Blog
Kingsley Napley’s Medical Negligence Team ‘walks together’ with the Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity
Sharon Burkill
18 July 2025
Why a ban on gagging orders could have unintended consequences
The Times reports that employers are likely to be banned from using non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to silence victims of workplace harassment and discrimination following the government's latest amendments to the Employment Rights Bill. Niki Southern (Employment) said she recommended “an urgent audit of template contracts, settlement agreements and policies to ensure that they do not fall foul of the new rules.”
9 June 2025
AI and the legal sector
In the latest edition of The Lawyer's podcast series, the team discuss AI and innovation in the legal sector, what various firms are doing in the space, and what the future might bring. In particular, they highlight our new AI initiative which is being developed in collaboration with legal start up Let's Think.
2 May 2025
Deepfake apps
After the Children's Commissioner called for a ban on apps that make deepfake nude images of children, Matt Hardcastle (Criminal Litigation) told the Guardian that there is a “minefield for young people online” around accessing unlawful sexual and violent content.
11 April 2025
Leaseholder charges
In The Times, Katie Sheikh (Real Estate) advises a reader whose service charge has gone up by 10% and who can’t afford to pay the new amount.
26 March 2025
Adolescence is brilliant TV but Jamie should have sacked his brief
Rebecca Smart told the Law Society Gazette that while the new Netflix series Adolescence is remarkable and compelling, it not quite as flawless as the reviews suggest when it comes to the portrayal of a criminal defence lawyer. You can read her criticisms here.
14 March 2025
Ethnic minorities and sentencing guidelines
Sandra Paul (Criminal) wrote to The Times this week arguing that the row over so-called two-tier sentencing misses the point. She says '"According to government statistics, we already have a two-tier system. This is because people from ethnic minorities are more likely to be arrested, charged and convicted than their white counterparts for the same offence."
20 February 2025
Architects warn post-Brexit visa rules hindering recruitment
Kingsley Napley, along with Bates Wells and our architecture firm clients, called on the home secretary to urgently review the post-Brexit visa salary rules, claiming they are choking an industry that is trying to help meet Labour’s housing targets. Marcia Longdon told the Guardian that the "changes were having a knock-on effect on firms’ ability to staff projects and progress work, with clients reporting the salary threshold was “simply too high for this sector”
3 February 2025
Channel 4 may have violated Sexual Offences Act with deepfake video of Scarlett Johansson
The Guardian reports that Channel 4 may have violated the law with their recent documentary about non-consensual, AI-generated pornography. Alice Trotter (Criminal ) told the paper that "Channel 4 would most likely be able to offer the defence that they had a “reasonable excuse” for doing so, given that it came as part of a documentary that they have previously claimed was raising awareness."
2 February 2025
Surge in middle-class couples paying £12k for ‘private’ divorces
The Telegraph reports KN data showing that wealthy couples are increasingly bypassing the public family court system to resolve the financial aspects of their divorce with the help of a private judge. Sital Fontenelle of our Family team said, "It is no longer simply the super-rich who opt for this approach, but it is increasingly the norm for couples with £1m upwards of assets."
24 January 2025
The Evolving Legal Market
Crispin Passmore (Co-Founder of Stratify, Kingsley Napley's new strategic regulatory advice service aimed at investors and leaders in the legal sector), wrote to the Financial Times this week to discuss the increase in dealmaking within the legal sector. He said, "England and Wales leads the world right now with its approach to legal market regulation — hence its attractiveness to foreign direct investment."
13 December 2024
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
With the passing of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, James Ward (Private Client) has been thinking about the practical implications it is likely to have for the families and the clients he deals with. As James says in the Daily Mail, while there are many reasons why the Bill has merit, one thing it cannot resolve is all of usual inheritance and financial decisions that accompany the death of a loved one.
8 November 2024
Criticism of the Solicitors Regulation Authority
Iain Miller spoke to The Times about criticism of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in the wake of the report into how it dealt with Axiom Ince, saying the report showed that the intervention power was no longer fit for purpose and "there is clearly a need for the Solicitors Regulation Authority to sharpen its risk profiling of law firms as the market evolves."
11 September 2024
IHT rises
In the Telegraph, James Ward (Private Client) comments on official statistics which show that a growing number of families are being hit with inheritance tax on gifts after falling foul of the seven-year rule.
18 July 2024
New Interpol chief must ensure oversight body is well funded
In her article for The Times, Rebecca Niblock (Criminal Litigation) argues that the current election process for Secretary-General of Interpol has reignited debate over the organisation, and that funding must be increased in a world of increasing geopolitical tension and ever more complex, international and technologically-driven crime.
15 July 2024
Can Britain get building? These planning problems stand in Labour’s way
In The Sunday Times, Charles Richardson (Private Client) comments on the Government's lifting of the de facto ban on onshore wind development in England, saying "Landowners generally wouldn’t favour Labour, but I think this is something that could be an advantage for them,”
