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Justice: A year in review

26 November 2020 / Amanda Pinto KC
Issue: 7912 / Categories: Opinion , Covid-19 , Profession , Constitutional law
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Amanda Pinto QC, Chair of the Bar Council, reflects on the challenges thrust upon the justice system by the pandemic & some unexpected body blows to the profession

When I became Chair of the Bar on 1 January 2020, the profession’s year ahead featured Brexit, televising courts, criminal legal aid reform, the glacial pace of technological innovation in the court service and continued efforts to modernise our profession to make it better reflect society. Life did not quite turn out that way. What an unpredictable year for the Bar and an extraordinary year for me!

It has been a year of extreme contrasts—the events of 2020 have created unprecedented challenges, but they have revealed how resilient and committed the profession is to ensuring justice is delivered. Coronavirus and the manifestations of pressure on the rule of law and access to justice have been a bass-line thrumming, occasionally drowning out higher, more positives notes, but, nonetheless, the melody has shone through. I give three completely different examples: just as

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
The Court of Protection has ruled in Macpherson v Sunderland City Council that capacity must be presumed unless clearly rebutted. In this week's NLJ, Sam Karim KC and Sophie Hurst of Kings Chambers dissect the judgment and set out practical guidance for advisers faced with issues relating to retrospective capacity and/or assessments without an examination
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
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