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01 November 2018 / David Greene
Issue: 7815 / Categories: Opinion , Criminal
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#justiceweek18

In Justice Week, David Greene shows how the crisis in crime is reflected to particular areas of practice in civil justice

This is Justice Week, which is sponsored by The Law Society, the Bar Council and CILEx. It was previously known as National Pro Bono Week and while the issue of pro bono work is core to the week the change of name is intended to widen the scope of events in the week to other issues in our justice system. One issue to be addressed is how we can highlight the justice process and the problems it faces with our politicians who often reflect a myopic view of both criminal and civil justice, neither of which are perceived by political life as repaying in primary political currency, votes, save as a target of demonisation.

Criminal justice is in crisis. The Law Society published data earlier this year, which highlights that there is a looming problem in the number of criminal duty solicitors. Criminal solicitors are part of an ageing profession; the average age of a criminal duty

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cripps—Radius Law

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Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

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Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
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’
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
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