‘Everyone’s talking about agentic AI.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is actively exploring the benefits and challenges of embedding it in legal services, but the Law Society’s April 2026 foresight report made the somewhat awkward finding that there is currently no evidence that agentic AI is actually being used in legal practice.’
Legal Futures, 12th August 2026
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘A leaked Ministry of Defence (MoD) report, obtained by the BBC, has highlighted serious failings in a new military command set up to investigate the most severe crimes, including rape and sexual assault.’
BBC News, 12th August 2026
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The tribunal said its job was not to “conduct a public inquiry into alleged bullying or misogyny within the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge” but concluded it was “satisfied that the claimant genuinely believed that there was a problem within the institute about the way female administrators were being treated”.’
The Guardian, 11th August 2026
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Courts in England and Wales have joined a number of restaurants, theatres and pubs in banning Meta glasses, amid a mounting backlash against what has been described as “spyware”.’
The Guardian, 11th August 2026
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Proposed legal reforms on relationships risk inadvertently drawing cohabiting couples into marriage-style commitments without their knowledge, critics have warned.’
The Independent, 12th August 2026
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘A 63-year-old man has been found guilty of harassing the Labour MP Stella Creasy after he was “abusive and aggressive” to her on a tube train.’
The Guardian, 11th August 2026
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The human rights watchdog said that their long incarceration beyond their original tariff amounts to arbitrary detention under international human rights law and they are entitled to compensation and other reparations.’
The Independent, 11th August 2026
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘A senior boatswain at a ferry company has won almost £50,000 after bosses refused to let him work on land when he complained that working at sea aggravated his arthritis because of the vibrations on the ship.’
The Independent, 11th August 2026
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Anna Crawford also found there was a risk of future deaths within the civil service from flawed handling of disciplinary proceedings. She said she would send a prevention of future deaths report to the head of the civil service, the Treasury, and the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas).’
The Guardian, 10th August 2026
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Work–life balance rights are in the odd position of being regularly legislated on and amended but rarely significantly changed. Every so often a new right, usually building on an existing one, is introduced, eligibility to use a right is widened, or a right is slightly strengthened. Reform takes place in silos: there is rarely consideration of how the rights fit together to allow work–life reconciliation over a person’s (working) life course or of more radical reform such as making carer status a protected characteristic for the purpose of discrimination law. The Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA) continues this trend of incremental reform by making changes to several existing rights. Although the direction of travel is clearly in the direction of extending the scope and eligibility to rights, overall it is yet another lost opportunity.’
King's Law Journal, 7th August 2026
Source: www.tandfonline.com
‘The Sentencing Act 2026 emerged from crisis. By early 2026, the prison population had exceeded 87,000, approximately 25 per cent above certified capacity. Every local prison was overcrowded and every probation course oversubscribed.’
2 Hare Court, 10th August 2026
Source: www.2harecourt.com
‘The diverse litigation relating to the HS2 scheme from its inception persists. This appeal related to an alteration to the design of the HS2 plans, where a proposed 2.9 km extension to the Bromford Tunnel was found to not form part of the original planning permission granted, on the basis that the extension required an environmental impact assessment, and standalone planning permission. LJ Holgate gave the lead judgment in this appeal. LJ Holgate allowed the appeal on one of the grounds of appeal. The decision in this appeal was unanimous.’
3PB, 10th August 2026
Source: www.3pb.co.uk
‘An asylum seeker who raped a 13-year-old girl after pretending to be a teenager on Snapchat has been jailed.’
BBC News, 10th August 2026
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Rosalind English talks to Amelia Walker of 1 Crown Office Row, frequently to be seen in the Court of Protection, about what the recent decision in response to the Northern Ireland’s reference really means in practice, in particular in relation to care home residents and capacity assessments.
Law Pod UK, 10th August 2026
Source: audioboom.com
‘The government is facing legal action after the United Nations concluded prisoners trapped on indefinite jail terms are being unlawfully detained, The Independent can reveal.’
The Independent, 11th August 2026
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘In Cherrington v University of Derby [2026] EAT 107, the Mr Justice Cavanagh in the Employment Appeal Tribunal (“EAT”) held that an Employment Tribunal (“ET”) was not obliged to consider the Appellant’s Article 10 ECHR right to freedom of expression of its own motion when deciding whether or not his dismissal was fair. His right to freedom of expression did not “shout out” from his case, and nor was the ET obliged to consider the ECHR “as a matter of course” in unfair dismissal complaints, or even particular species of unfair dismissal complaints.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 11th August 2026
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘Radio Caroline has been found in breach of broadcasting rules after it mistakenly announced the death of King Charles III.’
BBC News, 10th August 2026
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘In R (FZW) v Bristol City Council [2026] EWHC 1956 (Admin), Judge Barry Clarke, sitting as a High Court judge, concluded that the council should have found in law that the claimant appeared to them to require accommodation under section 20, reminding local authorities they cannot “side-step” obligations under section 20 by describing accommodation as having been provided under section 17.’
Local Government Lawyer, 10th August 2026
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The Upper Tribunal has held that a child or young person’s ‘ordinary residence’ for the purposes of the Children and Families Act (CFA) 2014 may be different to their ‘ordinary residence’ for the purposes of the social care functions of the local authority.’
Local Government Lawyer, 10th August 2026
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The Court of Appeal in Information Commissioner and another v O’Hanlon [2026] EWCA Civ 838 has found that the duty to disclose environmental information only applies to information held at the date of the request, and further that the exception to disclosure in reg 12(4)(a) of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (“EIR”) (where a public authority does not “hold” the environmental information requested) is to be applied as at the time of the initial request, not the time of the authority’s refusal or subsequent reg 11 review.’
Panopticon, 7th August 2026
Source: panopticonblog.com
© Inner Temple Library 2026