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The rule of law in action

06 October 2016 / Dr Jon Robins
Issue: 7717 / Categories: Opinion
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The long-awaited ruling of the Hillsborough inquests shows that justice is worth fighting for, says Jon Robins

It so happened that I was interviewing the formidable Hillsborough campaigner Margaret Aspinall on the day that two of the lawyers who worked so tirelessly to win some measure of justice for the families of the 96 dead were recognised at the Halsbury Legal Awards. Elkan Abrahamson and Marcia Willis Stewart received the Rule of Law Award in recognition of their “integrity, tenacity, pursuit of justice and humanity” last week.

I left a sun-kissed Anfield where I met Margaret, chairwoman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, for the award ceremony with her devastating critique of British justice ringing in my ears. She lost her 18-year-old son, James, in the 1989 disaster.

“What made me angry was that all that evidence had been there for all those years,” she told me. “It could have made the families’ lives so much easier but, no, they decided to keep it hidden. Let the fans stand accused, let

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Kingsley Napley—Claire Green

Kingsley Napley—Claire Green

Firm announces appointment of chief legal officer

Weightmans—Emma Eccles & Mark Woodall

Weightmans—Emma Eccles & Mark Woodall

Firm bolsters Manchester insurance practice with double partner appointment

Gilson Gray—Linda Pope

Gilson Gray—Linda Pope

Partner joins family law team inLondon

NEWS
The landmark Supreme Court’s decision in Johnson v FirstRand Bank Ltd—along with Rukhadze v Recovery Partners—redefine fiduciary duties in commercial fraud. Writing in NLJ this week, Mary Young of Kingsley Napley analyses the implications of the rulings
Barristers Ben Keith of 5 St Andrew’s Hill and Rhys Davies of Temple Garden Chambers use the arrest of Simon Leviev—the so-called Tinder Swindler—to explore the realities of Interpol red notices, in this week's NLJ
Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys [2025] has upended assumptions about who may conduct litigation, warn Kevin Latham and Fraser Barnstaple of Kings Chambers in this week's NLJ. But is it as catastrophic as first feared?
Lord Sales has been appointed to become the Deputy President of the Supreme Court after Lord Hodge retires at the end of the year
Limited liability partnerships (LLPs) are reportedly in the firing line in Chancellor Rachel Reeves upcoming Autumn budget
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