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Dear Auntie

03 July 2008
Issue: 7328 / Categories: Opinion
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Agony Column

Occasional advice for the judiciary and lawyers on matters of the mind, heart and (though auntie is a bit dodgy on it) the law

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Pick of the Week

Q The Courts Service has gone crazy. Most Crown Courts and combined courts in England and Wales have had Wi-Fi facilities installed. Is the existence of the facility at the court, before which I have to appear next month to show cause why a wasted costs order should not be made against me, sufficient ground for me to refuse to appear in person? Courtney Combes, Barley Chambers Annexe, Leeds

A Absolutely. This is a most dangerous development. One of the alleged benefits of the installation is that lawyers will be able to utilise their time more effectively between cases. The truth is probably that Wi-Fi will be relied on as justification for yet further cuts in lawyers' publicly funded fees pending death from radiation. Forward the judge a few pages from www.energyfields.org and tell him that you will participate in the hearing

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NEWS
Ceri Morgan, knowledge counsel at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP, analyses the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Johnson v FirstRand Bank Ltd, which reshapes the law of fiduciary relationships and common law bribery
The boundaries of media access in family law are scrutinised by Nicholas Dobson in NLJ this week
Reflecting on personal experience, Professor Graham Zellick KC, Senior Master of the Bench and former Reader of the Middle Temple, questions the unchecked power of parliamentary privilege
Geoff Dover, managing director at Heirloom Fair Legal, sets out a blueprint for ethical litigation funding in the wake of high-profile law firm collapses
James Grice, head of innovation and AI at Lawfront, explores how artificial intelligence is transforming the legal sector
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