header-logo header-logo

14 February 2014 / Brice Dickson
Issue: 7594 / Categories: Features , In Court
printer mail-detail

A Supreme education

web_dickson

Brice Dickson provides an overview of events in the Supreme Court in 2013

At the start of 2013 there were just 11 Justices in office, since the vacancy created by Lord Dyson’s appointment as Master of the Rolls in 2012 had not yet been filled. We learned in February that Lord Hughes would be replacing Lord Dyson and that when Lord Walker retired in March he would be replaced by Lord Toulson. Lord Hope retired in June, having served as a Law Lord or Justice for 17 years. His seat was taken by Lord Hodge and his role as Deputy President by Lady Hale. Barring unforeseen circumstances, there will be no further changes of personnel in the court until September 2016, when Lord Toulson is due to retire.

Output

The number of decisions issued was very high. There were 81 in 2013, compared with 61 in 2012, 60 in 2011 and 58 in 2010. In each of the last 10 years of the House of Lords there was an average of 63. Six

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Partner joins commercial property team in Taunton office

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Londstanding London firm appoints new senior partner

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Commercial team in London welcomes technology specialist as partner

NEWS
The legal profession’s claim to be a ‘guardian of fairness’ is under scrutiny after stark findings on gender imbalance and opaque progression. Writing in NLJ this week, Joshua Purser of No5 Barristers’ Chambers and Govindi Deerasinghe of Global 50/50 warn that leadership remains dominated by a narrow elite, with men holding 71% of top court roles
A legal challenge to police disclosure rules has failed, reinforcing a push for transparency in policing. In NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth examines a case where the Metropolitan Police required officers to declare membership of groups like the Freemasons
Bereavement leave is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation. Writing in NLJ this week, Robert Hargreaves of York St John University explains how the Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a day-one right to leave for a wider range of losses, alongside new provisions for pregnancy loss and bereaved partners
Courts are beginning to grapple with whether AI-generated material is legally privileged—and the answers are mixed. In this week's issue of NLJ, Stacie Bourton, Tom Whittaker & Beata Kolodziej of Burges Salmon examine US rulings showing how easily privilege can be lost
New guidance seeks to bring order to the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Minesh Tanna and David Bridge of Simmons & Simmons set out a framework stressing ‘transparency’, ‘explainability’ and ‘reliability’
back-to-top-scroll