header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us

Time for change?

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
21 March 2025 / Dr Jon Robins
Issue: 8109 / Categories: Opinion , Criminal , Profession
printer mail-detail
211940
The Law Commission has set out the case for radical reform of the criminal appeals process: is it enough? Jon Robins reports

‘Do you think judges are any less gullible than they used to be?’ The question was posed by the former MP Chris Mullin at an event to mark the 50th anniversary of the Birmingham Six in the House of Commons earlier this month. ‘The Court of Appeal used to consist of some of the most closed minds in the land,’ he added. As a journalist, he did much to expose the terrible injustice that, along with other Irish cases such as the Guildford Four and Maguire Seven, shook the public’s faith in our justice system and led to fundamental reform of the justice system, including the creation of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).

Appeals under review

I have argued before that if the CCRC does one job well, it is deflecting attention away from the problems elsewhere, including the Court of Appeal (see ‘Justice under review (Pt 2)’,

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

Read All
Sponsored by
DWF—Ed Williams

DWF—Ed Williams

Public sector disputes capability bolstered by partner hire in Leeds

Blake Morgan—Scott Hilton, Joan Yu & Melia Hirst

Blake Morgan—Scott Hilton, Joan Yu & Melia Hirst

Firm strengthens corporate, real estate and insolvency teams with partner trio

Seddons GSC—David Seal & Emma Clifford

Seddons GSC—David Seal & Emma Clifford

Consultant and solicitor join commercial real estate team

NEWS
Read All
NLJ this week: What judging really demands
Judging is ‘more intellectually demanding than any other role in public life’—and far messier than outsiders imagine. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC reflects on decades spent wrestling with unclear legislation, fragile precedent and human fallibility
NLJ this week: AI comes for the billable hour
The long-predicted death of the billable hour may finally be here—and this time, it’s armed with a scythe. In a sweeping critique of time-based billing, Ian McDougall, president of the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation, argues in this week's NLJ that artificial intelligence has made hourly charging ‘intellectually, commercially and ethically indefensible’
NLJ this week: Civil procedure—sharp elbows & sharper warnings
From fake authorities to rent reform, the civil courts have had a busy start to 2026. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold surveys a procedural landscape where guidance, discretion and discipline are all under strain
NLJ this week: Getting the facts right in family courts
Fact-finding hearings remain a fault line in private family law. Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Rylatt and Robyn Laye of Anthony Gold Solicitors analyse recent appeals exposing the dangers of rushed or fragmented findings
NLJ this week: Sporting justice—at sprint speed
As the Winter Olympics open in Milan and Cortina, legal disputes are once again being resolved almost as fast as the athletes compete. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Ian Blackshaw of Valloni Attorneys examines the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS's) ad hoc divisions, which can decide cases within 24 hours
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll