The government opened a consultation on ending lifelong disclosure of some childhood convictions on Thursday, and the Scottish Ministers laid regulations on the same day bringing six provisions of the 2024 children’s care and justice Act into force on 1 December. On Tuesday the Competition Appeal Tribunal refused Amazon’s bid to put the largest sellers in the Stephan class action on an opt-in basis, and the SRA’s business plan for the year from 1 November puts its funding requirement at £111.5m.
Courts
Amazon fails to split the Stephan merchant class. The Competition Appeal Tribunal refused Amazon’s application to vary the opt-out collective proceedings order, giving written reasons on Tuesday ([2026] CAT 84). Amazon had asked to exclude every merchant with gross merchandise sales above £10m, about the top 1,000 in a class of around 214,000, who would have had to opt in. The order stays as made on 27 November 2025, and Trial 1 remains fixed to begin on 25 April 2028. Full report
Regulation and the profession
SRA seeks £111.5m, up 29%. The regulator’s plan for the year that began on 1 November would raise the combined SRA practising certificate fee and compensation fund contribution for an individual solicitor from £260 to £360. The SRA said the number of misconduct reports it assessed rose 45% between November 2022 and October 2025, from 11,378 to 16,499.
It also said the closure of PM Law Limited in February 2026 led to compensation fund applications totalling over £20m as of April 2026. Full report The SRA’s consultation document sets out the figures.
LSB survey finds 36% of small businesses had a legal issue. The Legal Services Board said on Monday that 36% of the 10,352 small businesses surveyed in England and Wales had at least one legal issue in the previous year, against 32% in the 2021 wave. Around one in nine (11.2%) had a legal need requiring professional support, and 9.4% remained unmet. Richard Orpin, the LSB’s chief executive, said: “Our findings show that legal problems are business problems.” Full report
CMA publishes final technology transfer guidance. The Competition and Markets Authority published on Tuesday its final guidance on how the Chapter I prohibition applies to technology transfer agreements under the Technology Transfer Block Exemption Order 2026. The Order, in force since 1 May, sets a 30% market share ceiling for each party to an agreement between competitors, and has a transitional provision for pre-existing agreements that runs to the end of 30 April 2027. Full report
Government and Parliament
Consultation on childhood convictions. The government said on Thursday it is consulting on ending lifelong disclosure of some childhood convictions and on removing disclosure of out-of-court resolutions. Serious violent and sexual offences are excluded. The consultation delivers a commitment in the Youth Justice White Paper of 18 May, which promised consultation on childhood criminal records reform by the end of the year. Jake Richards, minister for youth justice, sentencing and technology, said: “Too often, a childhood criminal record can close doors to jobs, education and the chance to build a better future.” Full report The government’s announcement carries the proposals.
Six provisions of the 2024 Scottish children’s Act commence on 1 December. The Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act 2024 (Commencement No. 4) Regulations 2026 (SSI 2026/335) were made on 10 November and laid before the Scottish Parliament on Thursday. Section 2(3), on the duty to have regard to the effects of trauma in children’s hearings, and section 6(3), on movement restriction conditions, are commenced in full.
The other four entries are commenced only in part, so that ministers can make regulations on emergency placement in secure accommodation and on approval of secure accommodation services. Full report
Appointments
Howard Daley becomes a Master of the King’s Bench Division. The King has appointed Daley, a district judge and Recorder, on the advice of the Lady Chief Justice, assigned to the division from 7 December. Lindsey Bartling is also appointed a Master from the same date. Master Roger Eastman retired with effect from 31 October. Full report
Jocelyn Ledward KC to lead Old Bailey Treasury Counsel. The Attorney General, Ellie Reeves KC MP, has appointed Ledward as First Senior Treasury Counsel from 1 April 2027, for three years. She will be the first woman to lead the team and succeeds Tom Little KC, who has held the role since April 2024. Full report
Mishcon de Reya hires Sam Millar. The firm said on Monday that Millar, a disputes and investigations lawyer with more than 25 years’ experience, joins as a partner in its Disputes department. He is its 13th lateral partner hire of the calendar year. Full report
International
43 US states secure $183.5m from Acima. Acima Digital and Acima Holdings agreed on Thursday a settlement with 43 state attorneys general over alleged deception and inflated costs in rent-to-own agreements. It comprises $43m in consumer restitution, $10.5m to the states and lease balance reductions totalling $130m. The consent judgment records no admission of wrongdoing, and the petition in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas awaits court approval.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sued Acima in 2024 and dropped its case in 2025, New Jersey’s Attorney General said. Full report
Ninth Circuit vacates Portland tear gas injunction. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vacated on 10 November a preliminary injunction and provisional class certification in Dickinson v. Trump, which had restricted federal agents’ use of crowd-control munitions at the Portland ICE facility. Judge Kenneth Lee, writing for the court, held the plaintiffs had not shown they were likely to succeed on their First Amendment claim. Judge Ana de Alba concurred in part, agreeing that three provisions were overbroad, and dissented otherwise. Full report