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NLJ this week: Criticising the Attorney-General for ‘political sport’

28 February 2025
Issue: 8106 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , Legal services , Rule of law
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Recent attacks by MPs on the Attorney General, Lord Hermer on the basis of clients he once represented are ‘uninformed’ and concerning, John Gould, senior partner at Russell-Cooke, writes in this week’s NLJ.

The AG was even accused by his own party’s Lord Glasman of being ‘an arrogant, progressive fool’. Gould writes: ‘The narrow answer to the idea of conflicts with the interest of past clients is that once they cease to act, the lawyer no longer has a duty to advance the interests of their former client.’

As he points out, ‘beating up lawyers as political sport should be avoided by anyone committed to the rule of law’. He discusses the criticism received and the wider context, including comparing Lord Hermer’s client list to that of one of his predecessor’s. 

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
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In this week's NLJ, Steven Ball of Red Lion Chambers unpacks how advances in forensic science finally unmasked Ryland Headley, jailed in 2025 for the 1967 rape and murder of 75-year-old Louisa Dunne. Preserved swabs and palm prints lay dormant for decades until DNA-17 profiling produced a billion-to-one match
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Rylatt and Robyn Laye of Anthony Gold Solicitors examine recent international relocation cases where allegations of domestic abuse shaped outcomes
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