THIS ISSUE
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has prompted some interesting ethical questions among practitioners, particularly those with oligarch clients
In this week’s Civil Way, former District Judge Stephen Gold covers the latest in a David and Goliath battle between a couple duped out of their life savings and the all-powerful Barclays Bank. Where does responsibility lie?
Mrs Justice Cockerill, head of the Commercial Court, answers questions put to her by freelance legal journalist Grania Langdon-Down in a wide-ranging interview, in this week’s NLJ
Is the time ripe for a public defender system? Writing in this week’s NLJ, solicitor Roger Smith mulls the pros and cons of such a system, noting the underfunding of criminal legal aid, the ongoing ‘no returns’ action of the Criminal Bar and the current political climate
Baroness Hallett, Chair of the UK COVID-19 Public Inquiry, wrote to the Prime Minister last week, requesting the terms of reference be expanded to include the impact on children and young people, mental health and wellbeing, and collaboration between government and the voluntary and community sector
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has expanded a scheme that allows victims and witnesses of crimes, such as rape and modern slavery, to have their cross-examination video-recorded and played later in trial
The Sentencing Council has revised its guidelines on sentencing offenders convicted of arranging or facilitating sexual offences against a child, and issued a new guideline on sexual communication with a child
This year’s Pro Bono Week will discuss how lawyers have coordinated support in response to the crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine, and how best to deliver for future emergencies
The number of deaths in state detention rose 3% in 2021 on the previous year (580 compared to 562), with a 17% rise in deaths in prison custody, ‘driven by deaths related to COVID-19, which peaked in 2021 Q1’, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has revealed
After some challenging years, solicitors are starting to feel the benefits of the tough decisions they made to survive, the latest LexisNexis Bellwether report has found
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Hugh James—Jonathan Askin
London corporate and commercial team announces partner appointment
Michelman Robinson—Daniel Burbeary
Firm names partner as London office managing partner
Kingsley Napley—Jonathan Grimes
Firm appoints new head of criminal litigation team
NEWS
Hugh James has secured 500 places on King’s College London’s new AI Literacy for Law course as part of a major firm-wide push to strengthen its responsible use of generative artificial intelligence
The criminal courts will sit to their maximum capacity next year, after the Lord Chancellor David Lammy lifted the cap on Crown Court sitting days
The Lord Chancellor David Lammy has set out his plans for ‘Blitz courts’, a national listing framework and other elements of the Leveson reforms
A former Commerzbank analyst has been sentenced to eight months in prison for lying during an employment tribunal hearing
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has joined with 60 data protection authorities from around the world to call for ‘urgent regulatory attention’ to the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI)
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