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21 February 2025 / Roger Smith
Issue: 8105 / Categories: Features , Rule of law , International justice
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George Soros & me

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On the frontlines of the rule of law: Roger Smith applauds the work of the Open Society Justice Initiative

Okay. The title of this piece is clickbait. I have never met George Soros. I do know that he is the Hungarian-born billionaire known sometimes as ‘the man who broke the Bank of England’ in homage to his humiliation of the pound in 1992. He is extremely rich, seemingly worth around $7bn. My contact with him has been indirect—through his Open Society Foundations and, in particular, the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI) formed in 2003. This has had brilliant leadership until recently from a Georgian then based in Budapest, Zaza Namoradze (classical music lovers may recognise the name: his son, Nicolas, is an increasingly recognised classical pianist). OSJI, not well known in the UK, is an outstanding organisation which deserves more recognition for its work over the last two decades.

Facing two ways

OSJI combined a precise focus—the development of the rule of law in former socialist bloc countries—with an internationalist perspective

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NEWS
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NLJ this week: CPR tweak closes third-party disclosure gap
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
NLJ this week: Court of Appeals wrestles with Mazur fallout
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’
NLJ this week: Appeal court reins in ‘wrong defendant’ switcheroo

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

NLJ this week: Driving test fraudsters steer towards jail
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
NLJ this week: Deepfakes demand data law muscle
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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