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26 November 2020
Issue: 7912 / Categories: Legal News , Covid-19 , Profession , Constitutional law
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NLJ this week: The Bar in 2020

Bar Council chair Amanda Pinto QC reflects on an unpredictable year, in this week’s NLJ

It was supposed to be about Brexit and criminal legal aid reform. It turned out rather differently, after COVID-19 struck in March. Pinto notes her pride in the way the Bar adapted so quickly. But there were other unexpected events in 2020.

‘We did not foresee the day when the UK government would admit to breaching international law in a “specific and limited way”, writes Pinto.

There was also the ‘pivotal moment of realisation’, after the killing of George Floyd by police officers in the US, that ‘despite our efforts…we had not done enough to address the daily problems and the career trajectories for many of our talented Black members’. 

@thebarcouncil

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Walkers—Muriel Marseille

Walkers—Muriel Marseille

Ashurst's Chief Risk Officer joins Walkers

Excello Law—John Osborne

Excello Law—John Osborne

Northern family lawyer John Osborne joins Excello

mfg Solicitors—Rebecca Rogers, Kennedy Langley & Victoria Griffiths

mfg Solicitors—Rebecca Rogers, Kennedy Langley & Victoria Griffiths

Trio of promotions announced at Kidderminster law firm mfg Solicitors

NEWS
A sole director can conspire with their own company for the purposes of the tort of unlawful means conspiracy, the High Court has ruled in a judgment with potentially wide implications for business disputes
The Court of Appeal has reinforced that domicile depends on intention rather than residence alone, in a significant post-Brexit ruling on cross-border financial remedy claims
The Chancery Division's long history comes to an end this autumn as it is reborn as the Business and Property Division, prompting questions over whether the shake-up is really necessary
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) continues to show that failing to disclose regulatory issues can attract harsher consequences than the original misconduct itself
Rejecting a generous settlement can prove an expensive mistake, as two recent high-profile cases demonstrate
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