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27 October 2023 / John Cooper KC
Issue: 8046 / Categories: Features , Profession , Criminal
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The Goldman Case: True-life courtroom drama

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John Cooper KC trumpets a triumph of the big screen

At this time of year, we get a chance to check out some of the forthcoming movies with a legal flavour, that are showing in the next 12 months. Once again, the BFI London Film Festival showcases an impressive range of films.

The Goldman Case

One of them stands out as a ‘must see’. The Goldman Case is not only an example of exceptional film making but a graphic insight into the work of the courtroom and the complexities and contradictions that the search for justice can throw up.

The story is almost completely played out in the courtroom, which makes the narrative intense and utterly relenting. It really is as if you are sitting in the court watching the trial as it happens.

This is the real-life trial of Pierre Goldman, which was heard in 1976 and remains one of France’s seminal cases.

One of the main reasons for this is the very nature of who Pierre

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NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
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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