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16 December 2022 / Roger Smith
Issue: 8007 / Categories: Opinion , Profession , Legal aid focus
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Justice in Numbers: a work in progress

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The Ministry of Justice’s ‘one-stop shop’ for data is a promising start, but nowhere near a finished result, says Roger Smith

In October, previous Lord Chancellor Brandon Lewis and continuing permanent secretary Antonia Romeo proudly turned to Twitter. They were announcing ‘Justice in Numbers’, an ‘innovative new tool’ (Romeo) which provides a ‘one-stop shop for key statistics on prisons, probation and our courts’ (Lewis). Justice in Numbers comprises a digital package of information available on the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) website and a couple of PDFs for those who prefer printable information.

As perhaps is ever the case, clarity of information just opens up further questions. The MoJ does not expressly seek comment or commit to an interactive process of future development. However, it will surely be assisted by the thoughts of those outside government for whom this information is presumably provided.

So. Go to the website; form your own judgement of its usefulness; and inform a grateful department of your thoughts. Here are mine.

Honest data

First,

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Penningtons Manches Cooper—Robert Dransfield

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Robert Dransfield

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Doyle Clayton—Benedicte Perowne

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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’

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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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