The finalists for the inaugural National Paralegal Awards have been announced. The awards recognise the achievements of the 100,000 paralegals in the UK; law firms that develop paralegals; and recruitment companies who recruit paralegals. Rita Leat, managing director of the Professional Paralegal Register, the voluntary regulator for paralegals which is hosting the awards, said: ‘I am delighted to be pioneering these awards as the profession needs celebrating, not only because it is the fastest growing legal sector but because it has gone unrewarded for far too long.’ The winners will be announced on 29 March at a black-tie gala at the May Fair Hotel, London.
13 February 2019
Paralegal awards shortlist announced
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Hugh James—Jonathan Askin
London corporate and commercial team announces partner appointment
Michelman Robinson—Daniel Burbeary
Firm names partner as London office managing partner
Kingsley Napley—Jonathan Grimes
Firm appoints new head of criminal litigation team
NEWS
Personal injury lawyers have welcomed a government U-turn on a ‘substantial prejudice’ defence that risked enabling defendants in child sexual abuse civil cases to have proceedings against them dropped
Children can claim for ‘lost years’ damages in personal injury cases, the Supreme Court has held in a landmark judgment
Holiday lets may promise easy returns, but restrictive covenants can swiftly scupper plans. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Francis of Serle Court recounts how covenants limiting use to a ‘private dwelling house’ or ‘private residence’ have repeatedly defeated short-term letting schemes
Artificial intelligence (AI) is already embedded in the civil courts, but regulation lags behind practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Ben Roe of Baker McKenzie charts a landscape where AI assists with transcription, case management and document handling, yet raises acute concerns over evidence, advocacy and even judgment-writing
The cab-rank rule remains a bulwark of the rule of law, yet lawyers are increasingly judged by their clients’ causes. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian McDougall, president of the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation, warns that conflating representation with endorsement is a ‘clear and present danger’
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