THIS ISSUE
What does the coming year hold for cyber law? In an NLJ special, seven members of 36 Commercial share their expert reflections and predictions on this most salient area of development. As Dean Armstrong QC notes, the practice of cyber law is ‘quite simply, fascinating’.
Family law solicitor advocate David Burrows takes aim at Sir Andrew McFarlane’s recent report on transparency in the family courts, in this week’s NLJ
Judicial review has found itself in the government’s crosshairs on several occasions in the past decade, Matthew Smith, partner, DBD Pitmans, writes in this week’s NLJ. Focusing on the latest attempts to reform judicial review, he points out a troubling presumption in the proposed bill, which he thinks would be better removed
Michael Zander QC covers the government’s response to climate activists Extinction Rebellion, in this week’s NLJ. He looks at the committee stage of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, in the House of Lords last week
All donations to LawCare will be doubled if made between 30 November and 7 December
A charity which provides legal textbooks donated by the UK legal community to non-for-profit organisations around the globe, has celebrated its 15th anniversary
Recruitment and retention are the key concerns of all Top 20 firms in Ireland and 70% of Dublin’s law firms, according to professional services firm Smith & Williamson’s Annual Survey of Law Firms in Ireland
Lawyers have been advised to keep electronic court bundles clearly labelled and brief, in general guidance issued by the judiciary
A Calderbank offer does not have the same effect as a Part 36 offer and should not be treated the same by a judge, the Court of Appeal has held
The High Court has sent a warning to lawyers with illegible signatures, in a case where a bill of costs was held not to have been validly served
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Freeths—Rachel Crosier
Projects and rail practices strengthened by director hire in London
DWF—Stephen Hickling
Real estate team in Birmingham welcomes back returning partner
Ward Hadaway—44 appointments
Firm invests in national growth with 44 appointments across five offices
NEWS
Criminal juries may be convicting—or acquitting—on a misunderstanding. Writing in NLJ this week Paul McKeown, Adrian Keane and Sally Stares of The City Law School and LSE report troubling survey findings on the meaning of ‘sure’
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has narrowly preserved a key weapon in its anti-corruption arsenal. In this week's NLJ, Jonathan Fisher KC of Red Lion Chambers examines Guralp Systems Ltd v SFO, in which the High Court ruled that a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) remained in force despite the company’s failure to disgorge £2m by the stated deadline
As the drip-feed of Epstein disclosures fuels ‘collateral damage’, the rush to cry misconduct in public office may be premature. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke of Hill Dickinson warns that the offence is no catch-all for political embarrassment. It demands a ‘grave departure’ from proper standards, an ‘abuse of the public’s trust’ and conduct ‘sufficiently serious to warrant criminal punishment’
Employment law is shifting at the margins. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ this week, Ian Smith of Norwich Law School examines a Court of Appeal ruling confirming that volunteers are not a special legal species and may qualify as ‘workers’
Refusing ADR is risky—but not always fatal. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed and Sanjay Dave Singh of the University of Leicester analyse Assensus Ltd v Wirsol Energy Ltd: despite repeated invitations to mediate, the defendant stood firm, made a £100,000 Part 36 offer and was ultimately ‘wholly vindicated’ at trial
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