‘The Artemis II mission has brought back into focus the extraction of space resources for commercial gain. But laws governing the exploitation of lunar materials remain an untenable fudge.’
Law Society Gazette, 13th April 2026
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘The use of AI to generate criminal court transcripts – long proposed by campaigners for more open justice – is to be tested, the Ministry of Justice announced today. In the research HM Courts & Tribunals Service will test the accuracy of its in-house developed system, Justice Transcribe, in recording Crown court proceedings.’
Law Society Gazette, 14th April 2026
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Is the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office process fit for purpose? Women barristers’ experiences of bullying are not being reported or, if they are, they are not making it through the system, says Tana Adkin KC.’
Counsel, 13th April 2026
Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk
‘If lawyers using AI forget it is just a tool, and stop being ethical responsible lawyers, it will cause mayhem – Flora Page KC explores the legal and ethical pitfalls and offers essential guidance on developing good, safe AI practices in-house.’
Counsel, 13th April 2026
Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk
‘HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said that while some progress had been made to improve the situation at HMP Manchester, drugs, violence and a “poor regime” remained serious threats to stability.’
BBC News, 14th April 2026
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Eleven Metropolitan Police officers are being investigated by the police watchdog for their handling of the initial inquiry into a crash in Wimbledon that killed two schoolgirls three years ago, the BBC has been told.’
BBC News, 14th April 2026
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The High Court (Mansfield J) has held that Thlimmenos discrimination can only apply where a claimant is asking for an exception to be introduced to an otherwise general rule; it does not apply where both the claimant and their comparator are outside the ambit of the general rule and thus not subject to any “treatment”. In this sense, the Thlimmenos principle does not permit claimants to seek a form of positive discrimination. The case is R (CKS and others) v Secretary of State for Education [2026] EWHC 741 (Admin).’
Administrative Court Blog, 10th April 2026
‘A new chambers specialising in employment law has opened in London, bidding to break free from the old hierarchical order found in traditional sets.’
Legal Futures, 13th April 2026
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘An unofficial carer has been handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 19 years for the murder of a disabled man whose body he concealed for up to a month.’
The Independent, 10th April 2026
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘UK government officials acknowledged that they had run out of time to pass legislation within the current parliamentary session, which ends in the coming weeks.’
The Guardian, 11th April 2026
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘An accelerated misconduct hearing found that PC Charlie Cano, who worked at Charing Cross police station, made disrespectful remarks and boasted about using force against a teenage female detainee.’
BBC News, 10th April 2026
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A real estate manager has been awarded nearly £400,000 by an employment tribunal after accumulating an astonishing 827 unpaid holiday days over 25 years.’
The Independent, 10th April 2026
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Noa-Lynn van Leuven will be banned from competing in any of the Professional Darts Corporation’s women-only events with immediate effect after a ruling from the sport’s regulatory body stated only biological females can now compete in women’s tournaments.’
The Guardian, 9th April 2026
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Carlo Tritta, 19, of Bishopstoke, Eastleigh, Hampshire, has been locked up for 28 months after he pleaded guilty to various offences including making indecent images of a child and sexual communications with a child.’
The Independent, 9th April 2026
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘More than 80% of pupil barristers said their overall experience of pupillage was positive, according to a survey published today.
‘The Bar Council’s annual pupil survey – answered by 30% of all pupils – found 83% had an overall positive pupillage experience while more than half (56%) described it as “very positive”.’
Bar Council, 10th April 2026
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
‘The Court of Appeal in Re J, Re M and Re P (Parental Responsibility) [2026] EWCA Civ 344 has provided authoritative guidance on a fundamental question in family law: whether a person who is not a child’s biological father can acquire parental responsibility by being named on the birth certificate. The court firmly answered that question in the negative, clarifying the meaning of “father” under the Children Act 1989 and resolving a line of inconsistent first instance decisions.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 9th April 2026
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘The UK sponsorship regime is undergoing a significant and deliberate shift. The Home Office has introduced a series of updates to sponsor licence guidance over the past year, with further changes continuing into 2026. While many of these amendments are presented as clarifications, their cumulative effect is clear: the compliance expectations placed on sponsor licence holders have been materially strengthened.’
EIN Blog, 9th April 2026
Source: www.ein.org.uk
‘A reined-in legal ombudsman has vowed to make do with the reduced budget increase it has been allowed – but warned there will be consequences for how quickly complaints can be handled.’
Law Society Gazette, 10th April 2026
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Bar pupils who attended Oxbridge are 15 times more likely than others to obtain financial awards of £60,000 or more, according to the Bar Council’s latest pupil survey which asked about university education for the first time.’
Law Society Gazette, 10th April 2026
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘The absence of clear legal powers to prevent people suffering mental health crises from leaving NHS emergency departments has forced lawyers to train healthcare professionals to break the law “in the least harmful way”. That is one conclusion of an investigation by the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB), which yesterday warned that a “significant legal gap” was putting patients in mental health crisis at risk – and creating an impossible choice for staff trying to keep them safe.’
Law Society Gazette, 10th April 2026
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
© Inner Temple Library 2026