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28 February 2025 / John Gould
Issue: 8106 / Categories: Opinion , Rule of law , Profession , Legal services
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The Attorney General: under attack?

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Condemning an Attorney General based on their past client list shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the rule of law, writes John Gould

An exchange between Sir Ashley Fox and the Attorney General (AG), Lord Hermer, at the Commons Justice Select Committee in January seems to have been the start of a period of remorseless newspaper speculation as to how Lord Hermer might be misconducting himself by having unsound beliefs or perhaps by ignoring ‘conflicts of interest’. Sir Ashley had spotted that the AG had previously represented former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams in defending a claim for damages by provisional IRA bomb victims. This, and other cases, might be presented to the uninformed as something which made a lawyer unfit to hold the office of AG. In fact, the opposite is true.

A link was suggested to the government’s recent confirmation that it would be changing the law in a way which might benefit a class of people which possibly included Mr Adams. The decision followed a specific finding

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bell Yard Kysen—Liz Giles

Bell Yard Kysen—Liz Giles

Bell Yard Kysen appoints senior legal PR and ex-government communications adviser, Liz Giles

Clarke Willmott—Lee Edwards

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Clarke Willmott boosts Southampton commercial property team with addition of partner Lee Edwards

Lime Solicitors—four promotions

Lime Solicitors—four promotions

Lime Solicitors announces four promotions

NEWS
The Attorney General, Ellie Reeves KC MP, and Solicitor General, Andy Slaughter KC MP, marked the 25th anniversary of Pro Bono Week by joining lawyers, charities, students and parliamentarians at events celebrating voluntary legal work
Witness evidence can be compromised by AI before a solicitor sees the draft, leaving safeguards focused on authorship incomplete
Possession claims are entering a new digital era, with procedural traps awaiting practitioners who assume familiar rules still govern every step
A polished legal defence may owe more to artificial intelligence than legal merit—and creditors risk paying the price in delay and expense
An indemnity costs battle with a £20m gap could reopen an important question: what weight should an approved budget carry?
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