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Signs of hope

13 June 2014 / Roger Smith
Issue: 7610 / Categories: Opinion , Human rights
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It’s not all doom & gloom for legal aid & human rights lawyers, says Roger Smith

Legal aid and human rights lawyers are having a pretty torrid time at the present. Thank heaven for three reasons to celebrate a bit of relief.

Steady as she goes

Labour proceeds with caution these days. Given that the Conservative Party sought to demonise Tony Blair as a swivel-eyed lefty, we can probably anticipate little let up as the election approaches in critique of Labour’s current leadership as much the same. This seems rather at odds with much of what senior Labour figures actually say. Certainly the shadow Lord Chancellor, Sadiq Khan, must be rather grateful for the rightwing press painting him as a radical firebrand, given what he actually says.

Khan used The Telegraph to announce a pretty mild Labour approach to the Human Rights Act, albeit that it was heralded with the momentous “Labour will shift power back to the courts”. His argument was that Labour was unhappy with any notion that the UK Supreme

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Serious injury teambolstered by high-profile partner hire

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Firm strengthens employment team with partner hire

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

Lawyers’ liability practice strengthened with partner appointment in London

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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