header-logo header-logo

Taking a stand

15 June 2012 / Jason Hadden
Issue: 7518 / Categories: Opinion , Human rights
printer mail-detail

Inspired by the Barefoot Lawyer, the profession is standing up for human rights, notes Jason Hadden

Perhaps it is the age that we live in, but it remains a sad reality of modern life that lawyers throughout the world continue to face harassment, intimidation and violence, as they carry out their professional duties to their clients.

In Colombia alone this year five lawyers have been murdered, over 300 have been unlawfully killed since 1991 (although some commentators estimate the figure to be over 400). There are similar stories throughout the world, be it Iran, Russia, Mexico, or indeed China. In March this year, Iran sentenced Abdolfattah Soltani, a prominent human rights lawyer, to 18 years’ imprisonment. To make matters worse, he will be transferred from Tehran to the remote south-west, making it difficult for his friends and loved ones to visit him. By way of an intriguing irony, he was also been banned from practising law for 20 years.

Justice system under attack

Attacks on lawyers are not just a problem for the

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

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ
Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Rylatt and Robyn Laye of Anthony Gold Solicitors examine recent international relocation cases where allegations of domestic abuse shaped outcomes
The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement
back-to-top-scroll