All articles by Jonathan Goldsmith – Page 35
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Do reserved activities harm the UK economy?
This week, from the same people who brought you economic ruin, we have more of the same. As I have said before, deregulation and liberalisation - those twin modern marvels which most agree to have been the motors of our current economic crisis - are still fixed in our rulers’ ...
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Lawyers and Leveson – how are they doing?
A history of phone hacking and the current Leveson enquiry into the culture, practice and ethics of the press through the activities of lawyers alone is intriguing. I am a Leveson addict, and a long-time watcher of lawyers, and so it is a natural combination. I undertook an analysis some ...
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Now it is Spain’s turn
I have been writing in recent weeks about the radical changes affecting numerous European Union member states in the wake of the economic crisis. The item on our agenda at the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) called ‘important national developments’ grows longer at every meeting. And ...
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Data protection - and gossip
As the Gazette briefly reported, the European Commission published its new data protection legislation last week, providing a fresh regulatory structure with which all lawyers and law firms will have to become familiar. I shall focus on that below.
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The innocent suffer
The ugly shape of the post-crash world is becoming apparent as time passes. Certain structures that were primary causes of the economic crisis are still standing, with their practices more or less unchanged - banks and other financial institutions, for instance - while innocent parties are squirming and suffering. One ...
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A Directive that you will not be able to put down
Don’t surprise me by saying that Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications is not on your bedside-table, to be consulted when you need to be entertained in the middle of the night. It is right up there with Stephen King and JK Rowling, a masterpiece in horror and ...
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At last a money laundering challenge in Strasbourg
For a long time now, lawyers - or at any rate those concerned by the consequences of the reporting duties imposed on lawyers by the European money laundering legislation - have been waiting for a case to go to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg on the subject ...
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What to do about the Syrian Bar?
We should spare a thought for lawyers in Syria. I know that we have large issues like alternative business structures and legal aid to concern us, but they have a life-and-death struggle on their hands.
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Roll up! - new EU funding for justice projects
In straitened times for most businesses, public money can be a welcome support. It is well-known that the European Commission offers millions of euros in funding for projects over a wide span of subjects. Some law firms and legal academics apply regularly for project-funding. The Commission’s Directorate General for Justice ...
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EU life goes on regardless – and at a pace
I know bigger issues are being discussed in the EU, particularly in relation to the UK’s place in it. But that doesn’t stop important lawyer-related topics making progress at the same time. This week’s blog is the ultimate seasonal treat – like a plum pudding or Christmas stocking, it is ...
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ADR and ODR: the EU acts
European policy initiatives are like London buses. After a long wait, a whole bunch arrives together. But their timing is not so mysterious as with buses. No, Eurocrats are clearing their desks before Christmas, having laboured through the autumn to perfect their product. Now the lobbyists have to sacrifice their ...
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Would a US-EU trade deal be good for lawyers?
I have written before about how the current economic crisis is leading to a radical rethinking of structures that impact on lawyers. Here is another initiative which could lead to significant consequences in years to come.
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How far should the UK promote national interests?
Keen followers of European affairs might have noticed that, though the UK’s influence over the EU might have been slipping during the play-out of the eurozone crisis, its influence has increased - for six months at least - over that other European body, the Council of Europe. That is because, ...
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Troika forces ABSs on Italy
Just as with the Second World War, so the current economic crisis - which Chancellor Merkel says is Europe’s most challenging period since the war - had its phoney period, which has now ended. For a long while, nothing seemed to happen, and no consequences were felt. But, from a ...
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A burning building without any exits
It is difficult to concentrate on anything in Brussels at the moment other than you-know-what. The buzz of the eurozone crisis blocks out other topics.
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The IBA in Dubai: an unexpected outcome
I was in Dubai last week for the International Bar Association annual conference, where the main topic of conversation was the action of the country’s government in cancelling the conference. The event went ahead after all, following compromises. The resulting discussions could not have been more relevant to the role ...
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Lawyer independence is a strong foundation
Lawyer independence - both of the individual lawyer as practitioner, and the regulation of lawyers collectively - has never been consigned to the wings in all the time I have been qualified. But now it has grabbed the microphone to sing. Regrettably, it is a shaky version of that old ...
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In a froth over prisoners’ voting rights
I have been following the debate about prisoners’ voting rights in the UK with growing incredulity.
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European Day of Justice - are you ready to party?
I suspect that you’ve been waiting all year for the anniversary which comes around on 25th October: the European Day of Justice. You are planning to dress up in lawyers’ robes, and dance in the streets.
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European contract law - the film
Hollywood agents regularly comb Brussels for their future stars. This week, we had President Barroso featuring as King Kong, beating his chest and roaring, hoping to terrify the financial markets into having faith in the euro.