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19 July 2024 / David Greene
Issue: 8080 / Categories: Opinion , Criminal , In Court , Profession , Legal aid focus
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It’s the hope that kills you…

182217
Can the new government turn commitments to the justice process into serious change? David Greene digs deep

A new government, new people and new themes and priorities. We lose Alex Chalk KC as Lord Chancellor, Victoria Prentis KC (Attorney General (AG)) and the aptly named Robert Courts KC (Solicitor General (SG)), as does Parliament because they all lost their seats at the election. The Bar will, no doubt, welcome them back to practice. The new Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Shabana Mahmood, is also a barrister and has been shadow Lord Chancellor for a short time, so steps easily into the role.

The full ministerial team in the Ministry have also been appointed. They are career politicians save for the Prisons Minister who is James Timpson of Timpson shoe repair fame. We have a new AG in the form of Richard Hermer KC. A full-time practitioner at Matrix Chambers, until a few weeks ago, Richard is a well-known practitioner in human rights. He follows

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

From mowing lawns to life at the Bar: Stephen Ward reflects on an unconventional career

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Commercial property partner joins Clarke Willmott in Southampton

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Robert Tiffen joins Ellisons as Partner in growing Norwich office

NEWS
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

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