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27 October 2023 / John Cooper KC
Issue: 8046 / Categories: Features , Profession , Criminal
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The Goldman Case: True-life courtroom drama

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John Cooper KC trumpets a triumph of the big screen

At this time of year, we get a chance to check out some of the forthcoming movies with a legal flavour, that are showing in the next 12 months. Once again, the BFI London Film Festival showcases an impressive range of films.

The Goldman Case

One of them stands out as a ‘must see’. The Goldman Case is not only an example of exceptional film making but a graphic insight into the work of the courtroom and the complexities and contradictions that the search for justice can throw up.

The story is almost completely played out in the courtroom, which makes the narrative intense and utterly relenting. It really is as if you are sitting in the court watching the trial as it happens.

This is the real-life trial of Pierre Goldman, which was heard in 1976 and remains one of France’s seminal cases.

One of the main reasons for this is the very nature of who Pierre

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NEWS

The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ

Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
In a striking financial remedies ruling, the High Court cut a wife’s award by 40% for coercive and controlling behaviour. Writing in NLJ this week, Chris Bryden and Nicole Wallace of 4 King’s Bench Walk analyse LP v MP [2025] EWFC 473
A €60.9m award to Kylian Mbappé has refocused attention on football’s controversial ‘ethics bonus’ clauses. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Estelle Ivanova of Valloni Attorneys at Law examines how such provisions sit within French labour law
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