and the impact on working lives. It was an excellent first step, but it was clear that more could be achieved with a larger number of groups and a wider scope – not only across the Bar but also encompassing higher court advocates and the judiciary.’

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Counsel, 18th February 2026

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

‘Numbers have escalated since University College London (UCL) confirmed last week it had reached a deal with 6,500 former students who launched legal action, claiming they did not receive the education they paid for during the Covid pandemic.’

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The Guardian, 18th February 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘The NHS will have to spend more money settling lawsuits involving negligence during childbirth after a supreme court ruling that lawyers said puts right a “historic injustice”.’

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The Guardian, 18th February 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com