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19 July 2024 / Dominic Regan
Issue: 8080 / Categories: Opinion , Human rights , Costs , In Court , Profession
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The insider: 19 July 2024

182213
Dominic Regan sheds light on the Assange affair & rails against absurd expenditure at home & abroad

The Assange affair generated countless hearings over the years. His return to freedom in Australia closes a massive chapter in English law. Julian Assange (pictured) was perhaps not the easiest of clients. Andrew O’Hagan in The Secret Life: Three True Stories describes his appointment as ghost writer of the autobiography of Julian Assange. This meant he was in close proximity to the man. The legal team made strenuous efforts to look after their tricky client, but it didn’t take long for the Australian to refer to them as ‘c*nts’. Despite receiving a fee discount Assange remained unhappy citing ‘little cuts £20,000 here, £40,000 there, but the bill remains disgusting’. Their ways parted shortly afterwards. The intended literary agent for the book chipped in with: ‘Nobody pays their full lawyers’ bill.’ Oh really?

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The Judicial Conduct Investigation Office (JCIO) has overnight become so much more muscular and transparent. Picken

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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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