‘Assets and contracts created with blockchain-type encryption technology have validity under existing English law, a high-powered group of legal experts chaired by a senior member of the judiciary reported today.’
Law Society's Gazette, 18th Novembe 2019
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘The use of algorithms in public sector decision making has broken through as a hot topic in recent weeks. The Guardian recently ran the “Automating Poverty” series on the use of algorithms in the welfare state. And on 29 October 2019 it was reported that the first known legal challenge to the use of algorithms in the UK, this time by the Home Office, had been launched. It was timely, then, that the Public Law Project’s annual conference on judicial review trends and forecasts was themed “Public law and technology”.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 4th November 2019
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘The most vulnerable in society are at risk of being excluded from access to justice due to poor digital skills, lack of legal advice, court closures and “dilapidated” courthouses, MPs have warned in a damning critique of the government’s modernisation programmes.’
The Guardian, 31st October 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Electronic signatures can be used to execute documents, including where there is a statutory requirement for a signature, the Law Commission has today confirmed. This means that, in most cases, electronic signatures can be used as a viable alternative to handwritten ones.’
Law Commission, 4th September 2019
Source: www.lawcom.gov.uk
‘Inmate deaths are up by 20% in the UK, the most incarcerated nation in western Europe. Can prisons designed using virtual reality modelling undo the harm?’
The Guardian, 2nd September 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Police in Greater Manchester have been unable to charge many suspects since the introduction of a new £27m computer system, leading to a massive backlog, lawyers have claimed.’
The Guardian, 15th August 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Four leading legal charities have urged the government to delay next year’s whiplash reforms over fears that litigants in person and the organisations supporting them will be overwhelmed by the new regime.’
Legal Futures, 13th August 2019
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘EU citizens who have been in the UK for fewer than five years and apply to remain in the UK after Brexit face further uncertainty because of a flaw in the Home Office phone app, it has emerged.’
The Guardian, 15th July 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘There will not be another round of court closures for the time being, but this may change as technology takes hold, justice secretary David Gauke said yesterday.’
Legal Futures, 11th July 2019
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Achieving buy-in for technology regulation from everyone involved in lawtech – from developers to users – is crucial to it working well, a new analysis has suggested.’
Legal Futures, 8th July 2019
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Traffic light coding has been used to determine green ‘low risk’ applications with ‘positive attributes and evidence of compliance’, amber ‘medium risk’ ‘with limited evidence or equally balanced evidence of negative and positive attributes so potential for refusal’ and red ‘high risk applications, appearing to have a greater likelihood of refusal because of the individual’s circumstances’. The coding is based on responses to a set of yes or no questions.’
Drystone Chambers, 24th June 2019
Source: drystone.com
‘Children and protected parties are to be exempt from the increase in the small claims limit and the new whiplash portal – at least for now – Legal Futures can reveal.’
Legal Futures, 8th July 2019
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘On a two-day visit to Germany, the Chancellor of the High Court, Sir Geoffrey Vos, met with judges, lawyers and officials in Bavaria and Berlin to discuss Lawtech and the work of the Business and Property Courts. He spoke at the Palace of Justice in Munich on the position of English law and UK jurisdiction after Brexit to an audience of 120 judges, lawyers and business people, all members of the British Chamber of Commerce in Germany and the Munich Juridical Society.’
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 21st May 2019
‘Criminal and civil lawyers have spelt out to MPs on the justice select committee a catalogue of ways in which court modernisation is undermining access to justice.’
Legal Futures, 22nd May 2019
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Machine learning algorithms increasingly regulate our lives making decisions about us in finance, education, employment and justice. Ultimately, it will become pervasive in most, if not all aspects of decision making in the foreseeable future. But what is a machine learning algorithm? How does it decide? What rights do data subjects have? This article aims to answer all three of these questions.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 10th May 2019
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘The roll-out of 5G networks is ramping up with limited services available in parts of the US and South Korea. 2019 will see the launch of 5G in selected cities across the UK. This new, much faster, mobile connectivity will support a proliferation of internet-enabled devices. With expected benefits in terms of reduced latency and much greater capacity, many expect to see a proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices as 5G becomes a reality.’
Technology Law Update, 10th May 2019
Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk
‘Facial recognition technology has misidentified members of the public as potential criminals in 96 per cent of scans so far in London, new figures reveal.’
The Independent, 7th May 2019
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Sir Geoffrey Vos, Chancellor of the High Court, gave a speech to the Joint Northern Chancery Bar Association and University of Liverpool Lecture, entitled: “Cryptoassets as property: how can English law boost the confidence of would-be parties to smart legal contracts?” ‘
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 3rd May 2019
Source: www.judiciary.uk
‘Police repeatedly failed a stalking victim who went on to kill herself, crushed by the weight of harassment she was suffering, a report has found.’
The Guardian, 29th April 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
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