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The insider: 4 April 2025

04 April 2025 / Dominic Regan
Issue: 8111 / Categories: Opinion , Legal services , Profession
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In his latest column, Dominic Regan laments the sorry state of the Royal Courts of Justice & presents a challenge to the High Court bench

On arriving at the Royal Courts of Justice last month, I was surprised to see a stern new notice at the entrance. Knuckledusters and fireworks are, among other items, no longer welcome. I blame Brexit.

The great palace of law is a sorry shadow of what it once was. The Great Hall, 70 metres long and 25 metres high, was deserted. Few courts were in operation. I saw from the daily list that some hearings were being conducted remotely.

Mrs Justice Steyn was however sitting in Court 13, presiding over a libel action brought by an actor, Noel Clarke, against Guardian News and Media Limited (I intend to comment on the case once judgment is delivered). Meanwhile, I was surprised to see two large screens displaying in legible text the paragraph in a witness statement which was the subject of cross-examination. This was a novelty

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Birketts—trainee cohort

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NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
The Court of Protection has ruled in Macpherson v Sunderland City Council that capacity must be presumed unless clearly rebutted. In this week's NLJ, Sam Karim KC and Sophie Hurst of Kings Chambers dissect the judgment and set out practical guidance for advisers faced with issues relating to retrospective capacity and/or assessments without an examination
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
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