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Positive thinking

27 November 2015 / Alistair MacDonald KC
Issue: 7678 / Categories: Features , Profession
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Alistair MacDonald QC reviews the highlights of life at the Bar in 2015

As the year nears its end and with it my tenure as chairman of the Bar it is, perhaps, a good time to look back on some of the more positive aspects for the Bar of 2015.

We can’t ignore the ongoing challenges the Bar and our justice system continue to face, including the impact of legal aid cuts, increased court fees and the risk to legal professional privilege (LPP) under the Draft Investigatory Power Bill, to mention a few.

However, while much of the Bar Council’s efforts are focused on dealing with these issues, there have been highlights for the Bar in 2015 which are reminders of the important role the Bar continues to play in society.

Advocacy consultation

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), headed up by a new Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Michael Gove, published what I believe to be one of the most important consultations for the Bar and the wider advocacy community of our

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan—Andrew Savage

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan—Andrew Savage

Firm expands London disputes practice with senior partner hire

Druces—Lisa Cardy

Druces—Lisa Cardy

Senior associate promotion strengthens real estate offering

Charles Russell Speechlys—Robert Lundie Smith

Charles Russell Speechlys—Robert Lundie Smith

Leading patent litigator joins intellectual property team

NEWS
Writing in NLJ this week, Sophie Ashcroft and Miranda Joseph of Stevens & Bolton dissect the Privy Council’s landmark ruling in Jardine Strategic Ltd v Oasis Investments II Master Fund Ltd (No 2), which abolishes the long-standing 'shareholder rule'
In NLJ this week, Sailesh Mehta and Theo Burges of Red Lion Chambers examine the government’s first-ever 'Afghan leak' super-injunction—used to block reporting of data exposing Afghans who aided UK forces and over 100 British officials. Unlike celebrity privacy cases, this injunction centred on national security. Its use, the authors argue, signals the rise of a vast new body of national security law spanning civil, criminal, and media domains
In NLJ this week, Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre marks Pro Bono Week by urging lawyers to recognise the emotional toll of pro bono work
Can a lease legally last only days—or even hours? Professor Mark Pawlowski of the University of Greenwich explores the question in this week's NLJ
RFC Seraing v FIFA, in which the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) reaffirmed that awards by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) may be reviewed by EU courts on public-policy grounds, is under examination in this week's NLJ by Dr Estelle Ivanova of Valloni Attorneys at Law, Zurich
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