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17 April 2019 / Dean Armstrong KC
Issue: 7837 / Categories: Features , Technology , Data protection , Regulatory
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Cyber matters: the next frontier for litigation?

Dean Armstrong QC looks ahead & shares some predictions for the future of cyber litigation

  • From class actions to crypto assets, the growing influence of technology.
  • Blockchain is one of the biggest potential market disruptors, and its relationship with recent regulatory initiatives is often a tense one.

The new year heralded what is now a traditional crystal ball gazing fest into the technology and trends we need to look out for in the coming year. On 8 January 2019, Fast Company published ‘Nine technologies creeping us out in 2019’—identifying the technology that deserves our vigilance before ‘creepy’ creeps into ‘dangerous’. From facial recognition to digital fakes, home surveillance and genetic abuse, it is all about the data that is being harvested from our digital footprints.

MIT Technology Review countered with a forward-looking piece about the ‘Five emerging cyber-threats to worry about in 2019’, identifying risks which included ‘AI-powered deep fake videos and hacking of Blockchain-powered smart contracts’. Alarmingly, it was

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

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Daniel Burbeary, office managing partner of Michelman Robinson, discusses launching in London, the power of the law, and what the kitchen can teach us about litigating

Sidley—Jeremy Trinder

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Global finance group strengthened by returning partner in London

Joelson—Jennifer Mansoor

Joelson—Jennifer Mansoor

West End firm strengthens employment and immigration team with partner hire

NEWS

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

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’
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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