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13 February 2019 / Jeffrey Catanzaro
Issue: 7828 / Categories: Features , Profession , Technology
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Blockchain: under lock & key?

It’s not a question of if but when this new technology will start to transform law firms, so the time to prepare is now, says Jeffrey Catanzaro

Blockchain has the power to revolutionise so many sectors in so many ways, and it is likely we will continue to read more and more about this technology and its practical applications in 2019.

For example, blockchain is being used to track the provenance of food, to ensure it is what it says on the label: the technology can prove an onion has been grown organically, or that a piece of fish used in your sushi is sustainable. In the financial world, blockchain has the potential to be a gamechanger by creating more secure transactions, and it also forms the basis for cryptocurrencies. The music industry is using blockchain to stamp out illegal downloads and ensure artists are properly compensated. The automotive sector is utilising the platform to manage supply chains and track vehicles. You get the picture: blockchain can transform most sectors

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Firm awards training contracts to paralegals through internal programme

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Private client disputes specialist joins commercial litigation team

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Cumbria firm appoints new head of residential property

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
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