Rule of law

Ian McDougall on the dangers of blurred lines between counsel & cause

The cab-rank rule remains a bulwark of the rule of law, yet lawyers are increasingly judged by their clients’ causes. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian McDougall, president of the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation, warns that conflating representation with endorsement is a ‘clear and present danger’

Peter Kandler’s honorary KC is long overdue recognition of a man who opened the law to those it once shut out, writes Roger Smith

Peter Kandler’s honorary KC marks long-overdue recognition of a man who helped prise open a closed legal world. In NLJ this week, Roger Smith, columnist and former director of JUSTICE, traces how Kandler founded the UK’s first law centre in 1970, challenging a profession that was largely seen as 'fixers for the rich and apologists for criminals'

Are chief constables vicariously liable for the actions of their officers & staff? Neil Parpworth examines the case law

Can a chief constable be held responsible for disobedient officers? Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth, professor of public law at De Montfort University, examines a Court of Appeal ruling that answers firmly: yes

Writing in NLJ this week, Manvir Kaur Grewal of Corker Binning analyses the collapse of R v Óg Ó hAnnaidh, where a terrorism charge failed because prosecutors lacked statutory consent. The case, she argues, highlights how procedural safeguards—time limits, consent requirements and institutional checks—define lawful state power

The collapse of R v Óg Ó hAnnaidh reveals how procedural safeguards anchor the rule of law & keep prosecutorial power within constitutional bounds, writes Manvir Kaur Grewal

Entries are now open for the 2026 LexisNexis Legal Awards, celebrating achievement and innovation in the law across 24 categories

To improve access to justice, we need innovative platforms & collaborative working, writes Sue Prince