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R (Greyhound Board of Great Britain Ltd) v Welsh Ministers [2026] EWHC 670 (Admin) What are the practical implications of this case? The ruling reinforces the constitutional divide between the courts and the legislature. It explains that the scheme and framework of the Government of Wales Act 2006 (GWA 2006) embody that separation of powers, and that any judicial attempt to recognise and enforce a common law obligation on Welsh Ministers to consult prior to introducing legislation in the Senedd would trespass upon that boundary. This is not a departure from established principle; case law has already upheld comparable rules for lawmakers in Scotland and at Westminster. However, this is the first express confirmation of the position for Welsh lawmakers, and the first time this dimension of the GWA 2006 has been analysed in such depth. The court examined earlier
The solution arrived through the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), a quasi‑judicial body handling mass claims, created under UN Security Council Resolution 687. By addressing environmental harm—most notably via its ‘F4’ claim class—the UNCC set a seminal benchmark shaping how international law and contemporary arbitral panels allocate financial responsibility for wartime ecological devastation. With present-day wars in areas such as Eastern Europe and the Middle East bringing dam breaches, strikes on chemical facilities, and the burning of farmland, the UNCC’s legacy endures as an essential reference point for states, global investors, and companies engaged in post‑conflict arbitration. The F4 claims: Quantifying the unquantifiable Prior to the 1990s, mechanisms in international law for war reparations overwhelmingly favoured property loss, foregone earnings, and bodily injury. The natural world was commonly treated as a mute, non-compensable victim of armed hostilities...
Understanding the farming business as a business Many farms still use long-standing structures that arose by habit, not strategy. Sole traders, informal partnerships and outdated partnership deeds are common. While once effective, such setups can cause major issues around succession, tax planning and involving the next generation. A corporate team can take a fresh, business-led view of the farm, asking: Who owns the land and other critical assets? Who manages daily operations? Who carries the risk and who enjoys the return? What is the enduring plan for succession? From this review, the team can confirm whether the current setup is fit for purpose or if an alternative — for example an updated partnership agreement, a company, a limited liability partnership, or a blended model — would better meet the family’s aims. Tax efficiency through joined-up advice Tax sits at the centre of most
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In this issue: Sanctions AML, CTF & counter-proliferation financing Regulation of legal services Data protection Other Practice Compliance updates this week Daily and weekly news alerts Trackers New and updated content Sanctions FCDO announces closure of OFSI sanctions list in favour of single UK system The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office ( FCDO) confirms that the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation ( OFSI), within HM Treasury, will stop issuing its Consolidated List of Asset Freeze Targets on 28 January 2026. From then, the UK Sanctions List will serve as the only official source for UK sanctions designations. See: LNB News 07/11/2025 16. FCDO updates guidance on Democratic People's Republic of Korea sanctions regulations The FCDO has revised its guidance on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ( Sanctions) ( EU Exit) Regulations 2019, SI 2019/411, to align with changes to the...
In recent weeks, penalties aimed at Russia’s energy industry have widened markedly, reflecting concerns that Moscow is not genuinely pursuing a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. Designed to squeeze funding for Russia’s war effort, the measures seek to curb income from worldwide sales of fossil fuels. UK actions of 15 October 2025, followed by US steps on 22 October 2025 and EU measures on 23 October 2025, focus on Russia’s two biggest oil producers, Rosneft Oil Co and Lukoil OAO, and extend to entities in third countries that broker or trade Russian energy products. The UK and EU have additionally trailed new trade curbs linked to energy, targeting Russian liquefied natural gas ( LNG) and refined oil produced in third countries from Russian crude. Collectively, these moves mark a notable intensification of sanctions on Russia, with scope to influence diverse...
This development follows the recent snapback of all nuclear‑related sanctions on Iran at UN level, after the United Nations Security Council declined to extend sanctions relief. The EU has revived its restrictive measures through six legal instruments. Four took effect on 29 September 2025: Council Decision ( CFSP) 2025/1978, Council Implementing Decision ( CFSP) 2025/1971, Council Implementing Regulation ( EU) 2025/1980 and Council Implementing Regulation ( EU) 2025/1982. The remaining two entered into force on 30 September 2025: Council Regulation ( EU) 2025/1975 and Council Decision ( CFSP) 2025/1972. Collectively, these acts reinstate measures previously adopted by the UN Security Council and transposed into EU law, alongside additional autonomous EU restrictions. These include targeted sanctions on named individuals and entities—travel bans, asset freezes and a bar on providing funds or other economic...
According to Home Office data released on 6 November 2025, the figure is up 13% on the prior quarter and 35% higher than the equivalent period in 2024. The statistics indicate UK nationals made up 20% of referrals this quarter, with Eritrean people comprising 16% and Somali nationals 10% during the period under review, according to the official release. The NRM is the UK’s mechanism for identifying and assisting potential victims of modern slavery. It enables authorised first responders to submit referrals for an official decision on whether someone has been trafficked, which in turn governs their entitlement to support and protection......
In this issue: Sanctions AML, CTF & counter-proliferation financing Other financial crime Further Practice Compliance updates this week Lex Talk®Practice Compliance: a Lexis®Nexis community News alerts—daily and weekly Trackers Fresh and revised content Sanctions OFSI updates General Licence INT/2024/5394840 The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation ( OFSI) has revised General Licence INT/2024/5394840. The licence enables relevant institutions to handle payments made in 2022 from, or routed via, a designated credit or financial institution, provided the original sender and the originally intended recipient are not designated persons. Expiry extended to 7 November 2027. Updated definition of a designated credit or financial institution. Amended reporting obligations. Under the new reporting terms, relevant institutions must notify HM Treasury within 14 days after the end of each calendar month, detailing any payments processed under the licence for that month. Reports must set out:...
On 29 October 2025, the Legal Standards Board ( LSB) announced a review prompted by a decision that has unsettled lawyers whose working practices could now be judged unlawful. The exercise will look at advice provided and guidance issued in the years preceding the ruling and how regulators responded afterwards, with the activities of bodies such as the Bar Council and the Law Society placed under scrutiny. In a document setting out the scope of the review, the LSB said it would consider whether the regulatory objectives have been adversely affected by the acts or omissions of approved regulators and, where appropriate, other regulatory bodies, in their approach to advice, guidance and compliance concerning the conduct of litigation. The board confirmed it was embarking on this work following weeks of uncertainty triggered by the High Court's 16 September 2025 judgment in Julia Mazur v...
Two years later, the outlook for the SFO appears markedly altered. Over the past quarter, it has secured a significant new charging avenue via the failure to prevent fraud offence, recovered £1.1m through its inaugural unexplained wealth order ( UWO), and brought charges against six people arising from a pension fraud probe. Against that backdrop, we reflect on the themes that have shaped Ephgrave’s tenure leading the SFO so far, and consider what may follow. Kicking down new doors and closing old ones In February 2024, delivering his first public address as director, Ephgrave set out a drive to accelerate casework and make the SFO bolder, more pragmatic, more proactive. His opening months featured a spike in dawn raids, and he said the team had gone through more front doors in three months than in the previous three years. Eighteen months later, that pace...
In this issue: AML, CTF & counter-proliferation financing Sanctions Supply chain Other Practice Compliance updates this week Daily and weekly news alerts Trackers New and updated content AML, CTF & counter-proliferation financing HM Treasury has revised its money laundering advisory notice to reflect recent FATF outcomes. The notice highlights jurisdictions with strategic shortcomings in anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing and proliferation financing controls. These are either listed as High Risk Third Countries under the Money Laundering Regulations or under the FATF’s increased monitoring. Following the FATF October 2025 plenary, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Nigeria and South Africa have been taken off the increased monitoring list after making significant progress in remedying AML/ CFT deficiencies. See: LNB News 27/10/2025 41. Sanctions OFSI has updated the UK Financial Sanctions FAQs, adding FAQs 170 and 171 tied to the newly issued Legal Services General...
Worker Protection ( Amendment to Equality Act 2010) 2023 Prompted by the regulation, which took effect a year ago on 26 October, more employers are completing risk assessments and have refreshed or introduced workplace anti-harassment policies and training, lawyers report. Investment in bystander intervention training is increasing, alongside a stronger emphasis on robust investigations into sexual harassment allegations. Organisations are also seeking indemnities from clients and suppliers to safeguard against liability for wrongdoing by third parties, according to lawyers. Yet the degree to which the new duty has been adopted often hinges on employer size, resources and sector. A recent Worknest survey of 400 human resources professionals shows that one in four businesses has still not carried out a sexual harassment risk assessment. According to Natasha Adom, a partner at GQ Littler, employers in regulated settings typically find compliance easier because they are...
The government has published four consultations in relation to the Employment Rights Bill ( ERB), which cover the following areas: the obligation on employers to tell workers of their right to join a trade union the right of trade unions to access workplaces physically, and to communicate with workers in person or digitally enhanced workplace protections against dismissal for pregnant women and new mothers a new entitlement to bereavement leave, including for pregnancy loss before 24 weeks This overview outlines the proposals in each consultation, the questions posed and the deadline for responding. For information on the progress of the ERB generally, see Practice Note: Employment Rights Bill—tracker. Duty to inform workers of right to join a trade union The ERB will introduce a new duty requiring employers to issue workers with a written statement, advising them of their right to join a trade union at the...
In its long-awaited reply to the consultation, HM Treasury ( HMT) confirmed the government will establish a unified supervisor for professional services. HMT has appointed the FCA to monitor compliance for 60,000 regulated law firms delivering legal, accountancy, and trust and company services. According to the government, the best way to supervise AML and CTF is for a public organisation to oversee professional services firms. ' Bringing professional services under the FCA’s AML/ CTF supervision will align them with other sectors covered by the money laundering regulations — already monitored by public bodies — and will streamline an overly complex regulatory landscape,' HMT noted. The government added that new legislation, funding arrangements, and a transition plan are required before full implementation of the......
In this issue: Sanctions AML, CTF & Counter- Proliferation Financing Data Protection Other Practice Compliance updates this week Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Sanctions OFSI publishes General Licence INT/2025/7598960 and updates UK Financial Sanctions FAQs The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation has issued General Licence INT/2025/7598960 under regulation 64 of the Russia ( Sanctions) ( EU Exit) Regulations 2019, SI 2019/855. This licence enables ongoing business with Rosneft Deutschland Gmb H, RN Refining and Marketing Gmb H and their subsidiaries. OFSI has also revised its UK Financial Sanctions FAQs, adding FAQ 169, confirming that dealings with these entities can proceed as usual for UK financial sanctions, so long as all conditions of General Licence INT/2025/7598960 are met. See: LNB News 22/10/2025 21. OFSI publishes Legal Services General Licence...
Paul Philip, chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority ( SRA), told the watchdog’s annual compliance officers conference that the regulator will issue 'further guidance' for the profession. He gave this assurance after the High Court ruled in September 2025 that non-solicitors and staff without specific litigation rights cannot conduct litigation. The ruling has threatened the financial viability of firms that depend on paralegals, trainees and members of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, known as CILEX......
In a High Court defence dated 9 October 2025 and only recently disclosed to the public, David Crisp, former chief executive of Valorem Group, contends the allegations against him ought to be struck out as an abuse of the court’s process and a ‘contrivance’, and should therefore be dismissed. The firm alleges he breached his duties by continuing to sell products in Russia despite sanctions. His defence asserts Valorem’s High Court claim is disingenuous and the ‘culmination of a campaign’ to ‘drain the defendant financially and emotionally through prolonged court proceedings so he would be compelled to dispose of his shares at a markedly undervalued price’. It further states that Valorem itself kept trading in Russia while sanctions were in force, with chairman David Garofalo’s knowledge and awareness. Accordingly, he says, it cannot amount to a breach of duty for Crisp to have acted...
The High Court ruled in September 2025 that non-solicitors and employees without specific litigation rights cannot conduct litigation A High Court ruling has placed the finances of some practices at risk, particularly those dependent on paralegals, trainees and Chartered Institute of Legal Executives ( CILEX) members. Damian Bradley, partner and head of legal operations at Express Solicitors Ltd, an injury claims practice, warned the judgment could render certain work non-viable and lead to closures. He noted that outfits built around a CILEX member with numerous unqualified assistants handling high-volume cases may find compliance impossible, leaving them in a state of limbo. The decision in Julia Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP, delivered on 16 September 2025, has left firms grappling with weeks of uncertainty. Judge Clive Sheldon concluded that the Legal Services Act 2007 bars unqualified law firm staff from conducting...
This package of measures spans financial penalties, travel prohibitions, asset freezes and bans on exporting materials, goods and technologies that aid Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Paused by the UN under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ( JCPOA) brokered in 2015 by the Obama administration alongside China, France, Germany, Russia and the UK, these restrictions are now being revived by the relevant authorities. The Office of Foreign Assets Control ( OFAC) has already unveiled two waves of new entries to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons ( SDN) list to underpin the snapback. On 29 September 2025, the European Commission likewise moved to reinstate all of these measures—and additional ones beyond the prior scope. On 30 September 2025, the UK named 71 individuals as part of a staged approach to reimpose UN sanctions. It would be a mistake to regard the...
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation’s ( OFSI) annual report, issued on 15 October 2025, indicated that the enforcement of Russia sanctions continued to be the foremost priority, citing £22.5bn of assets reported frozen under the Russia regime—twice the £10.2bn recorded a year earlier. As of April 2025, the OFSI was managing 240 active compliance-related cases, with an expanding share not uncovered via self-reporting—151, up from 108 logged last year, the report further added. Giles Thomson, HM Treasury’s director of economic crime and sanctions, said it had been 'a year marked by significant progress in our mission to enhance the effectiveness of the UK's financial sanctions regime'......
In this issue: Sanctions AML, CTF & Counter- Proliferation Financing Data Protection Cybersecurity Other Practice Compliance Updates This Week Daily and weekly news alerts Trackers New and updated content Sanctions FCDO issues guidance on consolidating UK sanctions lists by January 2026 The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has released guidance setting out the merger of UK sanctions designations into a single list. With effect from 28 January 2026, the UK Sanctions List will be the only authoritative source for UK designations, replacing the current two-list approach that includes the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation Consolidated List of Asset Freeze Targets. Organisations will need to adapt compliance tools that rely on OFSI Group ID references. See: LNB News 13/10/2025 43. OFSI issues two new General Licences and amends two additional ones OFSI has introduced two new General Licences. General Licence...
The Legal Services Board ( LSB) said that it will look at how regulators drew up their guidance on who could conduct litigation The Legal Services Board has confirmed it will scrutinise the way regulators developed guidance on who is permitted to conduct litigation. That entitlement has come under scrutiny following a recent High Court ruling, which has sparked significant unease among lawyers concerned that their working practices could be viewed as unlawful. According to the LSB, the review will examine whether approved regulators and regulatory bodies ensured that information about conducting litigation was both accurate and dependable. The intention is to draw lessons and to sustain clarity and confidence in the regulatory framework. The announcement follows weeks of uncertainty triggered by the High Court’s 16 September 2025 decision in Mazur & Stuart v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 ( KB). In that case, Judge Clive...
According to an official paper dated 8 October 2025, the European Commission intends to publish guidance on the EU AI Act’s relationship with other digital rules starting in Q3 2026, implying the documents could appear shortly before or after core provisions begin to apply. An annex to the Apply AI Strategy—an effort to accelerate AI uptake in priority industries—states the Commission will ‘develop guidelines on the EU AI Act’s interplay with other Union law from Q3 2026’. The annex outlines timelines for planned AI measure. Some projects are pinned to precise quarters, while others are slated to kick off from a broader window, implying activity may not commence until that point. Overall, the schedule signals a staggered roll-out across actions......
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When evaluating a general damages claim, the practitioner ought initially to refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG)...
This Practice Note This Practice Note reviews mechanisms used in settling litigation. A Tomlin order consists of a consent order paired with a schedule. It operates to stay proceedings on terms that have been agreed. The provisions contained in the schedule may remain confidential. This Practice Note describes the scope of confidentiality attaching to the schedule and sets out how it differs from a standard consent order. Sample wording for a Tomlin order is included, alongside links to precedents, as well as guidance on court approval. It also addresses varying, setting aside and enforcing a Tomlin order, including the considerations the court will take into account when handling applications for each. Further guidance is provided on interpreting and applying the relevant provisions of the CPR; however, some courts and divisions impose very specific requirements for both drafting and approval, and for approaching the schedule and confidentiality issues. Accordingly, you must consider the particular rules and court guide provisions in the forum where your claim is proceeding when drawing up the Tomlin order...
Date [ date ] Parties [ name of Landlord ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Landlord) [ name of Tenant ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Tenant) [ [ name of Guarantor ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Guarantor) ] [ [ name of Mortgagee ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Mortgagee) ] Definitions Within this Deed, the terms below shall be interpreted as follows: [ Annual Rent • the annual sum reserved under the Lease; ] [ Insurance Rent • the Tenant’s share of the Landlord’s costs of insuring the Property (as set out in the Lease); ] Lease • the lease of the Property dated [ date ], entered into between (1) [ the Landlord OR [ name ...
I, [ name ], of [ address ], solemnly and sincerely state that: [ Matters to be verified, set out in numbered paragraphs ] I make this solemn statement in good conscience, believing it to be true, and pursuant to the provisions of the Statutory Declarations Act 1835. DECLARED at [ details ] this [ day ] day of [ month and year ] Before me ................................................................................ [ signature of the person before whom the declaration is made ] A [ commissioner for oaths OR [ solicitor OR [ insert other qualification ] ] authorised to administer oaths ]...
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