All Columnist articles
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OpinionGoodbye, rule of law USA
We have rarely seen the rule of law breaking down so quickly and right before our eyes. We must learn the lessons, if we are to guard against similar events here.
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OpinionSwifter justice relies on radical reforms
The idea of prisoners tackling their addictions in prison and working to earn their release is politically attractive. But the flaws are obvious.
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OpinionBattle royal for our crown jewels
The UK is in an unfortunate position: large AI models, whose training the government is seeking to regulate, are predominantly US-developed and owned.
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OpinionMother in Law: Q&A with my managing partner
Diary of a busy practitioner, juggling work and family somewhere in England.
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OpinionTrump v. ABA, streaming now
The fate of the American Bar Association is a guide to what might happen to other bars should a populist government come to power.
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OpinionPublic inquiries: ending a litany of failures
The main problem with public inquiries is that there is no mechanism to ensure recommendations are properly considered and put into effect.
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OpinionDeregulation is on its way
Widespread introduction of compliance rules is now seen as too burdensome or, in the case of the US, too woke. The pendulum is swinging the other way, for good or ill.
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Opinion'Told-you-so': mediation’s moment has come
DKH Retail Ltd & Ors v City Football Group Ltd shows how enthusiastically the courts are embracing their power to order parties to mediate.
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OpinionMother in Law: Let the kids get messy
Diary of a busy practitioner, juggling work and family somewhere in England.
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OpinionLifting our eyes to the stars
It is the role of lawyers to maintain the justice system's values against whatever pressure might arise (easy to say, difficult to do).
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OpinionLucy Letby: another ‘appalling vista’?
I had originally been sceptical about Letby’s denials. Who else could have harmed so many babies? But the new experts say that nobody tried to kill them.
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OpinionMother in law: Taking every step on their journey
Diary of a busy practitioner, juggling work and family somewhere in England.
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OpinionDEI as political football
The UK has mirrored the US in the depth and spread of its diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. Impact of the new executive order in the US should be watched closely.
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OpinionBarristers need to talk about money
The London legal pay wars are not restricted to trainee City solicitors and NQs: commercial chambers are boosting pupillage awards dramatically.
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OpinionLawyers and oligarchs
Here’s another prediction for 2025: our law firms will have to be as careful in their involvement with the new US oligarchy as with the former Russian one.
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OpinionBack to the future on sentencing?
Restoring the best ideas of the past would bring sentencing up to date.
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OpinionWhat does 2025 hold for litigation funders?
Amid all the doom and gloom, there are rays of light on the horizon for funders.
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OpinionWhat did the European Court of Human Rights do in 2024?
A summary of last year's key cases from the ECtHR.
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OpinionMother in Law: Scrolling into the new year
Diary of a busy practitioner, juggling work and family somewhere in England.
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OpinionMy prescient prediction for 2025
President-elect Trump and his court are influencing the political weather, including on our own laws and legal system.