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12 September 2014 / Roger Smith
Issue: 7621 / Categories: Opinion , Human rights
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Straws in the wind

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Roger Smith looks to the future

Three stories at the cutting edge of legal developments this month: two about human rights, a subject likely to feature in the next election, and one illustrating new developments in a rapidly changing profession.

The President on the road & in the groove

Lord Neuberger clearly decided on a busman’s holiday. He gave seven speeches during August in Australia (four), New Zealand (two) and Hong Kong. Some of his subjects reflected his commercial background. Let us pass over “The remedial constructive trust—fact or fiction”. It is as erudite as you would expect but not for the general reader. The meat for us came in Victoria with a speech on “the role of the judiciary in human rights jurisprudence”.

Lord Neuberger makes a nice point on the hierarchy of power: “In a parliamentary democracy without a constitution…there is a pecking order. First, there is the legislature who can always overrule court decisions; second come the judiciary, who have to give effect to statutes and respect to parliament,

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

42BR Barristers—4 Brick Court

42BR Barristers—4 Brick Court

42BR Barristers to be joined by leading family law set, 4 Brick Court, this summer

Winckworth Sherwood—Rubianka Winspear

Winckworth Sherwood—Rubianka Winspear

Real estate and construction energy offering boosted by partner hire

Gateley Legal—Daniel Walsh

Gateley Legal—Daniel Walsh

Firm bolsters real estate team with partner hire in Birmingham

NEWS
A wave of housing and procedural reforms is set to test the limits of tribunal capacity. In his latest Civil Way column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold charts sweeping change as the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 begins biting
Plans to reduce jury trials risk missing the real problem in the criminal justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, David Wolchover of Ridgeway Chambers argues the crown court backlog is fuelled not by juries but weak cases slipping through a flawed ‘50%’ prosecution test
Emerging technologies may soon transform how courts determine truth in deeply personal disputes. In this week's NLJ, Madhavi Kabra of 1 Hare Court and Harry Lambert of Outer Temple Chambers explore how neurotechnology could reshape family law
A controversial protest case has reignited debate over the limits of free expression. In NLJ this week, Nicholas Dobson examines a Quran-burning incident testing public order law
The courts have drawn a firm line under attempts to extend arbitration appeals. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed of the University of Leicester highlights that if the High Court refuses permission under s 68 of the Arbitration Act 1996, that is the end
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