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29 January 2009
Issue: 7354 / Categories: Legal News , Tribunals , Legal services , Profession , Employment
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NEWS IN BRIEF

Lord Hunt needs your views; Hacker can apply for judicial review; Change for tribunals

Lord Hunt needs your views
The Law Society is urging solicitors to take part in Lord Hunt’s Law Society-commissioned review into legal services regulation. Lord Hunt is looking for evidence from the entire legal profession, and its clients, and has published a formal Call for Evidence document. Its initial three-month consultation period will end on 9 April 2009. More information is available at the Legal Regulation Reviews website www.legalregulationreview.org.uk/evidence.html.
Hacker can apply for judicial review
British hacker Gary McKinnon, who is facing extradition to the US over charges he hacked into military computers at the Pentagon, was granted leave last week by the High Court to bring a judicial review hearing, likely to take place in March. McKinnon, who suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, admits hacking into 97 US government computers including the US Navy and Nasa while searching for classified documents on UFOs. The director of public prosecutions is separately considering his request that he be tried in the UK rather than the US.
Change for tribunals
Kevin Sadler has been appointed the new chief executive of the Tribunals Service, and took up his post on 5 January. The Service now consists of 30 jurisdictions, most of which are being brought into a simplified twotier system consisting of a first tier and an upper tribunal, as part of a programme of reform. Previously, Sadler was director of strategic planning and performance at the Ministry of Justice and change director at the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Jordan Wallace

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Jordan Wallace

Thomson Hayton Winkley strengthens family law team

Ward Hadaway—Barnaby Rosenthall

Ward Hadaway—Barnaby Rosenthall

Construction lawyer returns to Ward Hadaway in Teesside role

Bird & Bird—Shahin Baghaei

Bird & Bird—Shahin Baghaei

Bird Bird hires leading legal transformation expert

NEWS
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.

How forcefully can a litigant criticise a public authority before robust advocacy crosses the line into unreasonable conduct? 
Can a meticulously maintained spreadsheet turn a couple’s informal financial arrangements into legally enforceable obligations? 
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