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22 May 2008 / L-j Patterson
Issue: 7322 / Categories: Features , Legal services , Procedure & practice , Profession
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In the spotlight

In her final article on women who have forged significant pathways through our legal landscape, L-J Patterson turns the spotlight on Susanna FitzGerald QC

Table dancers, strip clubs, gambling, draughty fields and playing computer games. Certainly not the average day in chambers! Susanna FitzGerald QC has made work in these areas her domain, with vast success.

FitzGerald is a leader in the field of liquor, gaming, public entertainment and betting licensing law and recognised as such by Chambers UK. She has achieved victories for nightclubs including Stringfellows and Spearmint Rhino and was heavily involved in structuring the Gambling Bill 2004 (now 2005 Act).

She has acted on numerous cases involving television companies, pubs and amusement centres, in addition to being a director of Business in Sport and Leisure (BISL); trustee of the charity GamCare; a director of the Institute of Licensing; and contributing editor to Law of Betting Gaming and Lotteries (Smith and Monkcom) and Halsbury's Laws. FitzGerald doesn't just stand out for the controversial cases

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

EIP—Rob Barker

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist

NEWS
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
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
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
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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