Christian Smith
@thelawyercsmith.bsky.social
Litigation editor and podcast host at The Lawyer. Also do geopolitics podcasts for Geopolitical Futures. Formerly broadcast journalist at Times Radio.
The Lawyer's Top 20 Cases of 2026 is out now in what is set to be a blockbuster year in the courts. There's plenty for politics buffs, with cases involving Nord Stream, Iranian sanctions, Thames Water, Greensill Capital, and the gambling industry all coming up.
www.thelawyer.com/revealed-the...
www.thelawyer.com/revealed-the...
Revealed: The Top 20 cases of 2026
From mafioso-style battles between fast fashion giants Shein and Temu to patent fights over leading diabetes drugs and billion-pound bailouts, this year’s Top 20 captures the legal zeitgeist of the…
www.thelawyer.com
January 14, 2026 at 11:01 AM
The Lawyer's Top 20 Cases of 2026 is out now in what is set to be a blockbuster year in the courts. There's plenty for politics buffs, with cases involving Nord Stream, Iranian sanctions, Thames Water, Greensill Capital, and the gambling industry all coming up.
www.thelawyer.com/revealed-the...
www.thelawyer.com/revealed-the...
The BBC has said it will defend the defamation case brought against it by US President Donald Trump. But who are the lawyers trying to protect it from financial ruin?
www.thelawyer.com/bbc-instruct...
www.thelawyer.com/bbc-instruct...
BBC instructs US firm as $10bn Trump defamation claim looms
The BBC has instructed US law firm Ballard Spahr in its defence of the $10bn defamation claim brought against it by US President Donald Trump. Trump is suing the corporation over its editing of his 6…
www.thelawyer.com
December 23, 2025 at 10:47 AM
The BBC has said it will defend the defamation case brought against it by US President Donald Trump. But who are the lawyers trying to protect it from financial ruin?
www.thelawyer.com/bbc-instruct...
www.thelawyer.com/bbc-instruct...
Eyebrows rose and jaws dropped when Hill Dickinson was named as title sponsor of Everton’s new stadium earlier this year. Attention grabbing? Absolutely. Bold? Of course. Worth it? I asked Hill Dickinson's CEO in an exclusive interview for The Lawyer.
www.thelawyer.com/the-inside-s...
www.thelawyer.com/the-inside-s...
The inside story of Hill Dickinson, Everton and the oddest football sponsorship deal in history
“A UK law firm doesn’t suddenly wake up one day and say that it should approach a football club for a sponsorship deal,” says Hill Dickinson CEO Craig Scott. Quite right. Until now…
www.thelawyer.com
December 1, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Eyebrows rose and jaws dropped when Hill Dickinson was named as title sponsor of Everton’s new stadium earlier this year. Attention grabbing? Absolutely. Bold? Of course. Worth it? I asked Hill Dickinson's CEO in an exclusive interview for The Lawyer.
www.thelawyer.com/the-inside-s...
www.thelawyer.com/the-inside-s...
#ThamesWater has £19bn in debt and is going cap in hand to customers wanting a 59 per cent rise in prices.
So why, then, has it decided to use one of the most expensive law firms in the country as it spends £15m a month on legal and other advisory services?
www.thelawyer.com/leaklaters-u...
So why, then, has it decided to use one of the most expensive law firms in the country as it spends £15m a month on legal and other advisory services?
www.thelawyer.com/leaklaters-u...
Leaklaters: Using a magic circle firm to plug Thames Water’s holes stinks
Thames Water is doing its darndest to outrage the public. The country’s largest water company was in the High Court last week asking for approval for a £3bn loan – with a 9.75 per cent interest rate…
www.thelawyer.com
February 10, 2025 at 9:06 AM
#ThamesWater has £19bn in debt and is going cap in hand to customers wanting a 59 per cent rise in prices.
So why, then, has it decided to use one of the most expensive law firms in the country as it spends £15m a month on legal and other advisory services?
www.thelawyer.com/leaklaters-u...
So why, then, has it decided to use one of the most expensive law firms in the country as it spends £15m a month on legal and other advisory services?
www.thelawyer.com/leaklaters-u...
#ManCity is seeking to bring down the #PremierLeague APT rules AGAIN. Free to read story below. #Lawyerball
www.thelawyer.com/man-city-sue...
www.thelawyer.com/man-city-sue...
Man City sues Premier League over APT rules - again
In what may feel like groundhog day for football fans, The Lawyer has learned that Manchester City is suing the Premier League over its own rules for the second time in 13 months.
www.thelawyer.com
February 7, 2025 at 2:34 PM
#ManCity is seeking to bring down the #PremierLeague APT rules AGAIN. Free to read story below. #Lawyerball
www.thelawyer.com/man-city-sue...
www.thelawyer.com/man-city-sue...
The rugby head injury litigation is moving forward at a prop's pace. Parties have clashed at a hearing to decide next steps, with a trial unlikely before 2027 - 5 years after the first claims were filed. @england-rugby.bsky.social @thewelshrugbyunion.bsky.social @therfl.bsky.social shorturl.at/VEelP
Hostile rugby head injury litigation unlikely to reach trial before 2027
A trial in the high profile rugby head injury litigation may still be more than a year away, after lawyers sparred at a case management conference (CMC) in the High Court on Tuesday.
shorturl.at
February 5, 2025 at 11:55 AM
The rugby head injury litigation is moving forward at a prop's pace. Parties have clashed at a hearing to decide next steps, with a trial unlikely before 2027 - 5 years after the first claims were filed. @england-rugby.bsky.social @thewelshrugbyunion.bsky.social @therfl.bsky.social shorturl.at/VEelP