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NLJ this week: Undercover inquiry

03 June 2020
Issue: 7889 / Categories: Legal News , Public , Criminal
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The public inquiry into the ‘spy cops’ scandal has so far struggled amid various concerns including about the suitability of the Chair, according to Mike Schwarz, partner at Hodge, Jones & Allen writing in NLJ this week

The Undercover Policing Inquiry began in 2015 and was intended to last three years. The scandal involved allegations of miscarriage of justice as well as revelations of undercover officers forming long-term relationships and fathering children with those they were spying on. Only a minority of the undercover officers’ names have been made public.

Schwarz, who is representing 100 of the core participants in the Inquiry, writes that there is still time for the inquiry to learn lessons, become more open and transparent, and change track.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
The Court of Protection has ruled in Macpherson v Sunderland City Council that capacity must be presumed unless clearly rebutted. In this week's NLJ, Sam Karim KC and Sophie Hurst of Kings Chambers dissect the judgment and set out practical guidance for advisers faced with issues relating to retrospective capacity and/or assessments without an examination
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
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