header-logo header-logo

Don’t Blame the Judges: a rejoinder

31 August 2020 / Dr Michael Arnheim
Categories: Opinion , Constitutional law
printer mail-detail
The plight of English law is indeed dire, but a simple solution is ready to hand, says Dr Michael Arnheim
I hardly recognised my last article from Sir Geoffrey Bindman’s recent comment (‘Don’t blame the judges! Too quick to judge?’, NLJ, August 2020). My article flagged up three recent cases picked almost at random to illustrate the serious plight of English law (‘Don’t blame the judges!’, NLJ, 3 July 2020). Two of these cases are not even mentioned in Sir Geoffrey’s attempted attack on my article. 

One of the cases not mentioned by Sir Geoffrey is Barclays Bank plc v Various Claimants  [2020] UKSC 13, in which 126 victims of sexual assaults by the late Dr Gordon Bates lost their case in the UK Supreme court (UKSC) after winning at first instance and also in the Court of Appeal. They were suing Barclays Bank, on whose behalf Dr Bates performed medical examinations on prospective bank employees. Barclays was found vicariously liable in the High Court and Court of Appeal

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Sports, education and charities practice welcomes senior associate

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Partner and head of commercial litigation joins in Chelmsford

Freeths—Louise Mahon

Freeths—Louise Mahon

Firm strengthens Glasgow corporate practice with partner hire

NEWS
One in five in-house lawyers suffer ‘high’ or ‘severe’ work-related stress, according to a report by global legal body, the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)
The Legal Ombudsman’s (LeO’s) plea for a budget increase has been rejected by the Law Society and accepted only ‘with reluctance’ by conveyancers
Overcrowded prisons, mental health hospitals and immigration centres are failing to meet international and domestic human rights standards, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) has warned
Two speedier and more streamlined qualification routes have been launched for probate and conveyancing professionals
Workplace stress was a contributing factor in almost one in eight cases before the employment tribunal last year, indicating its endemic grip on the UK workplace
back-to-top-scroll