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23 May 2014 / James Wilson
Issue: 7607 / Categories: Features
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Book review: A short book of bad judges

"Darling’s chief crime was what Bacon called a lack of gravity; for more modern readers he seems to have been something of a David Brent"

Author: Graeme Williams QC
Publisher: Wildy, Simmonds & Hill
ISBN: 9780854901418
Price: £9.99

In R v Sussex Justices; ex parte McCarthy [1924] 1 KB 256, 259, Lord Hewart LCJ famously said: “It is not merely of some importance but is of fundamental importance, that justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done.”

Best baddies?

The aphorism found its way into the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations . Ironically, while it might be one of the greatest legal quotes of the 20th century, it was made by one of the very worst judges. In 1985, Lord Devlin wrote ( Easing the Passing: the Trial of Dr John Bodkin Adams ): “Hewart…has been called the worst Chief Justice since Scroggs and Jeffries in the 17th century. I do not think that this is quite fair. When one considers

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Switalskis—five appointments

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NEWS
NLJ's latest Charities Appeals Supplement has been published in this week’s issue
The treasury has sought to reassure the legal profession over concerns about cost, bureaucracy and independence when the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) takes over regulation of anti-money laundering compliance
One out of two barristers has come under pressure from clients to act unethically, according to the results of this year’s Barristers’ Working Lives survey
The Court of Appeal has held the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) was wrong to set aside a Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) decision on unfair pricing of phenytoin, an epilepsy drug
A flagship employment law reform is due to come into effect on 1 July, extending unfair dismissal rights to employees after six months in their job instead of two years
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