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28 February 2025
Issue: 8106 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , Legal services , Rule of law
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NLJ this week: Criticising the Attorney-General for ‘political sport’

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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

NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

Daniel Burbeary, office managing partner of Michelman Robinson, discusses launching in London, the power of the law, and what the kitchen can teach us about litigating

Wedlake Bell—Rebecca Christie

Wedlake Bell—Rebecca Christie

Firm welcomes partner with specialist expertise in family and art law

Birketts—Álvaro Aznar

Birketts—Álvaro Aznar

Dual-qualified partner joins international private client team

NEWS
Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
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
In a striking financial remedies ruling, the High Court cut a wife’s award by 40% for coercive and controlling behaviour. Writing in NLJ this week, Chris Bryden and Nicole Wallace of 4 King’s Bench Walk analyse LP v MP [2025] EWFC 473
A €60.9m award to Kylian Mbappé has refocused attention on football’s controversial ‘ethics bonus’ clauses. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Estelle Ivanova of Valloni Attorneys at Law examines how such provisions sit within French labour law
A seemingly dry procedural update may prove potent. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold explains that new CPR 31.12A—part of the 193rd update—fills a ‘lacuna’ exposed in McLaren Indy v Alpa Racing
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