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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 Sole traders, informal partnerships and outdated partnership deeds are common.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: Financial sanctions Other financial crime Data protection Cybersecurity Other Practice Compliance updates this week Daily and weekly news alerts Trackers New and updated content Financial sanctions OFSI and HMT revise guidance on Russian Oil Services ban The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation ( OFSI) and HM Treasury ( HMT) have amended the Tier 2/3 notification that a Tier 1 Provider has not verified adherence to reporting obligations under form INT/2022/2469656, within their guidance on the Russian Oil Services restriction. See: LNB News 25/07/2025 32. OFSI refreshes general guidance on UK financial sanctions OFSI has refreshed its overarching guidance on UK financial sanctions to add Designated Money Service Businesses as a licensing basis at section 6.6. This basis enables OFSI to grant licences permitting the return of funds to non-designated persons from designated Money Service Businesses, where defined conditions are satisfied. See: LNB News 25/07/2025 11. Other financial crime LSB publishes statutory guidance on new economic crime...
Britain’s highest court has granted the Foreign Office significant discretion by upholding sanctions on US- British billionaire Eugene Shvidler on 29 July 2025, a move that could pave the way for wider use of punitive financial measures. The justices’ view that officials should be ‘accorded a wide margin of appreciation’ in national security matters signals that courts will rarely unsettle sanctions listings, even when the underlying evidence appears unpersuasive. Syed Rahman, a partner at Rahman Ravelli, said the ruling will embolden ministers, while cautioning that there is an obvious danger the UK sanctions framework could become a tool of reputational penalty, lacking the checks and balances for which the legal system is known. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the government has designated more than 1,800 individuals and entities. Yet this is the first judgment to address the lawfulness of...
Known as OFSI, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation has revised its UK financial sanctions guidance to incorporate...
On 21 July 2025, the Science Minister, Patrick Vallance, signalled that the UK may prepare wide-ranging legislation for artificial intelligence, the latest sign of a change in stance from depending on existing authorities to oversee how these technologies are applied within their respective sectors. Addressing the House of Lords, he explained that the UK had followed a course distinct from the EU AI Act, in this area, ‘but we are now......
In this issue: Financial sanctions AML, CTF & counter-proliferation financing Other financial crime Data protection Cybersecurity Other Practice Compliance updates this week Daily and weekly news alerts Trackers New and updated content Financial sanctions FCDO announces reduction in Russian crude Oil Price Cap mechanism The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office ( FCDO) has confirmed that the UK and EU will lower the Russian crude oil price cap from $60 to $47.60 per barrel, effective 2 September 2025. Current caps for refined petroleum products remain in place. A 45-day wind-down period, running to 17 October 2025, covers contracts agreed before the start date that meet the existing $60 threshold. This adjusts the December 2022 price cap framework, which bars G7 firms from offering shipping and insurance services for Russian oil sold above the cap. See: LNB News...
The conclusive edition of the General- Purpose AI ( GPAI) Code of Practice appeared on 10 July 2025. It succeeds three prior drafts, issued in November 2024, December 2024, and March 2025. Pending scrutiny and validation by the European Commission and Member States, the 10 July text is treated as definitive in advance of the GPAI provisions of Regulation ( EU) 2024/1689 (the EU AI Act) taking effect on 2 August 2025. Commission guidance clarifying key notions linked to GPAI models, released on 18 July 2025, sits alongside the Code of Practice as an accompaniment. This Code is a voluntary instrument, supported by the EU AI Office and produced by a consortium of academics and industry participants, intended to assist GPAI model providers in fulfilling the corresponding obligations of the EU AI Act (see: LNB News 18/07/2025 40, LNB News...
Members of the Lords voted on 16 July 2025, by 248 to 150, to back a provision that would oblige employers in financial services, the heads of businesses with more than 50 staff, and companies recording annual turnover of £10m or more to 'take reasonable steps to investigate any disclosure made to them'. Under the plan, the business secretary would bring forward regulations and, within six months of the ERB's passage, set out in statutory guidance what amounts to 'reasonable steps'. Susan Kramer, the Liberal Democrat peer who sponsored the amendment prepared by her Labour counterpart Michael Wills, told the Upper House it is required to address employers' 'spurious reasons to fire whistleblowers'......
In this issue: Practice Compliance forecast Financial sanctions AML, CTF & counter-proliferation financing Other financial crime Data protection Cybersecurity Other Practice Compliance updates this week Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Practice Compliance forecast New Practice Compliance forecast as at 15 July 2025 Our latest Practice Compliance forecast (as at 15 July 2025) is now available. This month we highlight: (1) the Data ( Use and Access) Act securing Royal Assent, (2) new and refreshed ICO guidance following the Data ( Use and Access) Act 2025 ( DUAA 2025), (3) movement in the SRA’s annual AML and sanctions data collection exercise, and (4) updates on reforms to first-tier complaints handling. See News Analysis: New Practice Compliance forecast as at 15 July 2025. Financial sanctions OFSI updates UK Financial Sanctions FAQs The Office of Financial Sanctions...
The dispute centres on Ballmann’s bid to obtain internal EDPB materials—the coordinating body for EU data protection regulators—used in drafting a binding ruling that obliged the Irish privacy authority to decide against Meta’s Facebook over alleged ‘forced consent’ for online ads. Represented by the Austria-based privacy organisation NOYB, Ballmann contended that the EDPB’s refusal to disclose the papers underpinning its December 2022 binding decision breached her right of access to the file under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Meta joined the proceedings to back the EDPB’s stance in turning down the access application, supporting the decision to reject the request......
As at 15 July 2025, our Practice Compliance forecast monitors anticipated regulatory developments affecting law firm compliance, helping you prepare for matters that could impact your organisation in the months ahead. Please review it closely; however, we also highlight a number of points that ought to be on your radar below. New items we’re tracking this month The UK Financial Intelligence Unit ( UKFIU) is undertaking a full review of its guidance, with updates expected shortly to appear on UKFIU official social media channels. See: AML, CTF and counter-proliferation financing. The ICO will release new guidance on managing data protection complaints in winter 2025/26, following new statutory requirements set out in DUAA 2025. See: Data protection, AI and cybersecurity. The ICO will issue fresh guidance on the right of access during summer 2025. See: Data protection, AI and...
DUAA 2025 secured Royal Assent on 19 June 2025, bringing it into law in the UK after being approved by Parliament on 11 June 2025. The Act primarily revises Assimilated Regulation ( EU) 2016/679, the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (the UK GDPR), and PECR 2003. This article centres on the updates DUAA 2025 makes to PECR 2003—the UK rules that oversee the use of cookies and other online tracking tools—as well as the requirements relating to electronic marketing communications......
Solicitor-client costs and CFA enforceability— Substance over form ( Richardson & Others v Slater & Gordon UK Ltd) Richardson and others v Slater & Gordon UK Ltd [2025] EWHC 1220 ( SCCO) What are the practical implications of this case? Although the obligation to provide an oral explanation of CFA terms was removed in 2005, this ruling highlights the ongoing value of a clear onboarding process to ensure clients grasp key or atypical CFA provisions, especially where they carry financial consequences. The court found it unnecessary for solicitors to deliver a detailed oral explanation of the workings of a CFA. That said, practitioners are likely to benefit from drawing attention to any unusual or significant clauses and preserving records of those conversations to deter later challenges. While informed consent is not a strict requirement for a CFA to be enforceable, its absence may bear upon the...
Map your supply chain As noted in the UK Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025 (2025 Survey), 45% of large businesses reviewed the cyber security risks arising from their immediate suppliers, compared with 21% of small businesses. This marks a decline from 55% in 2023. Only 25% looked at the risks presented by their wider supply chain. Cyber threats originating outside your organisation are generally harder to detect and to control. Understanding who your direct and indirect suppliers are, what they provide, how they provide it, and which data they hold and can access will help you pick out your critical providers and manage cyber security risks to your business more effectively. Mapping your supply chain will also show which measures can be enforced easily through contracts and place you to respond more quickly to supply chain related cyber incidents and to...
In this issue: Financial sanctions AML, CTF & counter-proliferation financing Other financial crime Data protection Cybersecurity Lex Talk®Practice Compliance: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts Trackers New and updated content Financial sanctions HMRC announces record compound settlement for Russian sanctions breach HMRC has finalised its biggest compound settlement relating to a Russian sanctions breach, with a UK exporter paying £1.16m in May 2025. The resolution concerns contraventions of The Russia ( Sanctions) ( EU Exit) Regulations 2019, SI 2019/855, arising from the company making goods available to Russia. HMRC noted that this move forms part of wider international sanctions which have denied Russia US$450bn in financing since its invasion of Ukraine. The notice stresses that sanctions violations can attract substantial financial penalties or criminal prosecution, and urges businesses to ensure robust compliance with...
In this issue: Financial sanctions Other financial crime Data protection Lex Talk®Practice Compliance: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts Trackers New and updated content Financial sanctions FCDO releases fresh Russia sanctions guidance for non- UK businesses. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has issued new guides on complying with UK Russia sanctions for non- UK firms operating abroad. They set out overarching compliance principles plus country-specific notes for businesses in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia and Armenia. The materials are designed to help overseas businesses grasp UK sanctions obligations and embed risk management processes. See: LNB News 27/06/2025 36. NCA, OFSI and the FCDO issue a Red Alert on a Russian oil sanctions-evasion network. It warns financial institutions about a complex scheme using blue companies that interface with Western...
Experts warn that existing commercial insurance may leave holes when firms deploy customer-facing AI chatbots. Professional indemnity policies usually respond when clients pursue compensation for negligent advice or defective services delivered by a business. However, they typically won’t respond if the negligence stems from misinformation supplied directly to a customer by the AI system. Lawyers attribute this to long-standing, standardised exclusions introduced to limit cyber exposure. Applied broadly, these exclusions can also shield insurers from software-related losses, including AI. Richard Breavington, a partner at Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP, noted that while firms may sensibly rely on cutting-edge tools, if trouble arises they can still face liability and be unable to recover it fully. Protection gaps The breadth of these exclusions came to light in 2019, when regulators raised the alarm that, because of loose wording in standard commercial property policies, insurers were...
Data ( Use and Access) Act 2025—compliance implications We have released a new Practice Note setting out what UK private‑sector compliance practitioners should understand about DUAA 2025—see: Data ( Use and Access) Act 2025—compliance implications. Although most provisions await further rule‑making, a revision on data subject access requests (notably, the scope of the search an......
Launched in October 2024 Unveiled in October 2024, the review is led by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in partnership with sanctions departments and agencies — HM Treasury ( HMT), the Department for Business and Trade ( DBT), the Department for Transport ( Df T), HM Revenue and Customs ( HMRC) and the National Crime Agency ( NCA). It advances recommendations designed to facilitate compliance with UK sanctions, strengthen deterrence against breaches, and refresh the cross‑government sanctions enforcement toolkit. In our analysis, we examine these recommendations and determine that they are unlikely to fulfil the UK government’s ambitions, as articulated in the review: to ‘support the private sector to understand and comply with sanctions’ while ‘punish serious breaches with large fines or criminal prosecution’......
District Judge Louisa Ciecióra convicted Aozma Sultana, 42, for refusing or failing to comply with an OFSI request for financial details under terrorism regulations. Sultana gave no 'evidence of reasonable excuse' for missing the June 2024 deadline, the judge said. Ciecióra J stated she did not accept that Ms Sultana had produced any proof amounting to a reasonable excuse, and ultimately found her guilty of the offence. The judge added that Sultana had not properly completed the first form submitted in response to the information request, and had then provided no answers to later follow-up requests sent by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation......
In this issue: Financial Sanctions AML, CTF & counter-proliferation financing Data protection Other Practice Compliance updates this week Daily and weekly news alerts Trackers New and updated content Financial Sanctions Sanctions ( EU Exit) ( Treasury Debt) Regulations 2025 SI 2025/712: These Regulations amend five UK statutory instruments relating to sanctions. They create additional exceptions to United Nations asset-freezes on designated persons and to UN bans on providing funds to them or for their benefit. The changes enable payments to be made in relation to specified borrowing by, or for, the Treasury (including gilts) and permit the facilitation of those payments. They are made under powers in the Sanctions and Anti- Money Laundering Act 2018 concerning assimilated law, and take effect on 10 July 2025. See: LNB News 20/06/2025 31. AML, CTF &...
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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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