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04 December 2015
Issue: 7679 / Categories: Features , Civil way , Procedure & practice
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Civil way: 4 December 2015

Shush!; creditors bankrupted; home court reversal & transferring up correctly

GOING WITH A GANG

There was one hell of a racket the other day as the writer was attempting to do justice between two warring spouses and that wasn’t just in his hearing room or the usher screaming out the decree nisi list within the precincts. It was outside the court building—still the local county court rather than any particular hearing centre comprised within the county court as they will need another fee hike before they can afford to change the signage—and it was down to the supporters of a litigant inside who might be at risk of eviction but, come on, it was a directions hearing and there were drums and bells and the writer thought he heard a trumpet between “section 25” and “matrimonial”.

There has been an increasing number of defendants giving mortgagees, landlords and bailiffs a hard time on the eviction appointment through the engagement of activist groups such as Freeman of the Land. They’re not going to take it any more.

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Partner joins commercial property team in Taunton office

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Londstanding London firm appoints new senior partner

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Commercial team in London welcomes technology specialist as partner

NEWS
The legal profession’s claim to be a ‘guardian of fairness’ is under scrutiny after stark findings on gender imbalance and opaque progression. Writing in NLJ this week, Joshua Purser of No5 Barristers’ Chambers and Govindi Deerasinghe of Global 50/50 warn that leadership remains dominated by a narrow elite, with men holding 71% of top court roles
A legal challenge to police disclosure rules has failed, reinforcing a push for transparency in policing. In NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth examines a case where the Metropolitan Police required officers to declare membership of groups like the Freemasons
Bereavement leave is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation. Writing in NLJ this week, Robert Hargreaves of York St John University explains how the Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a day-one right to leave for a wider range of losses, alongside new provisions for pregnancy loss and bereaved partners
Courts are beginning to grapple with whether AI-generated material is legally privileged—and the answers are mixed. In this week's issue of NLJ, Stacie Bourton, Tom Whittaker & Beata Kolodziej of Burges Salmon examine US rulings showing how easily privilege can be lost
New guidance seeks to bring order to the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Minesh Tanna and David Bridge of Simmons & Simmons set out a framework stressing ‘transparency’, ‘explainability’ and ‘reliability’
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