The Bar

Articles

Misunderstanding the rule of law

Raymond Wacks shares his concerns regarding the expansion of the rule of law to include the protection of human rights

SJ Interview: Harriet Wistrich

For the May 2025 volume, Harriet Wistrich speaks to the Solicitors Journal about her book 'Sister in Law: Fighting for Justice in a System Designed by Men', which has been nominated for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction

Will the new Cyber Monitoring Centre’s categorisation scale really help?

Colin Hayes from Penningtons Manches Cooper shares his thoughts on whether the new cyber incident categorisation scale from the Cyber Monitoring Centre is likely to meet expectations

Joint Enterprise and tackling racial bias

Eithne Quinn, a Professor of Socio-Legal Studies at The University of Manchester, shares her thoughts on racial bias and injustice concerns related to the application of Joint Enterprise secondary liability rules and what solicitors can do to help build a fairer justice system

Redefining the green belt: the rise of grey belt planning

Welcomed by developers but criticised by the House of Lords Select Committee, the Labour government’s new grey belt policy has divided opinion. Partner at Weightmans, John Gregory examines what the policy means in practice, and how it’s faring so far

Reforming the law of apologies in civil proceedings in England and Wales

Jon Crocker and Megan Owen from Bindmans assess the government’s efforts to reform the law surrounding apologies in civil claims in England and Wales and share their thoughts on the impact of such reforms in the context of clinical negligence

Has the case of Re Z impacted the law on surrogacy?

Sarah Bell, a Partner at Stephens Scown, assesses the wider impact of the ruling in Re Z (Surrogacy: Step-parent Adoption) [2024] EWFC 20

The Arbitration Act 2025 and maintaining London’s competitive edge

Matthew Weiniger KC, Chair of International Arbitration, and Ali Amerjee, Managing Associate, both at Linklaters, London, share their thoughts on the key reforms being brought in by the Arbitration Act 2025 aimed at ensuring that London maintains its status as the leading destination for global arbitration