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20 October 2017 / Sir Geoffrey Bindman KC
Issue: 7766 / Categories: Opinion , Legal aid focus , Profession
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Bach gets it right

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The balance sheet is important but humans & justice come first, says Geoffrey Bindman

The final report of the Bach Commission is an admirable blueprint for the restoration of our justice system. Lord Bach has stressed that the commission was made up of people selected for their expertise rather than any affiliation with the Labour Party (see ‘The right to justice & an agenda for change’, NLJ 6 October 2017, p 7). Lord Bach is a former Labour minister and the report is published by the Fabian Society, but the presence of the former Court of Appeal judge Sir Henry Brooke as vice-chair guarantees (to all who know him) its independence and authority. The report can thus be regarded not as a party political document but as a basis for cross-party consensus. The Government’s hopefully imminent review of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) should follow its recommendations on legal aid.

More than a pillar

The NHS and legal aid are often described as the twin pillars

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Cripps—Radius Law

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Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

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Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

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Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
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NLJ this week: Surrogacy children caught in succession gap
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
NLJ this week: Online safety law at a crossroads
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
NLJ this week: Do Mandelson and Mountbatten-Windsor meet the misconduct bar?
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
NLJ this week: Supreme Court unlocks ‘lost years’ windfall for injured children
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
NLJ this week: Finality trumps freedom in arbitration showdown
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
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