Survey reveals widespread use of unauthorised and open source AI, breaching client confidentiality
A survey has revealed nearly two thirds of fee earners admit to using open source artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, potentially compromising client data and confidentiality. The research by legal software company Access Legal revealed 59% of the 200 UK legal professionals surveyed by Censuswide said they had used unapproved AI applications, like the […]
Conway v Conway: The risks of informal family property arrangements
Gabriella Banham and Stephanie Butler from the property litigation team at Birketts discuss the High Court’s decision in Conway v Conway, which examined the intersection between s.2. of the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989 and the doctrine of proprietary estoppel. Family arrangements around property often begin with trust, goodwill and a shared […]
Ipswich firm is subject of latest SRA intervention – but no reasons provided
Ross Coates Solicitors in Ipswich is the latest law firm subjected to an intervention by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, following regulatory action this week. No details for the closure have been provided by the SRA to date, other than to say it was necessary to intervene to protect client interests. Proprietor Ross Coates is also […]
Law Society issues Mazur practice note
A new practice note aimed at providing guidance on how firms can ensure they are compliant with the recent Mazur decision has been published by the Law Society of England and Wales. The practice note provides advice on how firms can make sure that only those authorised to do so carry on the conduct of […]
Court of Appeal overturns Mazur in ‘most consequential judgment for legal services in recent history’
The Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) in its appeal against Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys, which limited the extent to which legal executives and paralegals can conduct litigation. In a statement released following the ruling, CILEX chief executive Jennifer Coupland said it was “the most […]
Transparency and accountability needed for “complex” freehold estates and private management arrangements
“Outdated and disproportionate” enforcement related to recharges should be ended, and there should be greater transparency and consistency in how estate management charges are communicated said the Conveyancing Association (CA) in response to the Government’s recently closed consultation on estate management reform In December of last year the government launched two consultations as part of […]
Petition calling on Labour to scrap Stamp Duty launched by Conservative party
The Conservative party have launched a petition calling on Labour to abolish Stamp Duty Land Tax. The policy was a surprise inclusion in party leader Kemi Badenoch’s speech at the party conference in October 2025 and is now a major policy objective outlined in their policy renewal programme. At the time Badenoch said the housing […]
IHT “arbitrary, distortionary and expensive to administer” and should be scrapped say Institute of Economic Affairs
Inheritance tax is “arbitrary, distortionary and expensive to administer” and should be scrapped says a recently published paper from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) because of the heavy burden it places on families alongside a discouragement of savings and investments. A Taxing Inheritance outlines how the UK’s IHT regime places it fifth highest for […]
Plan-making regulations signed into law
Matthew Pennycook, the minister of state for housing and planning (pictured), has signed into law the regulations to commence the new plan-making system provided for by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023. A package of five statutory instruments was laid in parliament this week, including the new Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026, which come into […]
SRA pays out £9m to ‘most urgent’ PM Law transactions after receiving 250 applications to compensation fund
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has provided £9 million in compensation to clients of PM Law, which closed unexpectedly at the start of February. The money has been largely used to facilitate property transactions which have been delayed as a result of the closure of the Sheffield law firm and its 20-plus affiliate firms. The […]
CHAPS times extended as Bank of England works toward 24/7 settlement
The Bank of England has confirmed it will extend the operating hours of the high value payments system CHAPS from its current core operating hours of 6am to 6pm, as efforts to operate settlement on a 24 hours a day, seven days a week basis continue to move forward. Following a 2025 consultation paper on […]
CILEX opens submissions at Mazur appeal
The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) has opened submissions at the Court of Appeal in its appeal against the ruling in Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys, which limited the extent to which legal executives and paralegals can conduct litigation. Nick Bacon KC outlined the arguments from CILEX before Master of the Rolls Sir Geoffrey […]
High Court test case rules WhatsApp messages are not legal signatures in transfer of property
A High Court judge in a test case involving a dispute over the ownership of property belonging to a former husband and wife has ruled WhatsApp messages are not legally binding signatures in the transfer of property. In Maxine Reid-Roberts & Anor v Hsiao Mei-Lin & Anor, Mr Justice Cawson did not consider WhatsApp messages […]
Why a High Court property dispute case will decide whether WhatsApp messages are legally binding
A High Court test case will decide whether WhatsApp messages are legally binding, after a husband sent a message to his wife telling her he would sign over his share of the family home as part of their divorce settlement. Hsiao Mei-Lin claims the WhatsApp from her ex-husband, Icelandic financier Audun Mar Gudmundsson, is legally […]
Landmark Planning and Infrastructure Bill becomes law
The landmark Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which the government says is at the heart of its plans to build 1.5 million new homes, has received Royal Assent. The “seismic” planning reforms contained within the act will remove blockages and delays in the planning system to accelerate the construction of tens of thousands of new homes […]
CILEX asks for permission to appeal Mazur ruling
The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) has applied for permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal against the Mazur judgment, the High Court ruling that legal executives cannot conduct litigation, even under supervision by authorised firms. In a statement issued yesterday, CILEX said it ‘has held serious concerns’ about the ruling from Mr Justice Sheldon since it […]
Government shares roadmap for implementation of Renters’ Rights Act
The government has shared its roadmap for implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act legislation, with the first tranche of reforms, including a ban on no-fault evictions, coming into force on 1 May 2026. Further changes to be implemented in May include the prevention of rent rises more than once a year, asking for more than […]
Freeholders appeal High Court decision on leasehold reform, triggering fears of long delays
The Commons Housing Committee has confirmed freeholders have applied to appeal last month’s High Court decision rejecting their challenge to the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 (LAFRA). Leasehold experts have warned the move could delay the implementation of LAFRA by more than three years, and urged the government to take swift action to ensure […]
Newly formed taskforce calls for ‘balance between reform and resilience’
The UK property market is one of the largest and most important in the world and protecting its integrity requires a careful balance between any reforms and security, according to a newly formed ‘Conveyancing Task Force’ (CTF), as the government considers how it might reform home buying and selling through its recent consultation. Formed in […]
Renters’ Rights Act becomes law
The Renters’ Rights Bill, described as the most significant increase to the rights of private renters in a generation, has received Royal Assent and passed into law. The landmark legislation will abolish Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, which leave renters vulnerable to unfair treatment and insecure living conditions, and is set to transform landlord-tenant relations […]