All Columnist articles
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OpinionSolicitors' starship reaches the final frontier
According to the government, the legal profession is a frontier industry - up there with aerospace, life sciences and AI.
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OpinionWhat do judges think of artificial intelligence?
AI carries risks that are all too clear. But judges see opportunities, too.
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OpinionHistory may calm lawyers’ nerves
These uncertain and threatening days will eventually be in the past. But we have to live through them now, and take the right decisions in the present.
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OpinionPortfolio finance under harsh spotlight
A proposal in the Civil Justice Council review that 'portfolio funding' should be regulated by the FCA as a form of loan was unexpected.
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OpinionMore caution please, Sir Geoffrey
Generative AI enthusiasts are rushing us too quickly towards its adoption in the law.
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OpinionWill Vera Baird get the CCRC back on its feet?
Baird has been asked to review the CCRC’s effectiveness, performance, governance, culture, capability and funding. The most important reform requires a change of mindset.
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OpinionGodwin’s law and the decline of the international order
An attorney general should never fall foul of the law. But last week it appears that the current postholder did.
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OpinionLet slip the dogs of law
When the international order is breaking down, why are lawyers not more vocal in protest?
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OpinionMother in Law: Scott Simmons, rainmaker maker
Diary of a busy practitioner, somewhere in England.
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OpinionEU-UK lawyers: common values
At a time of division and polarisation, much unites us as lawyers. The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe Plenary was an occasion to witness such unity.
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OpinionA special tribunal for aggression against Ukraine
New court would try senior political and military leaders accused of planning, preparing, initiating or executing the war of aggression that Russia and its allies launched in 2022.
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OpinionLegal AI zealots and luddites - more balance please
The terms of the debate around legal AI should be changed.
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OpinionJoined-up digital justice will be a stress buster
A dispute is ever present in a person’s thoughts until it is resolved: the more protracted it is, the worse it gets.
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OpinionMother in Law: The meaning of life
Diary of a busy practitioner, juggling work and family somewhere in England.
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OpinionHow international aid cuts may affect lawyers
International aid spending safeguards the rule of law, pays for the training of judges and lawyers, and provides legal support for the vulnerable.
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OpinionScrutinising treaties: the case for reform
Tension between the role of parliament and the aim of ministers is nowhere more obvious than in the conduct of foreign affairs.
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OpinionJustice for growth: the new buzz phrase
Countries have often targeted growth as a top priority. What is new is to see the justice sector used as one of its drivers.
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OpinionMother in Law: Shun the social media snake oil sellers
Diary of a busy practitioner, juggling work and family somewhere in England.
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OpinionCorruption is a powerful word
Does our refusal to talk about corruption make our detractors think we do not take it seriously enough?