Edward Fennell’s LEGAL DIARY
Diary news plus insights, commentary and appointments from the legal world
29 May 2026
Editorial contact: fennell.edward@yahoo.com
SHORT THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:SLAPPED ABOUT
We run double coverage this week on the increasing challenge from SLAPPS – one article in connection with the latest research from the University of Exeter and another in a piece by Charlie Holt, the co-chair of the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition.
To state the obvious, this is now a global problem. But creating a global solution without the firm involvement of the USA is always going to be difficult-to-impossible.
Currently the problem in the USA is what is described as the ‘fragmented patchwork of state statutes and an uncertain federal stance on anti-SLAPP protections’. A solution, it is claimed, would be the enactment of a comprehensive federal anti-SLAPP statute.
Can anyone see that happening over the next two and a half years?
The LegalDiarist
In this edition
+ LEGAL DIARY OF THE WEEK
License to be Happy at the CLC
Journalism, Still SLAPPed In The Face
SRA Looks for New Chair
Boosting Mental Wellbeing in the Law
+ CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
Why is the Government ignoring cross-party condemnation of legal intimidation? asks Charlie Holt
+ LEGAL COMMENT OF THE WEEK
on solar panel adoption, the Just Eat case, clamping down on Russia and the Milburn Report on Youth Employment (or the lack of it).
+ APPOINTMENT OF THE WEEK
at CMS UK
LEGAL DIARY OF THE WEEK
License to be Happy at the CLC
There’s a good news story this week from the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC).According to new research published in its Workplace and Diversity Survey 2025 . job satisfaction across the conveyancing and probate communities is riding pretty high.
“Overall, the findings suggest that workplace cultures within the conveyancing and probate sector are generally positive and collaborative,” said Enventure Research who undertook the work. “Most respondents report that they feel respected and valued at work and that colleagues work well together.”
Impressively, more than 70% of CLC lawyers and managers, and 80% of other staff, said they were satisfied with their jobs over the past 12 months. So from where springs this happy picture?
The most commonly featured explanations were ‘a positive working environment, supportive employers, interesting and rewarding work, a good work-life balance and a good salary’. On that basis it is not surprising that people were pretty content.
That said, not everything is perfect. Almost two-thirds of CLC lawyers say they have felt unable to cope with workload at least sometimes, including a sixth (17%) who report doing so frequently. That said, more than 90% say they rarely or never experience pressure to compromise professional or ethical standards.
“This report paints a detailed and positive picture of our profession and is a vital resource for understanding what it is really like to work in the sector regulated by the CLC.” commented Stephen Ward, CLC Director of Strategy and External Relations,
“We are committed to using these insights to shape the CLC’s future work with the profession, in which people feel valued, supported and are able to deliver high-quality legal services.The insight from this report also help us engage with the wider legal profession so we can jointly tackle issues around inequality that are a feature of working in the law.”
Journalism, Still SLAPPed In The Face
The debate about SLAPPs continues – see our CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE today by Charlie Holt (below).
Meanwhile concerns are also expressed by Dr Costantino Grasso Associate Professor in Law at the University of Exeter Law School whose recent research has flagged up a number of concerns.
“A lack of global consensus creates an infertile ground for the universal adoption of robust anti-SLAPP standards and accountability mechanisms,” he says. While a global framework remains a laudable long-term goal, the most pragmatic and productive path forward in the current historical moment lies in strengthening legal protections at the national and regional supranational level.
“The development of increasingly effective regulatory instruments is a positive trend, but is tempered by a strong reluctance on the part of states to adopt legislation that is genuinely effective in protecting truth-tellers and holding power to account.”
“With formal responses from authorities often perceived as slow or inadequate, the chilling effect on journalists, whistleblowers, and public watchdogs intensifies. This ongoing institutional inertia leaves truth-tellers to bear both material and psychological harm, while the broader damage to democratic systems goes unaddressed.”
Grasso brings considerable authority to his research. He was previously s a corporate governance and compliance specialist with the UK Serious Fraud Office and contributed to the first English Deferred Prosecution Agreement. He also serves as an international anti-corruption expert for the Council of Europe.
SRA Looks for New Chair
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has been through a difficult patch recently so no great surprise that its chair Anna Bradley has stepped down. The search for her replacement begins next week.
As previously reported in the Legal Diary, the SRA must pay costs which could amount to £500K (with a payment of £200,000 on account) for a case involving Dentons in the High Court and Court of Appeal. So perhaps it was inevitable that heads (or at least one head) would have to roll.
Bradley acknowledged the importance of the SRA focusing on firms and protecting consumers. “A central theme has been the need for us to focus more on firms and the way they operate in a rapidly changing legal sector to ensure that we protect consumers.,” she said. “This has required, and will continue to require, a rapid evolution in how we work.”
However she admitted that ‘mistakes had been made’ and that the regulator had ‘not kept pace with the market’. Both legal professionals and their customers had been impacted by this.
Meanwhile the arrival of Sarah Rapson as the new chief executive at the SRA offered a moment to move on.
“The SRA now has a better grip on what needs to change to make us an improved, more modern, proportionate and, ultimately, more trusted regulator,” said Bradley. This makes it the right time to start the transition to a new board chair. I believe the organisation now has the leadership, priorities, and momentum it needs for the next phase.”
Boosting Mental Wellbeing in the Law
The Centre for Legal Leadership has announced what looks like a potentially very interesting event focused on how outfits in the legal sector can reduce avoidable stress and build healthier, high-performing ways of working.
Timed for late morning on Thursday 25 June 202 it will draw on the work of the The Mindful Business Charter – a cross-industry initiative focused on improving everyday working practices – to examine the commercial and cultural case for change and also consider a framework to helping organisations take action.
Speaking at the event will beRichard Martin the CEO of the Mindful Business Charterand also a principal consultant at Byrne Dean and a member of the IBA Wellbeing Commission.He also brings years of experience as a former senior employment law partner. He has spoken openly about his own experience of mental ill health and now advises organisations on building healthier working cultures.
Also contributing will be Rachel Pears the Associate Director – Responsible Business & Employment Counsel at RPC. As a committed mental health advocate, Rachel has driven a number of pioneering wellbeing initiatives at RPC where she leads the firm’s responsible business strategy across environmental, DEIB, pro bono and wellbeing initiatives, drawing on her ESG and equality law expertise. She was named Inspiring Leader at the 2025 Carers UK Awards.
For more go to https://www.legalleadership.co.uk/events/2026-rm-mbc-june/
CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
Why is the Government ignoring cross-party condemnation of legal intimidation? asks Charlie Holt
The King’s Speech has been and gone, and with it the opportunity for decisive anti-SLAPP reform. Some lawyers may think this is a good thing. The argument made by opponents of reform – that such reforms need further consideration and consultation – may find a receptive audience among some quarters of the legal community, despite the fact that the MOJ has been working on SLAPPs for over four years.
In that time, we’ve had a call for evidence with 120 responses; a series of consultations with stakeholders; at least six committee hearings; and countless Parliamentary debates. We’ve had a new Council of Europe recommendation and an EU anti-SLAPP directive, leading to a flurry of new anti-SLAPP laws across Europe. It’s hard to see what additional consultation would get us, other than further prevarication and wasted Parliamentary time. One suspects that may be the point.
Most lawyers will concede that civil litigation is prohibitively expensive for most people. For those with the money and appetite for protracted litigation it is all-too easy to force someone out of court by driving up legal costs. In the context of laws targeting speech this becomes a structural problem for democracy. Without robust procedural protection the legal process can quickly become an instrument for the rich and powerful to block accountability.
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition routinely receives requests for support from people targeted by SLAPPs.Far from targeting large media organisations, most of our referrals come from individuals with no institutional support. This includes victims of abuse as well as grassroots campaigners and environmental activists – hence the involvement of my own organisation, Global Climate Legal Defence (CliDef).
The uncomfortable reality is that most individuals who receive an aggressive legal threat – no matter how transparently baseless – have no option but to retract and apologise. By their very nature, the SLAPPs that reach trial are the exception, not the rule. It is a largely invisible problem whose impact – in terms of the scandals left unexposed, the campaigns left unlaunched, or the criticism left unpublished – only becomes apparent when it is too late.
For any lawyer who believes in the rule of law and the integrity of the courts, the government’s latest omission should be considered a tragic wasted opportunity – but with SLAPP targets increasingly speaking out, civil society groups increasingly mobilising for action, and MPs from all political parties and 111 peers championing reform, there is plenty of reason for optimism.
Charlie Holt is co-chair of the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition and European Lead at Global Climate Legal Defense (CliDef).
LEGAL COMMENT OF THE WEEK
TOPIC: The official data which shows that solar panels were installed on the roofs of homes, businesses and other UK buildings at a rate of 37% more in 2025 than in the previous year
COMMENT BY: Nimoy Kher, Managing Associate, Energy team, Sharpe Pritchard
“This is welcome news which should certainly be celebrated. But most households, including many with solar panels, cannot rely on solar alone. They still buy electricity from the grid, where wholesale prices remain stubbornly high. UK domestic electricity prices remain well above the EU average.
“The next challenge is therefore not just more renewables, but making sure all consumers feel the benefits on their monthly electricity bills. That means decisive action to reduce the role of gas in setting electricity prices, alongside more storage, flexibility and grid investment, so the renewables boom translates into lower and more stable bills for households across the country.”
TOPIC: The impact of the ‘Just Eat’ tribunal decision on the likely to squeeze gig economy models and increase costs
COMMENT BY: Chris Robson, employment tax partner and fair pay lead, RSM UK
“Gig economy working structures are being challenged again as Just Eat couriers seek ‘worker’ status to gain improved employment rights. With previous cases relating to taxi hailing app businesses and delivery providers setting a precedent, it is expected due to similarities in fact patterns, that this case could go the same way – leading to working models being tweaked again.
“It’s not uncommon for couriers to provide their time to different operators in the same day, referred to as multi-apping, to allow them to maximise their time and income. This creates an extra level of complexity. If couriers meet the definition of a worker, lines quickly become blurred for the operator (and the courts) to establish working time and, in turn, how to award the right pay, employment rights and taxation.
“Flexible working options are being squeezed from many different directions. We know that elements of the Employment Rights Bill, such as the unfair dismissal regulations, are leading over a third of businesses to use more off-payroll workers or self-employed contractors. In addition, over a third (38%) will look to use more employment agency workers to mitigate the growing risk and compliance burden of zero hours contract changes.
“The introduction of the Employment Rights Bill doesn’t apply to this case directly, but what it does do is make it harder for gig economy models to operate in the same way. It adds more risk of enforcement and layers of compliance, and therefore more cost, which ultimately will be pushed on to the consumer.”
TOPIC: Measures to tackle the ‘backdoor’ evasion of sanctions by Russia
COMMENT BY: John Binns, Partner specialising in sanctions and financial crime, BCL Solicitors
“There is an inevitable arms race in methods to evade and circumvent sanctions, and so it is essential that governments take action to constrain such behaviour and signal their disapproval.
New sanctions designations are an increasingly well-used weapon in the government’s armoury, but they are not necessarily the most effective.
Indeed, their nature – as a set of prohibitions that apply in the UK and to UK persons overseas – means they have a tendency to backfire.
Nor are they always well targeted, with the methods used to select sanctions targets sometimes appearing slapdash and lacking in accuracy.
Ultimately, we should remember that these battles are secondary to the real war happening every day in the streets of Ukraine.”
TOPIC: The announcement by Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, of new sanctions targeting cryptocurrency in order to shut off the ‘financial lifelines that sustain Putin’s war machine’
COMMENT BY: Roger Gherson, Partner, Gherson Solicitors
“The most recent package of sanctions targets financial institutions and crypto networks demonstrating that the UK Government remains fully committed to using this largely political tool to restrict those alleged to be associated with Russia.
With the failure of the UK courts to act to protect the rights of individuals we see no immediate easing of this draconian application of the sanctions regime and its use as a “quick fix” political win to distract the public from the hard political decisions the Government needs to make to try and bring back economic growth to a country sinking into oblivion because of its mistakes.“
TOPIC: The Milburn report on Youth Employment
COMMENT BY: Emma Hughes, Partner and Head of HR Services, Browne Jacobson
“The Milburnreport shines a light on something many HR professionals will recognise but few have been willing to confront. The finding that the most consistent complaint from young applicants is not rejection but silence is a damning indictment of how some employers are managing that experience.
“It would be wrong to lay all of this at the door of employers, however. Employer behaviour does not develop in isolation from government policy. As employment protections expand and greater scrutiny is placed on casual working arrangements, employers inevitably become more risk-conscious — and employers are being asked to take chances on candidates with little or no work history at precisely the moment the legal, financial and operational risks of getting recruitment wrong feel higher than ever.
“But there is a danger that the system has overcorrected. Too often, the young people who succeed are those whose families can open doors for them. That raises important questions not only about youth employment, but about social mobility and fairness more broadly.
“There is an uncomfortable contradiction at the heart of this. Employers frequently talk about skills shortages and difficulties attracting talent, yet many recruitment processes are designed in ways that exclude candidates with potential simply because they lack prior experience. The employers that build relationships with young people before they are job-ready will be better placed in a labour market that is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate — for young people and businesses alike.
“Ahead of the recommendations in the autumn, we’d also like to see greater recognition that major societal and economic challenges like youth employment and social mobility are becoming deeply interconnected. The more difficult it becomes to access that first opportunity, the more important personal networks and family circumstances have become.
“It’s therefore crucial the Milburn review, and the government’s response, seeks to weave policies that enhance social mobility throughout its approach to getting young people into work.”
LEGAL SECTOR APPOINTMENT OF THE WEEK
CMS UK
Christy Farrer has been appointed as the first Chief Operating Officer (COO) of CMS UK LLP (CMS UK),
Having already spent seven years at CMS in a central role building the firm’s practice management function she will now lead the firm’s operational strategy across its international offices working closely with the leadership team. Previously she had been the firm’s Chief Strategy & Practice Management Officer, driving the design, implementation and execution of firmwide strategy and leading the practice group and regional business management function. The aim now is to strengthen the business services platform by building a high-performing, AI-enabled, collaborative and integrated global team. and enhancing how the firm supports clients, partners and colleagues across its markets.
“Christy has already made a valuable contribution to CMS, particularly in the development of our practice management capability and in helping to shape and deliver our firmwide strategy,” commented Adrian Bell, Managing Partner at CMS UK. “The creation of our first Chief Operating Officer role is critical to strengthening how we run the firm and in ensuring we are set up to deliver consistently for our clients and our people. Christy brings exactly the combination of strategic insight and operational discipline that this role demands.”
Prior to CMS, Farrer had held senior roles across the legal sector, including as chief executive of a barristers’ chambers, as a director responsible for legal and professional services operations across EMEA, and in senior strategy and transformation roles at the Law Society and DAC Beachcroft.
We hope that you’ve been interested or amused by something in this week’s LEGAL DIARY. If so do send on to colleagues.
And please continue sending your ‘Diary-type’ stories, insights legal comment and appointments to
fennell.edward@yahoo.com