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28 May 2021 / John Gould
Issue: 7934 / Categories: Opinion , Profession , International justice , Legal services
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The cab rank rule: To kill a mockingbird

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49933
Lawyers must not be drawn into choosing cases based on their beliefs… or even worse, their prejudices, says John Gould

A lawyer’s willingness to represent a pariah was once acknowledged as the paradigm of professional honour and integrity. It is a trope which has made heroes of fictional lawyers, from Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird to James B Donovan in Bridge of Spies. Perhaps now, however, times are changing, and lawyers fall to be judged not by their own character and skill, but by the clients they come to represent. A lawyer who chooses not to turn away a controversial client may find themselves vilified and their reputation damaged by a very public association with their client.

Guns for hire?

Earlier this year, the respected Queen’s Counsel, David Perry (pictured), found himself under an intense media spotlight for accepting instructions from the Department of Justice of Hong Kong to represent them in the prosecution of nine pro-democracy activists for unlawful assembly under

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Chief information officer appointment strengthens technology leadership

Maguire Family Law—Hannah Barlow & Sophie Hughes

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Firm strengthens Wilmslow team with two solicitor appointments

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Londoninsurance and reinsurance practice announces partner appointment

NEWS
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NLJ this week: Old rules, fresh warnings in employment law
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
NLJ this week: The rise of the ‘ChatGPT client’ rattles the profession
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
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A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
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Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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