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06 October 2017 / David Greene
Issue: 7764 / Categories: Opinion , Brexit
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Countdown to the future

At the start of the new legal year, David Greene reflects on the challenges & opportunities ahead

Party conference time. A united public display of open democratic party politics. At least for the Liberals united around the Brexit message. For Labour and the Conservatives, on the other hand, Brexit continues to divide and drive the political classes.

Law also has its party conference at this time of year when the great and good from round the globe gather in the Autumn mists at Westminster Abbey to herald in the new legal year.

This year we all celebrated the especial event of the enthronement of the first female President of the Supreme Court; Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond. I cannot but remember that wonderful exchange between her and David Pannick in the Art 50 litigation over the pronouncement of the words de Kuyser. It will be but a short reign but while we very much welcome the first female to the position she is there because she is an outstanding lawyer and judge of the

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Sidley—James Inness

Sidley—James Inness

Partner joins capital markets team in London office

Haynes Boone—William Cecil

Haynes Boone—William Cecil

Firm announces appointment of partner as UK general counsel

Devonshires—Nicholas Barrows

Devonshires—Nicholas Barrows

Firm appoints first chief marketing officer to drive growth strategy

NEWS
A seemingly dry procedural update may prove potent. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold explains that new CPR 31.12A—part of the 193rd update—fills a ‘lacuna’ exposed in McLaren Indy v Alpa Racing
The long-running Mazur saga edged towards its finale as the Court of Appeal heard arguments on whether non-solicitors can ‘conduct litigation’. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School reports from a packed courtroom where 16 wigs watched Nick Bacon KC argue that Mr Justice Sheldon had failed to distinguish between ‘tasks and responsibilities’

The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ

Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
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