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Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown

22 November 2018 / Julian Acratopulo
Issue: 7818 / Categories: Features , Profession
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​In the face of ongoing uncertainty, Julian Acratopulo asks: is the pre-eminence of the London courts being disrupted?

  • The London courts have long been held up as the gold standard, but could market disruption, Brexit uncertainty and high costs threaten their supremacy?
  • Practitioners must engage with opportunities for reform if London’s courts are to remain at the forefront of the market.

Disruption is now present in every sphere of our lives. However, disruption does not stem solely from technology or business innovations—it is also influenced by demographic shifts, globalisation, macro-economic trends and more. Such terminology may not have existed at the time at which London’s courts forged their international reputation. However, whatever the terminology, the underlying factors which shaped the export of English law and London courts internationally could no doubt now be easily characterised by reference to those labels.

Accordingly, although English courts and procedures have long been the envy of the world, we need to be mindful of the risk of disruption, given the current socio-political environment. As

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Pillsbury—Lord Garnier KC

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Appointment of former Solicitor General bolsters corporate investigations and white collar practice

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Firm strengthens international strategy with hire of global relations consultant

Slater Heelis—Sylviane Kokouendo & Shazia Ashraf

Slater Heelis—Sylviane Kokouendo & Shazia Ashraf

Partner and associate join employment practice

NEWS
The government’s plan to introduce a Single Professional Services Supervisor could erode vital legal-sector expertise, warns Mark Evans, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, in NLJ this week
Writing in NLJ this week, Jonathan Fisher KC of Red Lion Chambers argues that the ‘failure to prevent’ model of corporate criminal responsibility—covering bribery, tax evasion, and fraud—should be embraced, not resisted
Professor Graham Zellick KC argues in NLJ this week that, despite Buckingham Palace’s statement stripping Andrew Mountbatten Windsor of his styles, titles and honours, he remains legally a duke
Writing in NLJ this week, Sophie Ashcroft and Miranda Joseph of Stevens & Bolton dissect the Privy Council’s landmark ruling in Jardine Strategic Ltd v Oasis Investments II Master Fund Ltd (No 2), which abolishes the long-standing 'shareholder rule'
In NLJ this week, Sailesh Mehta and Theo Burges of Red Lion Chambers examine the government’s first-ever 'Afghan leak' super-injunction—used to block reporting of data exposing Afghans who aided UK forces and over 100 British officials. Unlike celebrity privacy cases, this injunction centred on national security. Its use, the authors argue, signals the rise of a vast new body of national security law spanning civil, criminal, and media domains
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