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Editor Salome Coker
Editorial Board
Joel Leigh (Howard Kennedy LLP), Chair
Sophia Watson (Eversheds Sutherland LLP)
Colin Passmore (Simmons & Simmons LLP)
Katherine Ramo (CMS)
Matthew Rous (CLLS)
Naureen Shariff (Blackfords LLP)
Elizabeth Thomas (CLLS)
Laura Uberoi (Addleshaw Goddard LLP)
Journalist
Maroulla Paul
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Insurance News
We have heard about the M&S cyber-attack and even the Legal Aid Agency have suffered a ‘security incident! Supply chain attacks can have devastating consequences, particularly for law firms who handle sensitive client information.
Another notable example is the cyber-attack on CTS, an IT Provider for law firms in the UK, which resulted in total loss of IT to over 80 law firms and potentially affected up to 200. Real Estate transactions were halted, deals couldn’t complete. The fall-out was substantial with it taking nearly a month to restore services. This incident highlights the importance of having robust cyber security measures in place and the role of cyber insurance in mitigating financial losses.
Fraudsters are bypassing MFA, Microsoft 365 is not configured correctly, cloud suppliers being targeted so fraudsters can re-configure customers firewalls! these are but a few of the things I am seeing within insurance claims.
To address these challenges, partnering with experts who specialise in supply chain risk mitigation can be highly beneficial. These partners can deliver tailored programmes that focus on identifying and addressing vulnerabilities within your supply chain, ensuring that your firm is better protected against potential cyber threats.
Cyber Insurance is there as a last resort. Working with Tom Sykes of Stiperstone IT, we are teaming up, to provide proactive risk mitigation services alongside our insurance proposition. They will work alongside your current IT provider to add in that additional layer of security. ■
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9 IS RIGHT BLACK AND WHITE?
19 CHAMPIONS KEEP PLAYING UNTIL THEY GET IT RIGHT
Sport is something that brings us all together; it is a flag that can be waved for the good of the whole world. But, as with anything that has potential power, it can also be abused and be a bed of corruption and unethical behaviours. We examine how to make sure good conquers evil.
28 OUR FLAGSHIP EVENT: TODAY AND ALWAYS: OUR ANNUAL BANQUET
A celebration of the City of London Solicitors’ Company’s glorious Annual Banquet - looking back to how it began and where it is today.
35 SUPPORTING THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN
We look at the work this incredible organisation does to help women - and how the City of London Solicitors’ Company, in turn, helps them.
10 WHO ARE WE AS LAWYERS? THE GOOD, THE BAD OR THE UGLY?
Guardians of justice or servants to clients’ demands? Every day lawyers are faced with conflicting pushes and pulls on how they should behave. We look at what it takes and what it costs to do the right thing and to keep on doing it.
24 WHY DOES SOMEONE CHOOSE TO ENTER THE LEGAL PROFESSION?
Martin Wilton became a lawyer through circumstance not initial choice. Now he dedicates his life to genuinely helping others. He achieved this as a result of what SWSQF did for him. The story of what can happen when we all do the right thing.
32 WELLBEING WITHIN THE LEGAL PROFESSION
Barbara Mills KC and Chair of the Bar Council speaks passionately, informatively and inspirationally on the subject of wellbeing, something that is close to her and our hearts.
37 A TRIBUTE TO DOROTHY LIVINGSTON
CLLS Chief Executive, Matthew Rous, pays tribute to the extraordinary woman and always wholly ethical lawyer, Dorothy Livingston.
14 ELIMINATING RACISM ONE GOAL AT A TIME
We talk to Chelsea football legend, Paul Canoville, and hear his story of overcoming racism, illness, addiction and much more besides, to become one of the most famous sportsmen of all time - and how he believes ethics and allyship can conquer all.
27 A WONDERFUL PAST AN ACTIVE PRESENT AND A GLITTERING FUTURE
Looking back at some great moments in the history of the City of London’s Solicitors’ Company. Celebrating what it is achieving today. And looking forward to the next generation and what they can bring to the table.
34 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
A young apprentice solicitor attends his first Livery event. We talk to Cyril Lekgetho about his night out at the CLSC Banquet and about how his perceptions of the Company, past and future as well as his own aspirations for what is to come.
What are ethics? How do they affect man? Do they affect machines? And where do they fit into the legal profession? 46 THE LAST WORD
42 0% ABV, 100% DELICIOUSNESS
When one of the world’s leading wine tasters, writers and consultants takes on the world of nonalcs, it really has to be good. We talk to Matthew Jukes about the journey that led him to founding Jukes Cordialities, a range of alternatives to wine that really deserve a place in the top restaurants.
38 FROM PUB CELLAR TO COUNTRY HOUSE, THE CHEF FOR ALL SEASONS
Following the star studded career of the magician/chef that is Luke Selby from turning a pub cellar in Soho into a Michelin starred restaurant through to his achieving a renaissance at the Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons.
Dothe Right Thing, Spike Lee’s 1989 classic, is one of my favourite films to revisit. It reminds me that doing the right thing is rarely simple. Sometimes, we don’t know what the right thing is. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to do it.
In this issue, we explore professional ethics through multiple lenses. Colin Passmore, Chair of the CLLS and a long-standing authority on privilege, joins Professor Richard Moorhead, whose research focuses on ethics in the legal profession. Is unethical conduct a rare breach or a broader concern? Views differ, but one point is clear: we need stronger ethical education and more regular reflection throughout our careers.
We also look beyond law to explore ethics in sport, a world where ideals of fairness are widely preached but not always practised. Paul Canoville, Chelsea FC’s first Black player, endured relentless abuse yet helped pave the way for future generations. William Rook, of the Centre for Sport and Human Rights, argues that codes of conduct are not enough unless grounded in universal human rights principles.
Looking ahead, the 2026 World Cup will, for the first time, require human rights reporting as part of the host city bid process. It is a hopeful step, though one complicated by the tournament’s cross-border format, hosted across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. How these differing legal and political frameworks interplay may pose new ethical challenges.
We pay tribute to Dorothy Livingston, one of our most distinguished and longest-serving members, whose career has long exemplified the values this issue explores.
WELCOME TO THE SUMMER EDITION OF CITY SOLICITOR MAGAZINE.
And, if the subject of ethics has left you in need of something lighter, we reflect on the Company’s Annual Banquet at Mansion House, a tradition dating back to 1909. Barbara Mills KC, Chair of the Bar Council, delivered a keynote on wellbeing, urging us to consider how we care for ourselves in order to sustain long, meaningful careers. Lighter still, this month’s SIP column turns to non-alcoholic wines, a growing market and a welcome option for those looking to toast the end of the day, alcohol-free.
In case you’ve missed some of the incredible restaurants and bars our journalist Maroulla Paul has reviewed over the years, we’ve created a Google list so you can save, share, and keep track of them all. We are adding new finds all the time so this is really your ultimate go to for the best places. This has been a popular request—so here it is:
Link to Google list > https://maps.app.goo.gl/QhyCoUyV8Rf8af4c7?g_st=i
Ethics are often shaped in the small moments—how we show up, what we ignore, and the choices we make every day.
The question is: are we still trying to do the right thing?
Salome Coker Editor
IS RIGHT BLACK AND WHITE?
What makes us human? What distinguishes and separates us from the technology that is being developed which emulates and even betters what we can do ourselves? One differentiator is ethics.
One of the arguments against
Artificial Intelligence is that it will have no lived knowledge of right and wrong; that it may not behave ethically. Does AI know what ethics is? We asked it. And this is what it said.
‘Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is the philosophical study of moral principles and values, focusing on what is right or wrong in human conduct. It examines normative questions about how people ought to behave and the principles that guide ethical decisionmaking.
Here's a more detailed explanation:
Definition:
Ethics is a system of moral principles that guides our behavior and helps us make choices about what is right and wrong.
Scope: Ethics encompasses various aspects of human behavior, including individual actions, societal norms, and professional conduct.
Key Concepts:
Moral Principles: These are fundamental beliefs about what is right or wrong, good or bad.
Normative Ethics: This branch of ethics focuses on establishing moral standards and principles.
Applied Ethics: This branch deals with applying ethical principles to real-world situations and dilemmas.
Metaethics: This branch explores the nature and origin of moral judgments and values.
Examples of Ethical Considerations:
Honesty and truthfulness
Fairness and justice
Respect for others
Responsibility and accountability
Integrity and trustworthiness
Importance of Ethics:
Ethics plays a crucial role in shaping individual character, fostering social harmony, and promoting a just and equitable society.
Ethical Frameworks:
Various ethical frameworks, such as utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics, provide different perspectives.’
It seems AI has a pretty good grasp of it.
The Law is all about right and wrong. It is the living manifestation of ethics.Therefore, it follows that lawyers are ethical. But life is not black and
white and often lawyers find themselves in some very grey areas.
In this issue, we examine what it really means to be a good, ethical lawyer. And what can throw that off course. We hear the opinions of academics who have made this their life’s study, of lawyers whose life it is and of those just starting out in our profession, fresh with hope.
We talk to some lawyers who are dedicating their lives not just to pursue a career but precisely to doing the right thing, not for themselves but for the good of others.
We look at other professions - like the sports sector - and see the part ethics plays. And we hear the heartbreaking and inspirational story of a footballer who suffered racism, abuse, homelessness, addiction and cancer and went on to become one of the greatest sporting legends of all time.
Sometimes we need to just pause, to reflect, to not simply act in an almost robotic way in order to get through the long list of what we have to do. We need to ask if what we are doing is actually the right thing to be doing. ■
WHO ARE WE AS LAWYERS? THE GOOD, THE BAD OR THE UGLY?
Earlier this year, at the City Century Conference, (for anyone who doesn’t know, City Century is a ‘multi-award winning solicitor apprenticeship initiative that identifies, recruits, educates, and develops the very best talent’) a panel of leading legal minds debated, in front of this audience of young people at the very beginning of their journey into the legal profession, what it means to be a lawyer; what are the ethical obligations involved? what have we learned from the past where being ethical was not always the first consideration - as in the Post Office scandal? how do we balance a responsibility towards clients with doing the right thing?
Big questions. The session was introduced by Patrick McCann (who appears more than once in this issue of CitySolicitor, maybe a nod to the man’s own impeccable ethical standards) who kicked off by addressing the audience of apprentices directly.
“I see you as newborns and I want you to stay pure and connected to your roots and your values as you progress through your careers - and that can be tricky and challenging. All of us need lots of guidance and advice about what we should and shouldn’t be doing as lawyers.”
Amongst other luminaries on the panel were Colin Passmore, the Chair of CLLS and Professor Richard Moorhead, who started off his working life as a solicitor but quickly moved into academia, researching lawyers. He has spent the last 15 years specifically focussing on ethics.
The debate was lively and definitely the failings in our profession to always do the right thing were highlighted by Professor Moorhead - but countered by the CLLS Chair whose lived experience as a Senior Partner of a major City law firm has led him to believe most lawyers come to the job with a genuineness in wanting to do good and deviances from this, whilst they obviously exist, are the exception not the rule.
The topics explored were so fascinating that CitySolicitor decided to follow up by interviewing both of these legal gurus so that their thoughts can be shared with the broader audience of our readership.
We most definitely found that this is a subject which, far from being as straightforward as one should expect, has more layers than an onion.
“The temptation to say - as the senior lawyers did in the Post Office case - that we are so good we can get you out of any difficulty is a siren call to believe your own hype.”
Richard is a Law Professor who has spent many years looking at the sorts of ethical problems and conflicts that are experienced whilst in practice, including ones which he lived and saw first hand whilst practicing as a solicitor himself. As Chair of the Young Solicitors Group, Richard had often counselled trainees and young lawyers.
“I would say the Post Office scandal has put the whole issue of ethics in the legal profession on people’s agendas. This scandal consists of many, many instances where lawyers did things wrong. It is not a single, isolated case. It includes both lawyers in private practice and in-house, both criminal and civil lawyers, junior lawyers and some very senior ones. The behaviours that are complained about range from complacence through to misconduct and, in certain cases, criminal misconduct which, undoubtedly, will be investigated. It is serious and widespread across a long period of time. It suggests something bigger is afoot beyond this particular scandal. The Post Office is, simply, one example of lawyers not behaving ethically. There are a number of other cases popping up pointing towards lawyers not always doing the right thing. There was recently a suggestion made in the Guardian in regard to the Noel Clarke libel trial that his lawyer had inappropriately threatened a witness. It is important to say though that this does not mean that solicitors go into work every day intending to do something devious or improper. Usually what happens is that they may get carried away with representing the client at the limits and don’t think about or don’t know what the limits are.”
A very interesting piece of work was done by the SRA recently; ‘A Thematic Review on Professional Obligations’, which interviewed a selection of solicitors about their knowledge on their obligations. Most solicitors proclaimed to clearly know these obligations but when they were tested they were found lacking - and this was even true of the senior compliance officers. This does mirror life. All drivers once passed a test proving their knowledge of the Highway Code and so we believe we are still aware of what we should and shouldn’t do - but, truthfully, would we pass the test today if we had to retake it or is that knowledge buried so deep it is, in essence, forgotten and replaced with complacency?
What can be done to rectify this in our profession?
“One issue is training and education. We have a very poor history of education around ethicsand this should include continuing competence. What is harder is getting it taken more seriously in practice because therein lies the basic problem. If it was regarded as more important and well enforced then it would be given the gravitas it deserves. Also culture within law firms and amongst individual law firms is a big problem - and that’s a difficult nut to crack. How do you change an attitude that believes it is more likely that it will be someone else who will get led astray? We all believe that while we are not saints, we are not sinners. But the truth is we are all both saints and sinners and we need to be more careful about the times when we can fall into traps. So when the 1 in 100 cases presents itself where we face a difficult dilemma without us realising it or knowing what to do, we are better prepared to deal with it.”
Richard says he always starts his class with new students by asking them why they have decided to enter the profession and there are three answers; the desire to do good, money and status and, lastly, the desire to do something that is difficult and requires a great deal of skill. These latter two can detract you from the first.
“The temptation to say - as the senior lawyers did in the Post Office case - that we are so good we can get you out of any difficulty is a siren call to believe your own hype.”
Another thing Richard says we need to consider is that even if we want to do the right thing, we might not necessarily know what that is particularly if everyone around us is behaving in a casual or thoughtless way when presented with problems. Good intentions are not enough in themselves.
Colin Passmore is the first to admit that he hasn't followed the detail of the Post Office scandal in such depth as Richard and others have and he is more than willing to accept that the final report is going to show some pretty appalling behaviour. Whilst he respects both Richard’s preeminence in the field of ethics and also his views generally, nonetheless in this particular instance, he believes that it is dangerous to extrapolate the Post Office evidence so as to conclude that there must some wider, almost systemic , issue within the profession with
the implication that there may be many more instances of unethical conduct, which are going unchecked and undiscovered.
“Where is the evidence that, beyond the Post Office scandal, solicitors are regularly engaging in efforts to deceive the court or to misuse privilege? You would expect Judges to be calling such behaviour out. And yes, where there is misconduct we know that the SRA takes appropriate action. But why is this now being presented as a profession-wide problem, with the result that all solicitors, good and bad, are getting tarred with the same brush? It has often been suggested, also, that London is fast becoming the money laundering capital of the world and that solicitors are thereby involved in enabling this. But, again I ask where is the case law to substantiate this? I am not saying it is nonexistent but if it is as rife as we are being led to believe, we would be reading about specific instances daily.”
Colin’s particular area of specialism is in the field of privilege - something he has written definitive text books about and he is considered the ultimate expert on the subject.
“Professor Moorhead and others have written a paper suggesting that privilege is regularly abused. I know more about privilege than most, and I can tell you, aside from the Post office inquiry, I struggle to think of a single recent case where somebody has been accused of abusing privilege. Yes, people make claims to privilege that are challenged and then not upheld by the Judges. But that is not abusing privilege. In any case, I think all of us who practice in the business and property courts are aware of and mindful of PD57 AD, which imposes an obligation on all lawyers to make sure that their client's claims to privilege are properly made.”
Where Colin does find himself in total agreement with Richard is that he believes we don’t spend enough time thinking about ethics generally as a profession.
“Solicitors, barristers and other legal professionals do not routinely undertake refresher courses on ethics. I think it's probably not as well appreciated as it should be that under the Legal Services Act, and as translated into the SRA principles and guidance, we have a duty to balance the interests of clients - which obviously are very important - against other obligations, such as the rule of law,with the result that the former should not always trump the latter. I think regular refresher courses on ethics should be a part of our ongoing training - in the same way that we have regular anti-money laundering training, data protection training, tax avoidance training and so forth.”
Colin says it is important that we do not assume that all legal professionals are all falling down when it comes to ethical standards and knowledge of ethics and whilst he would like to see more ongoing education and refresher courses, he says the last thing we need to see is a swathe of regulation around this.
“Solicitors, for the most part, are doing their best, sometimes in very difficult circumstances, to discharge their clients' interests, do the right thing in litigation, in getting transactions done and in keeping the economy going. But it cannot be the case that we are all falling down on ethics. I totally refute that. I've read the LSB consultation paper. I've looked at some of the evidence that they rely on. And yes, there are instances where, for example, NDAs are drawn up repeatedly on behalf of a particular client, I can see that that is wrong. So go after that solicitor if it's justified. But it doesn't mean to say every time you do an NDA, you're guilty of some unethical behaviour. As lawyers, our reputations are everything. None of us would set out to destroy them.”
How naive we can be to assume doing the right thing is a simple decision to make. It is a very complex area but, if we accept that most people enter the profession with the intention of doing good, then we can only hope they will take the necessary time to really consider every situation before acting - and, therefore, act ethically. Whether unethical behaviour within our profession is widespread or limited to rare incidents seems to be a matter we do not all agree upon but what goes undisputed by all is the need for better education and refresher courses on the subject which will keep this important matter totally front of mind. ■
“Solicitors,
barristers and other legal professionals
do
not routinely undertake refresher courses on ethics. I think it's probably not as well appreciated as it should be that under the Legal Services Act, and as translated into the SRA principles and guidance, we have a duty to balance the interests of clients”
ELIMINATING RACISM ONE GOAL AT A TIME
For a long time now, black footballers have played a very important part in our Premier League teams, like Chelsea as an example. Think of Didier Drogba and Ashley Cole, genuinely phenomenal players. But they may never have had the opportunities they did if one very brave and resilient man who came before them had not been prepared to take the bullets and pave the way forward.
It was almost fifty years ago that Paul Canoville began playing for Chelsea and from the minute he first set foot on the pitch, he also took the first step towards changing the history of football in more ways than one.
But let’s go back to the beginning. Paul’s story is not an easy one to hear - so most definitely not an easy one to have lived.
Paul wanted to be a footballer from the age of five. His parents had been part of the Windrush generation and separated when Paul was only two. Paul’s mum, a nurse, struggled to bring him and his sister up alone and was not impressed with Paul’s sporting ambitions which she did not view as a career with prospects. Paul admits to feeling the absence of a male mentor and found himself getting involved with groups of older boys, following their lead - not always in good ways. These boys were amongst the first to recognise Paul’s talent with a ball and tried to discourage him from getting too involved with their activities and to concentrate more on developing his skills. Sometimes he listened. Sometimes he didn’t.
Paul played truant. He missed almost half a term at school. So when exams came, to say he was unprepared is a gross understatement. It was at this point his mum became aware of what was going on - and, needless to say, she was not best pleased. But Paul refused to stay away from his friends. When they decided to break into an electrical shop, Paul wanted to be a part of this. This was the first time he had done anything criminal but luck was not on his side and he got caught. He expected the judge to be lenient as it was his first offence but he got four months in borstal. He says this was a real wake up call for him. He was only 15 at the time.
The borstal had a football team and, of course, Paul joined. An outside team came in to play against them and Paul’s team won with an incredible score of 10-0 with Paul scoring nine of the goals. He was really encouraged by one of the guards to try and get a major team to sign him on. When he came out of borstal, his aunt (who was a second mum to him) also encouraged him to really go for it with football and he was taken on by a club called Hillingdon Borough where he played as a semi-professional. His mum and her partner
moved to Slough and Paul moved in with them. It seemed as though finally things were picking up for Paul - but it was not to be. Paul and his mum’s partner did not get on and, after an argument, he threw Paul out. Paul then discovered what it means to be homeless, walking the streets with nowhere to go. His sister was pregnant and living in a hostel and no males were allowed in so the only way she could help was by giving him food through a window. An old neighbour let him sleep in his car - something he did for three weeks. The only time Paul could shower was when he went to training twice a week so, needless to say, he arrived at the sessions not smelling too sweet. One of his team mates pointed out that his smell of BO had not gone unnoticed. Paul’s pride had stopped him from telling of his situation until that day - but then everyone wanted to help.
Paul was going for trials at some of the bigger and better clubs and Chelsea took him on for the remaining seven months of the season as a trial. This was a dream coming true for Paul. Little did he know another nightmare awaited.
After four months, Paul was called into the first team as a reserve.
“I was so excited for my debut match. It was a London derby against Crystal Palace. On the coach driving to the ground, I played over and over in my head what I could and would do if I got onto the field. Putting on the shorts, the tracksuit, my lucky ring - it was all a ritual and the excitement was building up inside me. I was so ready. The score at the end of the first half was 0-0 so I thought there might be a chance I’d be called on for the second half. After 30/35 minutes nothing happened, so I was scraping the aluminium studs of my boots on the concrete to make a noise to remind the manager I was there, ready. He eventually told me to warm up. As I was preparing to go on, I heard some very ugly racist abuse and thought it was Crystal Palace’s fans trying to put me off. The abuse was getting worse. Bananas were being thrown at me. When I turned around I was horrified to see it was actually Chelsea supporters. It was so difficult I didn’t want to go on the pitch. I did but I was thrown. I wasn’t in the right mindset. As soon as the final whistle blew, I got into the changing room as quickly as I could. Instead of the usual banter, everything was so quiet. My teammates had heard the abuse.
“But I went back to my ambition as a five year old and I was not going to let these racist fans strip me of my dream. I stayed. It took almost three years for the abuse to stop. I got booed while others were cheered. ”
Everyone was shocked and stunned. On the way home, all of my friends were calling me and telling me I shouldn’t be playing for such a racist club. But I knew it wasn’t the club. It wasn’t even all of the fans. Just a few. It was a hard decision to make as to whether I wanted to stay and play in front of them again. But I went back to my ambition as a five year old and I was not going to let these racist fans strip me of my dream. I stayed. It took almost three years for the abuse to stop. I got booed while others were cheered. I felt I had to play twice as well as my teammates.”
Where it all changed was a cup game against Sheffield Wednesday. Chelsea were 3-0 down and Paul was brought on after half time. Within 10 seconds he scored. That gave Chelsea the boost they needed and they managed to draw the game. And, with that, the fans changed their perspective.
The following week at Chelsea’s next game, the fans sang Paul’s name for the very first time. And never stopped after that.
That match was pivotal for Paul in more ways than one though. He had been in contact with his dad who he had not seen for many many years and as he happened to be living in Sheffield, Paul invited him to the match. He accepted - this was the first time anybody in Paul’s family was to see him play. Paul’s head was full of questions for his dad - but he knew he had to concentrate on the game. When they met after the game, somehow all the questions seemed irrelevant. They had a drink and thereby began a relationship that is still a huge part of their lives today.
Paul was always a player that was brought on late in the game; something he wasn’t happy about as he felt he deserved to be on from the start. This gave him some attitude - particularly when one player who he did not consider to be as good as him was signed and was playing from the outset every time. This made Paul delay in signing a new contract. Then a terrible incident happened. Paul was racially abused by one of his team-mates and approached him face to face to
tackle the matter. The player continued with the abuse and Paul punched him and knocked him out - something he regrets to this very day. A few days after he received a call from management asking him not to return to the club or training ground.
He then signed for Reading FC and it was while playing for them that he received a serious injury from a bad tackle and was told he would never play professionally again. This was devastating for Paul. He remembered how his mum had always told him how important education was and how he had never listened. But now he did not have a clue what to do next. He decided to try and make a recovery and carry on.
Paul went through rehabilitation for a full year. He came back to play but after one game his knee was so bad he knew then for sure that his career was over and he retired. Depression hit hard. He started to take drugs - crack cocaine - and became addicted. He became a recluse. Everything went downhill rapidly. Eventually he went to rehab.
Whilst in rehab, he became very ill and it turned out Paul had cancer. He went through surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. His hair fell out. His immune system was very low so he was susceptible to colds which, for him in his state, were a very serious threat. One cold rendered him paralysed. He nearly died.
Paul was to go through another two cancer episodes. His life was hard to say the least. He hid away from everyone not wanting people to see the shell he had become.
Eventually he began seeing a counsellor and he started - for the first time in his life - to open up. Coming from a Caribbean background he had been always taught never to talk about his private business so this was a real counterintuitive shift for him. He says it was the best thing he ever did. It changed him. It changed his life. He says he felt “released”.
Paul was invited by Chelsea to give some talks to children about what he had been through. Paul was surprised at this as clearly the children were not old enough to remember him as a footballer - but he soon found out that despite their ages they most definitely knew who he was. Whilst Paul’s life had been spiralling, his place in history was being cemented.
He started to do more talks, inspiring the young with his story of fighting adversity and coming out the other side. Being able to finally open up, Paul discovered how powerful and captivating his experience was for others. Buoyed by the difference he could see he was making, Paul wrote his autobiography ‘Black and Blue’ in the hope that it would reach a broader audience and help them too.
From this, Paul felt highly motivated to start his own charity, the Paul Canoville Foundation whose mission is ‘to enrich children and adults through equality and diversity initiatives that improve allyship, belonging and community’.
We spoke to the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Matt Uberoi, about how the Foundation puts its mission into practice.
“We utilise Paul's powerful story of being Chelsea's first black player, of overcoming adversity such as racism, to ultimately develop and achieve really positive outcomes.
We deliver across three main areas. The first is in schools. We are fortunate to work with brilliant education partners and local authorities, particularly in London. We reach thousands of children across hundreds of schools, speaking to them about the importance of education and developing allyship - standing up for your friends. Children need to have the confidence to talk about their problems but, equally important, is giving their cohort the confidence to support their friends and stand with them when something happens that is not right. That isn’t just in response to racism, but a wide range of other issues children go through.
“We utilise Paul's powerful story of being Chelsea's first black player, of overcoming adversity such as racism, to ultimately develop and achieve really positive outcomes.”
Our second delivery route is through sports, delivering football and other sporting programmes at grassroot level. We've developed really good partnerships with growing and influential sporting entities, and that includes Chelsea Football Club, who we have formed a partnership with and do a huge amount of outreach work through.
Our third area of focus is through enterprise. We work with businesses, either partnering on impactful projects and initiatives, but also through Paul delivering inspirational talks to staff about inclusivity and resilience - particularly, for example, in the run up to Black History Month. People want to hear Paul’s powerful story and he is so good at delivering it. He is electrifying.
We support Paul by harnessing his incredible story and working out a way to scale it so that it can reach far more people - people who could really benefit from hearing it - and not just here in the UK but all over the world.”
Matthew is quick to say how much Paul underplays just how highly he is considered in the sporting world.
“My dad was actually at the Sheffield Wednesday away game Paul spoke about. Being from India, he was one of the very few ethnic minority supporters of Chelsea at the time, who also endured horrible things on the stands, but still kept going. Paul was a massive inspiration to my dad, even as an adult older than Paul at the time.
Today, Paul is considered a Chelsea legend. We're still talking about Paul nearly 50 years on from when he played for Chelsea; and in 50 even 100 years' time people will still be talking about him. There's not many people that occupy such a significant place. And it's because he was resilient and persevered.
that Paul conveys so effectively about being resilient, about talking about problems, about developing allyship, and really moving forward in life. Knowing that you can move forward, if you persevere and are strong, and that you can achieve really positive outcomes. And there's no greater positive outcome in footballing terms than what Paul achieved. He changed the path of Chelsea when it was an awful time for football. Racism was prevalent, you couldn't have picked a worse time to be a black footballer. But Paul kept going at it and it's truly remarkable.”
Both Paul and Matt think football - and sports in general - have come a long way since Paul’s initial experiences - but there is a lot of work still to be done. Football often mirrors what is going on in society in terms of societal norms and what is accepted. And whilst racism in society is now less than it was, it is undoubtedly still there. Initiatives like Paul’s Foundation help educate people, help root out racism, help people find their voice and the confidence to use it.
It is tragic that one man had to go through so much. But to then use it to try and make football, sport, and the world a more ethical place is testament to what an incredible human being Paul Canoville is. ■
“Switching off is beneficial for the mental health of employees”
That's one of the reasons Paul’s story is so inspiring. It really connects with people because life is hard for so many. There are strong messages
Navigating the Complexities of PFAS Contamination: Regulatory, Legal and Environmental Insights
In recent years, discussions about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have intensified, highlighting their complex and far-reaching implications for regulatory, legal and environmental frameworks. As awareness of PFAS contamination grows, so does the urgency for regulators and industries to confront and manage the associated risks, many of which trace back to historical practices. This article explores the unique challenges presented by PFAS and how to address this pressing environmental concern.
Why is PFAS different?
As the scale of the risk and liabilities associated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) becomes more evident, regulators are facing increasing pressure to investigate and address associated contamination. This includes ongoing industrial discharges and historical pollution, potentially dating back to the first mass production in the UK just after the Second World War. With the growing number of related claims, insurers are becoming increasingly wary about their coverage. In the context of property transactions, the uncertainty around potential remedial costs sets PFAS apart from traditional contaminants.
Regulatory Approach
In recent years, the Environment Agency has been implementing a PFAS Work Programme, aiming to develop a regulatory approach and prioritising resources to address related issues. For example, after identifying airports as a significant source due to their use of PFAS contained in firefighting foams, the Environment Agency has issued
Regulation 61 notices to request more information about the contents of the discharges through monitoring.
Legal Approach
Keith Davidson, Environmental Partner at Irwin Mitchell, recommends that client warnings are given for presumed PFAS sites as these are at a much higher risk from an environmental liability perspective, and firms should consider how these are treated going forward. He outlines several key steps that lawyers should consider at an early stage:
• Did previous environmental reports include testing for PFAS?
• Consider liability allocation in heads of departments/teams
• Is it possible to get insurance to cover PFAS contamination?
Presumed PFAS sites include airports, military land, fire stations, chemical sites, wastewater treatment plants, landfills, incinerators, paint and ink manufacturing, photography, textiles and leather, metal plating, paper and packaging, plastics and automotive.
Approach by Groundsure’s Environmental Consultants
Looking back at related land uses historically, airfields have not always been mapped due to security sensitivities, resulting in censorship. Similarly, in the late 1950s, a specific type of manufacturing once included in historic mapping (e.g. Fire Foam and Equipment Works) is no longer specified. This can make it difficult to pinpoint land uses that may have used PFAS-related substances.
However, when composing the contaminated land section of a Groundsure Review, our consultancy team will thoroughly examine and interpret each map available in our extensive library to provide a comprehensive summary of the site’s history. The Groundsure Review puts you in the best position to identify environmental risks associated with properties involved in transactions with clear, actionable advice on how to pass on to your client when risks have been identified.
Given the emergence of risk and liabilities associated with PFAS-related substances, we have reviewed our approach and will continue to learn and update our risk profile and advice.
Scan the QR code to find out more
CHAMPIONS KEEP PLAYING UNTIL THEY GET IT RIGHT
Wherever you come from in the world, sport is a common denominator that brings us together. It is supposed to be about community. Connections made through sports prove invaluable in other areas of life. But how did this trillion dollar industry manage to find immunity for its actions? How did it escape - until relatively very recently - the code of ethics that is now an integral part of most other businesses? In both major global sporting events and, at the other end of the spectrum, in school or club teams, and everything in between, corruption has been rife, abuse prevalent. Everyone should have access to sport - and no parent should ever have to fear about sending their children into that space. Because sport has always been kept so insular without much governance around it, the people in charge have had cause to believe they are so powerful they can do what they want. It is time to treat sport like any other business. To make it accountable for its behaviours. As the common denominator for so many people, the culture that surrounds sport can actually drive the behaviour of a particular town, country and even society as a whole. It is important for each and every one of us that we get it right.
David Alfrey is a partner at Addleshaw Goddard LLP. Since its first inception in 2016 he has been a key advisor to the founders of the Centre for Sport and Human Rights, whose mission it is ‘to advance a world of sport that fully respects and promotes human rights’. The Centre, which was set up in Geneva, looks to centralise accountability in sports through the lens of human rights. Mary Robinson, who was a former president of Ireland and who then was the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, became the founding chair and patron of the Centre and it very quickly grew with support from corporate sponsors, sports bodies, governments, trade unions, and civil society groups. David was also asked to support a project connected to human rights at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - which proved to be quite an extraordinary experience. As the event was approaching there was a lot of engagement from all over the globe as to what human rights standards and practice should look like for this particular World Cup. Peoples’ evolving attitudes to human rights would be the catalyst that would eventually promote meaningful change in the world of sports.
David says: “The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights came out in 2011. Russia and Qatar had won bids to host in 2010 for 2018 and 2022. So the runway, particularly for Qatar, was massive - but, more importantly, the award of the World Cup predated our current expectations of how Human Rights standards should be applied in the context of a mega-sporting event. It was around 2015 that realisation began that the world of sustainability and ethical corporate behaviour, that had started to develop more tangibly for the business world in particular, was not fully part of the ecosystem of sport which has always sat slightly apart from state-based standards and rules. If you look at the Olympics - or any of the mega sporting events - when they come to a specific country, usually the
city leaders (e.g. Mayors) will quite literally hand over the keys of the city to allow the sporting bodies to run them for the duration of the event. An example of this was when the UK hosted the Olympics, the London 2012 Olympic Act was passed to facilitate this - it allowed the organising and hosting bodies to control the delivery of the mega sporting event. In respects, sports organisations have supreme power but with very little accountability as to what goes on either pre or post event. We are all aware there are a number of issues and some of these repeat at every major event internationally, for example relating to the working conditions of migrant workers, labour conditions on site and in supply chains, discrimination in and around events, press freedom and so on. We also typically see patterns with illegalities of corruption presentbut once the starting whistle blows, everyone gets excited about the sporting event and often these concerns fade. This is commonly referred to as "sports washing". The same happens when the final whistle is blown. Suddenly it's all over, trophies get lifted and as everyone goes back to their lives or the next sporting adventure, the challenges in delivery of the games are often left unaddressed.”
It is clear that while sports ethics has a long history, responsible business practice was not a mainstream part of sports until fairly recently. Hence the need for the Centre which attempted to bring these influential bodies into a space where they would both focus on and action more accountability and greater engagement with the people and communities that they can impact.
As part of the Centre’s strategy, it introduced a roadmap called ‘Convergence 2025’ that sets out an ethical map of how to view sports through a people-centred approach, taking into account the responsibilities of institutions across sport.
It is clear that while sports ethics has a long history, responsible business practice was not a mainstream part of sports until fairly recently.
“There is an image of a stadium in the Centre’s strategy with athletes in the middle and fans around. The stadium stands are built up of all the advisers and other contractors. To contextualise this image, there are about 1200 contractual relationships in the delivery of major sporting events and failure to protect the interests of the vulnerable, amounts to around 1200 opportunities to have prevented this harm. Challenges in megasport are systemic and rely on collective responsibility rather than a single point of entry or just one organisation.”
There is a lot to consider as ethics and human rights impinge on each stage and each person involved in sports events. We all talk about how to deliver a hundred billion dollar event. In Qatar’s case it was 300 billion. The issue starts at the very beginning. How does one even win the bid in the first place?
The United 26 Men's World Cup was the first bid requiring human rights reports to be published by each city. Typically considerations that play into the selection of countries and cities include costs, spending and savings, key infrastructure needs, political will, legacy, etc. Taking infrastructure as an example, significant migrant labour workforces are required to build infrastructure, but often they don't come in with all the relevant protections because of how transnational migration corridors are ripe with exploitation, trafficking risk and illegal recruitment practices. If considered at a grassroots level, there are several examples of widely known cases in sports, in particular with regard to the systemic abuse of young female athletes within sporting structures. By example, both the Haiti and the Afghan girls’ football teams have reported horrendous experiences of abuse and trafficking. While some of those affected have been offered support, including asylum and are now safe, many others globally are not, and years of trauma may never be overcome. Unfortunately, throughout the world of sport, at every stage, there are examples of unethical behaviours.
Some areas of sports are now setting up their own bodies to promote ethical behaviour. Gymnastics have created a body called the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation (GEF) in answer to some of the very damning revelations there have been in recent years regarding behaviours like sexual, physical and mental abuse in schools, in training centres within the sport. Parents' complaints had been ignored - but now new structures, and independent safe sport units, are being established to try and not just deal with the repercussions of such behaviour but to stop it occurring in the first place.
Protecting children surely is something that is a common goal that nobody would ever dispute. But David tells of horror stories where safeguarding concerns are poorly understood, and recommended actions to improve safety are resisted on the basis of competing priorities.
Today, David advises a number of international sporting federations ranging from football to motorsport. He optimistically says a seismic shift is finally happening.
“People are willing to be more transparent. Also, importantly, athletes are finally being viewed and respected as people, not just assets. The shift in language may seem insignificant, but if a player is an asset they have limited rights and are accounted for as part of the economics of the model, but as an employee, they have protected rights, these need to be respected. That shift in language starts to shift the entire system.”
The role of the international sporting federations is critical as to whether sports will become more ethical. Sports rights owners have the ability to set the rules of the game, inviting athletes to participate on their set terms, and offering financial support to those willing to do so. See for example FIFA, in addition to owning the Men's and Women's World Cups, also provides financial support to the national federations.
Think of it from a legal context. If you are an athlete on the PGA tour, and you break the rules by doing something inappropriate, the PGA can exclude you, essentially preventing you from participating in key tournaments. But as the PGA, in this example, sets those rules, enforcement of the rules requires strong governance. Sports rights owners are able therefore to set the standards and enforce these, which if done well creates an opportunity to improve protections of rights in sport.
Recognising the challenges reported in the 2022 World Cup, the 2026 edition across Canada, Mexico and the United States could be even more difficult. Whilst David was at his previous law firm, Clifford Chance LLP, he published a report together with the Centre for Sport and Human Rights called ‘The Promise of a Positive Legacy’, which showed the opportunity for positive human rights change for all these cities rather than beating them up for not being there already. On the back of the report, a number of large corporations connected with sport rallied up - delighted to have all the information needed four years in advance to understand what the human rights legacy of the event could be. In theory, this timescale allows the opportunity to prepare and to ensure that host cities deliver responsible events with strong community legacies.
“Security is obviously a top priority. There is an awareness that there will be risk of sex and human trafficking. I do worry that the 2026 World Cup, as the first multi-state World Cup, will be more challenging than what we saw in Qatar on human rights grounds. Women’s rights are under attack. Gun violence is a unique phenomenon in the United States. Racism and discrimination is more overtly tolerated. Add capital punishment, a widespread homelessness challenge, police brutality, the assault on the rights of LGBTQI+ people, and so much more on that list. While Qatar had many challenges and the impact of the tournament on the labour rights of the migrant workforce was significant, the games-time risks for those attending are potentially so much bigger at a transnational event in North America. It will be interesting to see if collectively, sport can come together to deliver a great tournament.”
William Rook is Deputy Chief Executive of the Centre for Sport and Human Rights that David advised since establishment. Before moving into human rights William trained as a solicitor at Slaughter and May and practised at Hogan Lovells LLP.
“Very frequently, sports organisations will have various ethics codes, ethics committees, ethics principles, ethics practices. But what we see as a priority from our perspective is that all these things should be underpinned by a human rights foundation that's based in normative international standards as opposed to self-referential or self-defined codes. An approach rooted in the UN guiding principles on business and human rights is the best way to underpin ethics, integrity, safeguarding, sustainability, sports development and anti-doping - the whole plethora of assurance, duty of care and social good measures that sports bodies take to make sure that they are safe, inclusive, and accessible for everybody. By establishing a human rights foundation, sports bodies are better able to fulfil their social role and demonstrate that while very autonomous, they are responsibly governed.
For us, that means following the UN guiding principles and related standards like the OECD guidelines on responsible business conduct and asking questions like; Are sports organisations properly engaging their stakeholders? Are they considering the impact of their actions as an institution on people? Do they have robust policies in place? They're very frequently in a kind of castle with a drawbridge that's pulled up in a self-governing environment that can have some pretty archaic governance structures. A human rights based-approach encourages sports bodies to view themselves as part of an ecosystem of relevant actors that collaborate, rather than the more traditional hierarchical structures that have governed sport, that are themselves very euro-centric and perpetuate some of the structural issues that allow human rights abuses to take place in sports.
Sport is highly self-regulating. It lives outside of a lot of the policing and state-based mechanisms that could hold them to account. Because sport has a high degree of autonomy, this means sports organisations administer their own events, determine their own criteria, define who takes part when, where and how, but beyond that, administer their own disputes as well, whether it's through the Court of Arbitration for Sports or other operational grievance mechanisms, and often these kind of mechanisms don't have sufficient transparency attached to them or the
requisite expertise or design to accommodate human rights disputes effectively. While there are many good reasons for keeping sport independent of the state in lots of cases, on the flip side because it's so selfregulating, there are opportunities for abuses within those systems that can perpetuate.”
Sam Murray Hinde is an employment partner at Howard Kennedy LLP who has a particular specialism in sport. At the start of her career, she was involved in the sector working with Olympic governing bodies who, at that time, were mainly staffed by volunteers who, although had great intentions of doing good, were not properly qualified for the jobs they were having to do. Often those in senior roles were having to multitask and deal with issues outside their own remit, to include HR and safeguarding. When changes were brought in around how funding was awarded by UK Sport and Sport England, there was a real shake up to get all these organisations into shape and put better governance in place. This involved an overhaul of what the boards looked like, the skill sets, and what volunteers should and shouldn't be doing. It was a move away from simply being sports organisations, where the feeling was often that the same rules didn’t apply, and towards more professional and businesslike standards and accountability.
Sam genuinely believes a lot of the issues do arise from that sense of perception of being in a different sphere from business and there needs to be a change in culture.
“Ethics and values in sport, as with any profession, are vital in promoting confidence, but there are still some organisations that do not live and breathe these in the same way as other businesses and that may be because they haven't come under the same scrutiny in the past. Better structures and having checks and balances in place would help prevent crises occurring: you don’t want to be left addressing these issues as part of crisis management. Often, once a difficult period is over, organisations can relapse. The challenge is to ensure that efforts go beyond solving the immediate problem and are also focused on having systems and policies in place to ensure that the problems do not arise in the first place. Change is a journey that keeps going and it needs an ongoing commitment.”
Whilst there is so much in the media today about incidents of historic abuse and other unethical behaviours in sport, Sam believes they are only coming out now because people feel more
empowered to talk about them. She says today we have genuinely moved forward positively and there is much more awareness.
“Although things are definitely improving, we still have a long way to go. Governance is so important in that respect. The leadership has to have a vision that everyone engages with, where ongoing training is fundamental. As is listening to all stakeholders to understand the issues in order to get ahead of the curve rather than simply keeping up with it. Sport can be a great catalyst for change - especially when the people are behind it.”
Doing the right thing in the world of sports is clearly not as straightforward a purpose as it initially seems or as, indeed, it should be. But, that is not to say it cannot continue to change, to improve and, in fact, to lead the world in terms of ethical behaviour. It can and should set an example for the communities it represents both locally and globally. Part of that is most definitely down to regulation and accountability. It is a cause we must all champion and when we occasionally fail which, inevitably we will, we must persevere until we get it right.
“Doing the right thing in the world of sports is clearly not as straightforward a purpose as it initially seems or as, indeed, it should be.”
Why does someone choose to enter the legal profession?
Is becoming a lawyer a manifestation of doing the right thing? Or, can the lure of money determine the nature and level of ‘good’ a lawyer actually does?
Martin Wilton is one of the first solicitors to qualify via the Social Welfare Solicitors Qualification Fund (SWSQF), a stunning initiative championed by Patrick McCann which we have written about before many times in this publication, but for for newer readers who may not know;
‘The SWSQF is an initiative by the City of London Law Society, BARBRI and Young Legal Aid Lawyers (YLAL) to provide financial assistance to aspiring solicitors working in social welfare law for organisations serving disadvantaged communities. The SWSQF funds the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) preparation courses and assessments. The fund works alongside other initiatives to provide greater access to justice and widen access to the legal profession.’
We caught up with Martin to hear about how he discovered SWSQF and his journey from application to now being a fully qualified practising member of the profession.
Back in the day, Martin had no wish or desire to become a solicitor. He never had any interest in the Law. He simply wanted to work, to earn enough to pay bills. And beyond that had no particular aspirations.
He left school and went straight into an apprenticeship with a big transport company in the City. After a couple of years he qualified in various roles and chose one to work in - which he did happily and successfully. Until, out of the blue, he was suddenly told there was no longer a job for him and that he would have to, in essence, go back to the beginning and start at the lowest grade, a customer assistant, all over again.
Martin did not take this lying down but kicked up a fuss, particularly as the company had literally just advertised the job that he was told no longer existed. And thereby started a big fight. It never reached court but Martin had to fight his case by doing a lot of research and learning about what is redundancy, when is it lawful, when is it unlawful - all of this without any legal knowledge.
What Martin lacked in knowledge however, he made up for with determination and grit and eventually he and seven other apprentices all got their jobs back.
From there it snowballed. Martin became the workplace representative for his colleagues’ disputes and everyone saw that his knack of doing research, analysing it and then putting it into practice would make him the ideal solicitor. So the seed was sown.
“I see Legal Aid as the fourth emergency service.”
An opportunity arose for him just after the London Olympics in 2012 and he grabbed it with both hands. He went to college for the first time as a mature student, and got a distinction in his Higher Education Diploma which gave him enough UCAS points to get into university where he got his LL.B.
His first job was at Thurrock Council where he began as an unpaid intern to get his foot in the door. They soon saw his capabilities and potential and so made him a full time employee. From there, he followed his mentor from the Council to a private practice, where his mentor had become a partner. Martin joined the housing department, but six weeks after he started, he was furloughed due to the first national lockdown. The firm subsequently placed a hold on new training contracts while it navigated the uncertainty caused by the pandemic. During this period, his mentor introduced him to the SWSQF, which provided an alternative route to qualifying.
Martin successfully applied which was what led to him being where he is today, head of the department at Citizens Advice in Southend. They have just got a Legal Aid contract to offer full substantive funding; certificated cases, complex litigation through all stages of court, including the High Court when necessary. They have never done this type of work before. Martin is managing a small team - two others, a paralegal and a trainee - who he is helping, by virtue of his previous experience in the sector. Martin has just encouraged one of them to apply for SWSQF. Together, they are doing their best to expand the provision of Legal Aid in the area which Martin describes as currently having virtually none.
“There’s a shocking statistic that there are only five Legal Aid housing solicitors between Southend and Norwich. This is a Legal Aid desert.”
Obviously a team of three is not enough to cover all the work that comes their way. Devastatingly, they have to turn away around 40 out of every 50 people who come looking for help with litigation every single month. As Citizens Advice is usually a final resort, that then means they have nowhere else to turn to and become litigants in person.
“We offer different levels of Legal Aid. We do help about 28 people a month under Legal Help where we simply advise people on their position; whether their notice is valid or not, what their options and
prospects are. But what the sector is desperate for is litigation lawyers. People who can take on a case and run it through the court system but our capacity for that is very limited. ”Martin knows that his choice of which area of Law to practise in means he will never earn a lot of money - and he is fine with that. That is not why he came into the profession. He genuinely thinks he can help people and make a difference to their lives and that is payback enough for him. The startling lack of solicitors choosing to practise Legal Aid however, shows that he is the exception rather than the rule. After years of intense studying and training, most lawyers want to see a different sort of payback - and generally that is perceived in terms of money earned rather than people helped. Whilst we cannot blame anyone for making that choice, it does mean there is a dearth in Legal Aid lawyers.
Part of accepting a lesser salary means Martin knows that he will probably never even be able to repay his student loans - but he is giving back in a different and possibly much more valuable way.
The average Legal Aid rate is currently about £51 per hour so solicitors need to be massively efficient in how they manage their time and workload. For firms that carry out Legal Aid, success means they could be paid up to £200 an hour - and with that payment a guaranteed thing, the work can provide a good safety blanket for some private firms.
Fortunately for the citizens of Southend, Martin says there are a lot of people who volunteer their time to help. Whilst not lawyers, they can assist with things like fact finding, triage and documentation. The general advisors help an average of 25 people per day. If they feel the person is vulnerable and subject to an unlawful eviction they will immediately refer it to Martin’s team so those most in crisis are prioritised. But because so many are in crisis, someone who, say, has been given two months notice of eviction is probably not considered critical enough to be in a position to get specialist assistance. That is how dire the situation is.
“Last month a landlord dropped a lady off at our building, having unlawfully evicted her. This is where emergency mode kicks in. We rang the local authority to try and secure her accommodation and then look at claims against the landlord to try and secure a financial remedy.”
Martin is clear that this shocking situation will never improve unless there are people (thankfully like him) who are prepared to “fight the fight”.
“Whilst Courts remain without sufficient Duty Solicitors, landlords will continue to get away with unlawful evictions.”
Martin is grateful to all the general advisors and to university students who do placements with Citizens Advice and volunteer their time which both gives them experience but which gives him and his team huge support. Citizens Advice also has a retired solicitor who comes in and helps. But the door is very much open for any practising solicitors who can find some free time also to assist.
As well as time, money is important - obviously - and getting more lawyers working where they are so badly needed.
“I see Legal Aid as the fourth emergency service. When anyone is about to lose their home, or they have lost their home, or they are trying to escape domestic violence, they are at their most vulnerable - and a nation is only as good as how it treats its most vulnerable. If justice is only available to those who can afford it, it is not justice. If you are thinking of donating, your money is way more than just that, a donation, it is an investment into the future of the legal aid sector and that underpins our society.”
If you are interested in doing the right thing by donating to SWSQF or if you would like more information about ways to help, please contact enquiries@clls.org. ■
the reality of everyday life.”
Two weeks to go until the London Legal Walk returns for 2025- Final Call to Register!
Bill Cunningham
The countdown is on! In just two weeks, on Tuesday, 17th June, thousands of legal professionals, including the Lady Chief Justice, will walk shoulder to shoulder for this year’s London Legal Walk, a 10km journey through Central London in support of access to justice.
TJust as food is way much more than sustenance for most of us, what we wear is infinitely more than just practical or necessary. Fashion may be considered by some as frivolous or superficial but actually clothes can deeply affect our psychological state, they can change how we feel and they can, most definitely, enhance our feeling of well-being.
Remember making collages or mood boards? This is precisely what Collagerie does. It curates an entire look, theme or feel, drawn not from just one brand or store, but instead by searching out and sourcing the very best designs. Collagerie extends beyond clothes to home furnishings, art and beauty – fashion is not limited to what we wear.
Kate Spade once said, ‘playing dress-up begins at age five and never truly ends’ and this really sums it up. Clothes allow us to dress UP, to put on that ‘armour’ Mr Cunningham referred to - and to be the person we want to be. When we are on the sofa watching TV in our pyjamas, we are a different version of ourselves than when we put on that killer silk suit for the office.
his is your final chance to register to this iconic event. Registration closes on 6th June. Over 1,150 teams and over 15,000 walkers have already signed up and are fundraising for access to justice. Together, they are stepping up to support people facing legal challenges such as homelessness, domestic abuse, employment issues, immigration difficulties, and debt. If you or your organisation haven’t signed up yet, please register your team before midnight on Friday 6th June.
Katie Hutley is the publisher of Fabric, a monthly, glossy lifestyle magazine which covers fashion alongside people, interiors and property. She works from home a lot of the time and initially found this to be a dream as it took a lot of the pressure off. But she increasingly found that how she put her game face on - and we are not just talking about her face here - made a massive difference to who she feels she is and how she approaches her day.
Participants can choose between three 10km routes, including the well-loved parks route or one of the river routes. The Strand and Lincoln’s Inn Field routes provide two shorter routes for those who want to participate but require a shorter route as an adjustment The Walk begins with registration on Carey Street from 3pm until 7pm, followed by a vibrant street party featuring street food vendors, music, live entertainment, and an outdoor bar.
been more critical. I am proud to walk alongside so many colleagues who understand that for many, legal advice is not a luxury, but it is a lifeline” - The Rt. Hon. Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, Lady Chief Justice
The London Legal Walk isn't just an event. It is a lifeline for many free legal advice charities. As the cost-of-living crisis continues, the demand for free specialist legal advice increases by the day. Meanwhile the sector faces growing funding shortages and staffing pressures. With more than £11.5 million raised since it began in 2005, the Walk has helped over 100 frontline legal charities every year.
Serena and Lucinda met while both working at fashion industry bible Vogue, where Serena was Executive Fashion Editor and Lucinda Fashion Director. They originally had no intention of setting up a business together, but when they both left Conde Nast and were chatting over coffee, they observed that, in their role as editors, they always had their antennae switched on to great designs and intriguing ideas. They spent their lives editing the excess of products available to shoppers, identifying the best of the best, and mentally moodboarding looks, and that put them in the perfect position to share their know-how. Thus, Collagerie was born.
“Even if I am not leaving my home office, I still need my ‘armour’. I decided to just wear all the clothes that had been gathering dust since the days when I led a more corporate lifestyle. So I still put on that dress. Why not? What am I waiting for? It really helps me and my mood. I have to really think about who I want to present myself as to the people who are not in my natural circle. I sometimes catch myself just in time - instead of dressing like them to fit in and to be something I am not, I decide to bring ‘me’ to the party - and so I choose my outfit accordingly. Thinking about what I am wearing helps me think more clearly about what I am bringing to the table.”
“The London Legal Walk is a powerful demonstration of our profession’s shared commitment to access to justice. In a time of rising demand, the work of free legal/advice agencies has never
Whether you’re a law student, solicitor, barrister, judge, advice worker, or simply passionate about access to justice, you can still sign up to the Walk solo or with your team. Registration closes at midnight on 6th June.
“We believed that what was missing from the landscape was a destination that felt inspirational and inclusive, so no matter what your budget, there’d be something for you. An H&M bath mat can sit happily next to a Bottega Veneta handbag. It all started with creating ‘moods’ and inviting customers into a world where they felt inspired to shop.”
Every step matters. Let's walk together to ensure everyone has access to justice.
Serena believes trust is a crucial element. Just as readers trust what a favourite magazine tells them, Collagerie inspires confidence with its beautifully crafted edits that have done the hard work for shoppers. They cut through the online overload that can be overwhelming and off putting. The team is out there, sourcing inspiration and stylish design – whether celebrating familiar brands or introducing niche labels you’d never heard of.
A WONDERFUL PAST AN ACTIVE PRESENT AND A GLITTERING FUTURE
The City of London Solicitors’ Company (CLSC) had its first Banquet in 1909, and just as we did in 2025, and almost every year since, it was held at Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor of the City of London. Thank you, for having us for over a century!
Our Company is immensely proud of its traditions, but it is working hard to create a future that will attract the vibrant community of today's City Solicitors. In short, we want you!
How do you join us? Freedom of the Company, Freedom of the City, Livery
To join us, you must be or have been a solicitor and must practise or have practised in the City of London or Canary Wharf. Private practice, in-house lawyers, solicitors working for government and the armed forces can all join:
Freedom of the Company: You must first apply for the Freedom of the Company, which involves a short optional ceremony in front of our Court (the governing body of the Company):
Freedom of the City: Optionally, you can then apply for the Freedom of the City of London, which is a historic honour and a mark of your connection to the City:
Livery: Finally, and also optionally, you can then take the Livery and enjoy all the rights and privileges of the Company. You can also get involved in helping to run the Company by joining one of our committees or standing for election to the Court:
All forms are also available here: https://www.citysolicitors.org/ under "Join Us"
If you are a trainee or apprentice solicitor, watch this space for a new membership category. You are our future and we want you!
Our 2025 Banquet had 300 attendees (a record number for recent decades). Beyond those impressive numbers, in the following pages, we look at the Company's passion for developing our next generation, supporting wellbeing within our profession and our charitable objectives.
We mentioned apprentices. Our Company loves apprentices. The concept pre-dates articled clerks and trainees, and our Company history books detail a rich involvement of apprentices with the Company in earlier times.
In this edition, we speak to an apprentice who attended the 2025 Banquet to hear the perspective of our future members who were born this century. We also imagine what the future may hold for those at the start of their City journey when they join the Company..
One of our Company's core values is charity. We look at "Rights of Women", a wonderful organisation on whose behalf the Company organised our online fundraising campaign in recognition of International Women’s Day 2025. The theme this year is #AccelerateAction and includes a call to ‘support the supporters’ as follows:
“With so many impactful groups across the world delivering critical work that assists women and girls, we can all lend our support in solidarity. That's why for 2025, IWD sees a big call-to-action for all IWD events to incorporate an element of women-focused fundraising.”
The Company chose this particular organisation because as well as focussing on women, it is based locally and has a legal purpose which fits well with its strategy for its charitable activities.
For the first time, the Company pledged to donate whatever was raised up to £2,000. We are delighted to announce that £6,642.40 was presented to Rights for Women. This was made up of £4,642.40 in donations attributed to the fundraiser plus £2,000 in matched funding from the Company’s Charitable Fund.
The past, the present and the future – join and enjoy our Company. There is tradition, charity, societies, sports and togetherness waiting for you.
“If you are a trainee or apprentice solicitor, watch this space for a new membership category. You are our future and we want you!”
OUR FLAGSHIP EVENT: TODAY AND ALWAYS: OUR ANNUAL BANQUET
2
1st January 1909: who's there?
The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Alverstone. He's dining with us. The Attorney General, Sir William Robson, and the Solicitor General, Sir Samuel Evans, they are there too. Fast forward 116 years to 2025. The Solicitor General is here again, but it is Lucy Rigby MP, a former Slaughter & May associate, and she's giving a speech.
In the early years of the Mansion House Banquet we had many Solicitor Generals dine with us; Sir Ernest Pollock in 1921, followed by Sir Thomas Inskip in 1928 and Sir JB Melville in 1930.
Before the 2025 Banquet we posted a picture of the 1947 Banquet Table Plan, to promote this year's Banquet, asking "Will your name be on the list?".
Well, we have indeed had some impressive names on our previous Mansion House Banquet lists: Prime Minister David Lloyd George, was a life-long member of the Company, served on our first Court and attended many dinners.
In 2025, we had Lord Reed, the President of the Supreme Court, Sir Geoffrey Vos, Master of the Rolls and Head of Civil Justice; and Lord Justice Sir Colin Birss, Deputy Head of Civil Justice dining wih us.
Our guests from judiciary had dined with us many times before of course, the Master of the Rolls for example, was first with us in the form of Lord Sterndale in 1919, then later as Sir Ernest Pollock in 1924, Lord Wright in 1936, Lord Greene in 1948, Lord Evershed in 1961 and Lord Denning in 1963, to name a few.
This year, 2025, the Annual Banquet was held on Tuesday 25th February in the exquisite Egyptian Room at Mansion House.
Just to be inside such a wonderful building was a treat in itself. But that treat was simply the first of many that were in store for the 300 guests who donned their finest attire to attend this stunning event. (Forget the Met Ball in New York, some of the outfits worn were straight out of Vogue - a big call out here to the Mistress Solicitor, Panthea Parker.)
On arriving, our affiliated Cadets, from 71 Cadet Detachment London Irish Rifles, provided us with a guard of honour. These are an exceptional group of young people, and we were particularly proud to have them standing behind the Master when he signed the military covenant on behalf of the Company on Remembrance Day last year. On arrival at Mansion House, they greeted each and every guest and making them feel as though they were the most special and important person there. The champagne flowed as old friends caught up and new bonds were formed. Nobody was a stranger or an outsider. The welcoming and encompassing arms of the Company bound us as a family.
“It was an extraordinary event in so very many ways and each of us who were lucky enough to attend were truly privileged.”
We were summoned into the breathtaking dining room where tables were sumptuously laid out and adorned and, as we took our seats, the excitement and aura that prevailed signalled that a very special evening lay ahead.
In 2025, we had a wonderful menu. Our members in 1909 would have been proud. We have their menu card: "Tortue Claire"; "Filets de Turbot Duglere" and "Claret La Rose 1893".
Our members 36 years later, would have been even prouder. Their Banquet, the first after the war, was held on 13th December 1945. Owing to war-time food regulations there was a scaled back menu of mock turtle soup, roast chicken, and not much else.
The simply delicious food (a starter of salmon, a main of duck and a dessert that, even though full, we all somehow felt we absolutely had to make room for) were paired with fine wines selected by the Company’s own Wine Committee headed up by Nick Hughes who excelled himself in the selection for the evening.
The "no war restrictions" dinner was delightfully and joyfully punctuated with various toasts and other fond nods to tradition and bygone days. Two trumpeters playfully competed with each other from separate mezzanine balconies - it was almost as though they were engaging in a language with each other the rest of us could only guess at - but it was exquisite both to watch and hear.
Then there was the Loving Cup. This is a City tradition which began in the Anglo-Saxon era, when King Edward the Martyr was stabbed to death in 979 whilst eating at a Banquet. You can't be too careful in the City!
Each table had a huge trophy type chalice; it had to be passed around by one person holding it, another guarding their back from would be assassins and a third opening the lid and then closing it after the holder removed a chocolate to eat. Pre-pandemic, the chocolate had been wine to sip, but COVID ruined that. Some Livery Companies have moved back to wine, but solicitors are a cautious bunch.
But the highlight of the evening was not the glamour nor the delicious culinary treats nor the fun and games - but the speeches.
Forget boring wedding speeches - these were on point, relevant, heartfelt, provocative and inspiring.
They came from Lucy Rigby KC MP Solicitor General, Barbara Mills KC Chair of the Bar Council (more about this to follow) Vincent Keaveny CBE, Virginia Cannon (Salter) and the Master himself, Edmund Parker.
The Master excelled himself. He had a letter in his hand, sent from the Year 2050, by a guest called "Kier" (a nom de plume) at the 2025 Banquet, who had joined the Livery Company having been inspired by what he had seen
Kier reminisced at how he had attended the Banquet with his friends, "Boris" and "Theresa" and which inspired him to become a Liveryman and to go on to do great things for both the Company and the profession as a whole. The Master then invited all of the solicitor "Kiers" Borises" and Theresas" there as our guests to join the Company (Note to Master, once his office comes to an end in June, maybe could stop writing books about derivatives and move on to science fiction).
Mention was also given to the Company’s amazing charitable efforts including its fundraising for the incredible Rights of Women organisation (much more on this in following pages).
The only criticism of the evening - it all went by way way too quickly. The time just flew by and we are all counting the seconds until next year. It was an extraordinary event in so very many ways and each of us who were lucky enough to attend were truly privileged. ■
“One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.”
WELLBEING WITHIN THE LEGAL PROFESSION
Readers of CitySolicitor magazine will know that wellbeing in our profession is a subject we take very seriously - indeed so much so that we devoted our last two issues to it. So it felt apposite that Barbara Mills KC, our guest speaker at the City of London Solicitors’ Company’s Annual Banquet, should deliver her keynote speech on this very subject. Barbara has expressed that the wellbeing of lawyers is one of her top priorities in her role as Chair of the Bar Council and what she had to say was thought provoking and hugely helpful.
“This is the year of the review in the justice system - the Gauke Review, the Leveson Review and the Spending Review.
There is another review which I believe is worth us considering and that is a review of how we look after ourselves to ensure we have a long and sustainable career.
Robin Sharma, someone who knows all about building a successful personal brand, once said: “the swiftest way to triple your success is to double your investment in personal development” and I couldn’t agree more.
For the most part, by the time a client needs a lawyer, it’s probably fair to say that things are not going well or as planned in their life.
We now know that professionals exposed to the trauma and distress experienced by clients can themselves suffer the same, vicariously. Add to that the intensity of the work, its relentless pressure and high expectations, the competitiveness in our professions, and the adversarial nature of our work… it is little wonder that all of this can lead to chronic and unmanageable fatigue, burnout and illness if left unchecked.
In our latest survey of barristers’ working lives, those who reported lower overall wellbeing were; women, barristers from an ethnic minority background, younger and more junior barristers, those in criminal and family practice, and those who had experienced or observed workplace bullying or harassment.
The Bar Council works closely with the charity LawCare and we provide a round-the-clock assistance programme through Health Assured for those in need of support.
I note and welcome your new Almoner’s initiative to provide a listening ear to members facing difficult times.
These support systems are vital and today, wellbeing is spoken about much more openly than when I first started out. But the emphasis, as demonstrated above, remains centred around crisis management.
What I would like to see in the legal professions is wellbeing being treated as a core skill which is incorporated into the fabric of practiceproactively - and not as a way to manage a crisis. A tool that is elevated to a pillar of practice – to the same non-negotiable level as having an accountant or having insurancewellbeing framed as a Continuing Professional Development. A kind of reflective supervision if you will.
The good news in terms of pushing this agenda item and it being well received is that solicitors are ahead of us – some solicitors are already starting to see the benefits of clinical supervision, something that was previously only found in the world of counselling and psychotherapy.
And the evidence emerging from my solicitor colleagues is that this work can not only improve wellbeing but provide a space for ethical reflection which then enhances ability to access and use their legal skills. Ultimately, such proactive supervision/coaching provides, supports and makes sustainable long term careers possible.
In 2024 as Vice Chair, I spoke about wellbeing wherever and whenever possible and it was clear to me that the need for greater emphasis of wellbeing was there. From exhausted practitioners who have a daily diet of Rape and Serious Sexual offences to young practitioners who are responsible for multi-million pound disputes in the commercial courts, there was recognition that there is a widespread need for continued and further support. I listened to practitioners, their Clerks and support staff across the profession and whilst the specific circumstances are different in different areas of practice, there are common themes of stress, overwork, isolation, all of which can lead to bad practice habits, chronic ill health and for some leaving the profession.
That scoping work last year also identified the following potential barriers to Reflective Supervision.
Language. Many barristers may shy at the use of supervision, particularly, anything that suggests a psychological supervision component - for example, which they may see as stigmatising.
Time. Many may see supervision as an indulgence.
Cost. Affordability will be a key factor for more junior barristers and those working in publicly funded areas, or not working full time. We are exploring the potential for tax relief.
Lawyers are not good at identifying case material as the source of their psychological ill health, therefore a model that focussed solely on ameliorating the impact of case material may not be taken up.
What are the steps we are taking in 2025?
First of all, I am campaigning to normalise and promote reflective supervision as part of healthy practice management/development.
Secondly, I intend to build on the fantastic work that the Bar has already done in relation to wellbeing over the last 10 years as evidenced by the Wellbeing at the Bar page on our website.
A working group chaired by Charlotte May KC will be running a series of pilots with our members to see what model of reflective practice would best suit them because I am aware that one size will not fit all. I would very much like the finished product(s) to be a tax-deductible expense. The latter is not straight forward and we are taking advice but can’t have too many views. So… if you are a tax specialist and have any ideas about how we might achieve this, please don’t be shy. I would be delighted to hear from you.
My goal is to facilitate better practice habits, to enable practitioners to spot problems before they take hold, to protect themselves from running into difficulties and to help others. There is no doubt that for most practitioners,
there is enormous value obtained from talking and sharing. It is important for people to hear the experience of others which resonates with their own experience. It removes the sense of isolation and facilitates collaborative discussion about coping techniques.
While I acknowledge that this is an ambitious project which will require a changed attitude in some quarters and will not happen overnight, I am determined to do it - we have to start somewhere to improve practice and change the working culture for the better.
I acknowledge that I am advocating for the sort of change which is tricky because it often walks hand in hand with that crippling of all fears –and with fear comes resistance.
But this is a time for lawyers to take a leap of faith and come with me to explore wellbeing because without facing the fear and striding forward we stop growing.
I will leave you with the encouraging words of Abraham Maslow who famously said:
“One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.”
So, onwards with courage and determination to wellness and longevity.”
A lot to take in, digest and consider. But consider we must and not just stop there - we need to take positive action. Not just for our own individual wellbeing, but for that of the profession in its entirety. ■
LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
Cyril Lekgetho is a third year apprentice at Mayer Brown International LLP, currently working in the firm's London Finance Group where the CLSC’s Master, Edmund Parker is a partner and head of the firm's derivatives practice.
Apprentices rotate areas of practice every six months but Cyril very quickly decided Finance was the area for him long term and so extended his time there by a further six months. He puts his decision down not just to a fascination with the subject itself but also because of the Master’s leadership of the practice and his embracing of his team and fully involving them in everything.
This year, the Master invited Cyril to the Company’s Annual Banquet as one of his personal guests. Cyril was delighted by such an opportunity which he says wasn’t about entertaining the clients but rather all of them together sharing the joy of the evening and being able to get involved in some of the history and traditions together. Cyril felt the event almost was a stamp and a seal on how he feels about being a solicitor.
“ It was a great coming together of like minded people who have common interests and who have a shared commitment not just to the Rule of Law but also to charity and integrity - values I believe all lawyers should try to embody both inside and outside of their practice.”
Cyril had never attended a Livery Company event before so he definitely dived in at the deep end with such a grand and glamorous event as his debut. He says when he heard the bugles playing and also when he had to take part in the Loving Cup and did not have a clue what to do, he knew he was at something both very special and very different from anything he had experienced before - but never did he feel intimidated or out of place. Indeed so much did he love the event that when we spoke, he had his programme for the evening on his desk which he has kept as a memento.
“It was a fantastic evening and experience. It was grand and surreal but everyone was friendly, engaged and down to earth. And it was great to connect with so many people who all share the Law as a passion. I certainly did not take much convincing to decide that I really want to join as a Liveryman as soon as I qualify. I felt a part of something that felt important and right and it was a privilege to be able to support the Master in his duties. When we were marshalled into the pillared, high ceilinged and very grand dining room by the cadets, the grandeur really hit home. As a solicitor
apprentice, hearing everyone talk about the future of the Company and knowing I can be a part of it felt wonderful to me. I feel the Company is 100% relevant to today. It feels contemporary and something future solicitors should most definitely get involved with to make the very most of their time in the City.”
What is it about the Company that attracted Cyril?
“Just looking at the level of speakers and guests at the event - like Lucy Rigby and Barbara Mills - evidences the high esteem that both the Company and its members are held. It was great to hear the Master mentioning apprentices in his speech - it is evident that he sees us as the future - something that was made even more apparent by the Master’s letter from the future which was supposedly written by someone exactly like me attending the Banquet.”
Cyril says being in and around a setting where participation from juniors is so encouraged made him sure this was very much something he wants to be a part of. This was reinforced when he spoke with members of different generations who each told how their careers and, indeed, their lives had been enriched by being a part of the Company.
Maybe the Master’s deep dive into 2050 was as clairvoyant as it was perceptive and that perhaps Cyril or one of the other junior lawyers who were fortunate enough to attend the Banquet in 2025 will one day be hosting the event as Masters themselves. It certainly seems that both the Banquet - and the Company - have a great future ahead.
“ It was a great coming together of like minded people who have common interests and who have a shared commitment not just to the Rule of Law but also to charity and integrity - values I believe all lawyers should try to embody both inside and outside of their practice.”
SUPPORTING THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN
As mentioned before, this year the CLSC ran a successful fundraiser to support Rights of Women and pledged to match every penny raised, capped at £2,000. Great initiatives and social media posts as well as a QR code on the Company’s annual Banquet meant £6,642.40 was the total that was presented to the organisation.
Tanja Velling from the organisation had this to say’
“It was a great honour to lead on the International Women’s Day fundraiser by the City of London Solicitors’ Company in favour of Rights of Women whose work is so, so important. Working alongside experienced Digital Marketing Executive, Sean Cullen, and two past Masters of the Company, Alexandra Marks CBE and Sarah de Gay, it was an immensely rewarding experience. I learned a lot and was blown away by the support for this initiative at every level of the Company and beyond.”
Rights of Women is a legal rights and advice organisation aimed exclusively at women. It is turning 50 this year. It was originally set up as a loose collective of women who felt that the law was made by men for men and did not really cater to the needs of women. It was a campaigning organisation to begin with - an aspect which continues today - with behind the scenes influencing work, with engaging in legal challenges against the Government and with intervening in cases to try and shape the law. Rights of Women was significantly involved in the campaign that resulted in criminalising rape in marriages and in securing rights for lesbian parents. Today, it provides help and information around four main legal areas; Employment Law (specifically sexual harassment in the workplace), Criminal Law, Family Law and Immigration and Asylum Law. The advice is primarily given via telephone by qualified female lawyers and any woman needing help in any of these areas can call as often as they want or
need and be on the phone as long as is required. They get very tailored and specific advice for their situations. Around 3,000 women use this service every year.
A lot of the women calling are victims / survivors of violence, be it domestic violence, at work or an assault elsewhere. Often the various law sectors intersect - it is not unusual to have, say, a migrant woman who is in an abusive relationship and who also needs help with other legal matters; the organisation works towards a holistic approach whereby it can help such a woman in all her areas of concern.
As well as the invaluable telephone advice that is provided, Rights of Women also publishes over 80 simple, tailored, specific legal guides for women who are going through legal processes or wanting to take a particular action. These offer practical advice on what the women need to do and know. In producing these guides, Rights of Women works very closely with a panel of survivors of violence to ensure that the guides really do meet the needs of the women reading them. For example, there have been some very positive practical additions to the guide, ‘From Report to Court’, which is a guide for survivors of sexual harassment going through the criminal process As well as giving all the legal information that is needed, telling the women they may well be, say, at a police station for a few hours so to come prepared with say a jumper in case it is cold is just one of the many practical, helpful tips that have been included. These guides have been downloaded over a million times.
How do the women in need know of the existence of the organisation? Obviously, by googling anything to do with free legal advice for women - but Rights for Women is also well embedded in pathways with other domestic abuse organisations who cross refer. Social media such as Facebook groups for survivors allows the word to be spread too.
The organisation is fully staffed exclusively by women. There are 21 full time employees and around 50 fully qualified solicitor and barrister volunteers who are on the phone lines giving advice.
The number of women that can be helped is obviously limited by the number of women lawyers volunteering to give the telephone advice (most of whom are already working in the legal aid sector) and so Rights of Women is constantly looking for more to come forward and give their time and expertise to help. So, if you are a female lawyer reading this and you are specialised in one of the four core areas of law that the organisation deals with then please if you possibly can, and offer your services. For anyone else, there are many research or written tasks that need your help also. And, obviously, all donations are very much needed and most gratefully accepted. Lastly, simply share the fact that Rights for Women exists in whatever way you can. Spreading the word can only help spread the good. It is, most definitely, the right thing to do.
To volunteer, donate or just to find out more contact Melanie McLaren melanie@row.org.uk.
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A TRIBUTE TO DOROTHY LIVINGSTON
Given by Matthew Rous, CLLS Chief Executive at a Memorial Service held at Drapers' Hall on 28th January 2025.
It is an honour to add this tribute on behalf of the City of London Law Society to one of our longest-serving and most distinguished members, Dorothy Livingston.
‘Unique’ is a word which tends to get over-used, but I can think of none more apt to characterise Dorothy’s contribution to the development of financial and competition law in the City of London.
Dorothy served on our Financial Law Committee for nearly thirty years, most of them as Chair. She took up that position way back in 1998, a time when women faced much passive and some not-so-passive resistance to their practising in financial law, let alone to their providing dynamic leadership of the kind that Dorothy did. In the true sense of the term, she was a pioneer.
What’s more, the scope of Dorothy’s work and the breadth of her reach were simply astonishing. She advised the Treasury, the Business Department and its predecessors, HMRC, the Bank of England, the Law Commission, and countless other organisations across an incredibly wide range of issues. Her submissions and recommendations impacted directly and substantially to the reform of company law, including notably the crafting of the mammoth Companies Act 2006, and to insolvency law reform including the Enterprise Act 2002. In the aftermath of the 2008 financial
crisis, she spearheaded the CLLS’s work to help shore up protections for investors and to reinforce banking legislation. Brexit was another challenge to which she rose magnificently, developing well targeted advice which has helped the City to manage the shift from EU rules towards a more global market orientation. Dorothy’s more recent work has helped the financial sector to adapt to the impacts of COVID, and to the ramifications of changes in the digital sphere including artificial intelligence.
What a mere recitation of Dorothy’s career highlights leaves out is the energy which she brought to bear in sharing her expertise, her interest in people and her infectious enthusiasm.
A couple of years ago I was seated next to Dorothy at a corporate dinner. I took up my place with some trepidation, so great and formidable was the reputation she carried before her. Yet Dorothy could not have been more generous or more patient as she proceeded to educate me through the course of that evening on the subject of Bitcoin, its potential and pitfalls, and the principles needed to manage its ascendancy from a legal perspective. I fear that my brain has retained almost nothing from what she sought to impart – a deficiency which has everything to do with my feeble understanding and nothing to do with Dorothy’s skills as a pedagogue, which were impressive. What I will always remember, however, is the passion in her voice and the twinkle in her eye as she took on the challenge of trying to bring me up to scratch.
I know I speak for successive generations of CLLS leaders in expressing our gratitude to Dorothy for a career of service, representing the legal profession with distinction and leading the charge for the City at the national and indeed international level. She was a truly worthy recipient of the CLLS Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.
Many colleagues have said how cut up they were when they first heard the news of Dorothy’s passing. What hits hard is that, after all the achievements of her life, she did not have a long retirement to spend with Katherine, Alice and her wider family and friends in her beloved Cornwall.
We shall all treasure our memories of Dorothy. Please know just how much she was loved, respected and admired, right across our CLLS family, and how greatly she will be missed. ■
“
‘Unique’ is a word which tends to get over-used, but I can think of none more apt to characterise Dorothy’s contribution to the development of financial and competition law in the City of London.”
Photo courtesy of Herbert Smith Freehills
from Pub cellar to country house, the
chef for all seasons
A few years ago I discovered THE most amazing restaurant in London called Evelyn’s Table. Which I have never reviewed and is not the subject of this article. Why, you may well ask, did I not wax lyrical about it on these pages if it is (which it is) so utterly, wonderfully, divinely amazing? Quite simply, because I am a selfish so and so and with only 10 seats (I think it’s gone up to 12 now) it was nigh on impossible to get a reservation without adding thousands of lawyers into that mix.
Evelyn’s Table can be found at the bottom of a very dodgy staircase in a pub called the Blue Posts on Rupert Street in Soho. You literally take your life in your hands by going down those stairs and in the seconds it takes to descend there is more than enough time to ask what on earth you are doing here. A question that reverberates even more when you reach the entrance to the restaurant and see that the loo is right next to it. Not the most auspicious start.
When you enter the “restaurant”, the shocks keep on coming. It’s TINY. The old beer cellar of the pub itself, there is a bar that separates the room and ten stools are propped on one side with a kitchen, three chefs and a sommelier behind it.
That’s it. The kitchen doesn't look big enough to boil an egg in and the four men look like sardines in a can. But sardines they are not. Artists they are. And this is where the magic came from.
The three chefs were three brothers, Luke, Nathaniel and Theo Selby (and if you think policemen look young, these looked like they were the coppers’ kids); the sommelier, Aiden Monk, another “baby.”
Once all 10 guests arrive (all of us are so close together in this tiny place that conversation and friendship become inevitable) the feast begins; the
most sublime tasting menu and wine pairings that are better than anything you will consume anywhere ever. The food is a fusion of European, Filipino (the Selby brothers are half Filipino) with some Japanese flair added (Luke worked in Japan for a while) and the beverages are the most divine natural wines with some yummy sakes thrown in for good measure. Aidan really knows his stuff. I could go on for another 10 pages about the meal but suffice to say I will never forget the venison slider as long as I live (and that was a bonus course, not even a part of the menu!). I went back. Again. And again. As often as I could. Set my alarm for the 1st of every month to be sure to get a seat when bookings opened. The rest of the world seemed to have the same idea - especially after the restaurant - deservedly and unsurprisingly - got a Michelin star within a year of the Selbys being there. Then the bubble burst. With a very loud bang. I saw on Instagram that the Selby Brothers were leaving. It’s fine, I thought. I will follow them wherever….. except, that ‘wherever’ happened to be Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons. Raymond Blanc knew a good thing (or three) when he saw it and had poached the brothers to his two Michelin Star restaurant near Oxford. My heart broke all over again. Not only was this not somewhere I could pop into once a month but the prices could have meant I would never again taste another Selby masterpiece in this lifetime.
I never went back to Evelyn’s Table. They got another great chef and are now into another iteration. It’s still supposedly amazing but…….. Luke Selby’s cooking is just something else and I did not want to change my perfect memories of the place.
It took me two years to find the time, the reason and the credit card to go to Le Manoir. Paul and I booked to go on a Friday night because 11 months later I would be celebrating a very big birthday - well, that’s a good reason isn’t it?
We decided not to stay at Le Manoir as the room prices were a tad out of our budget (when I say a tad, I mean totally) at around £900 a night. Yes, you did read that correctly. So we found a great little pub (The Fox and Goat in Tiddington) five minutes up the road and stayed there. It was really nice and a fraction of the price which went partially towards assuaging our conscience for what we were about to spend on food and drink.
I was beyond excited. But also a little nervous. I had been to Le Manoir many many years before and, whilst clearly a stunning place, wasn’t exactly the relaxed, chilled, fun, intimate experience I had loved at Evelyn’s - and would the menu be traditionally French without that Selby je ne sais quoi? I had messaged Luke to say we were coming and he had even said himself that the food was very different from Evelyn’s. Were we about to make one very big and expensive mistake?
WHERE TO EAT
“The staff were super friendly and informative and welcoming. Attention to detail was meticulous. Try as we did, there was simply nothing to fault and everything to praise.”
We arrived early and had a glass of champagne in the lounge (which itself was about twice the size of Evelyn’s). It felt friendly and relaxed and so I started to relax too.
The canapes arrived - and disappeared within seconds. Honestly, they were EXQUISITE. Paul said if the bill arrived then and we had to go it would have been worth it just for those canapes.
Then we were shown into the dining room. En route, Luke appeared to greet us and to offer us a glimpse of the kitchen. As we walked in I think my jaw hit the ground. It was HUGE. White. Stainless steel. Clean. With about, I think Luke said, 30 chefs! Talk about polar opposites. Luke seemed so happy (sadly Nathaniel and Theo had the night off) as he talked about how much he was loving working with Raymnd again (Luke had worked at Le Manoir in the past so is very much a Blanc protegee), how he was enjoying being able to grow most of the produce on site and how he was adding that Selby magic to a well established formula.
The kitchen exuded calm and professionalism; which totally echoed Evelyn’s. Luke is no loud, look at me chef. His zen aura takes over any environment.
After our tour, we went to our table for the show to begin. The room itself was beautiful. Not many tables (it was one of three dining rooms) with every table far away from its neighbourts so it felt very private and special. We opted for the Seven Course Dinner which is described as ‘an exceptional seven courses of reinvented Le Manoir classics’ and also chose the wine pairings of which there were various selections; a ‘selection classique’ through to’ selection exceptionnelle’.
But what was to follow was equally extraordinary. I was right back in that Selby heaven. The chicken liver parfait was so light it almost floated in. The risotto of wild mushrooms was rich and unctuous and made even more sublime with truffle shaved over it. The raviolo of lobster, which in lesser chef’s hands may have been a bit too much for me, was balanced to perfection with the use of yuzu, lemongrass and ginger. The pork, venison and the Wagyu were mindblowing. We ate for hours. And drank glorious Rieslings, Chardonnays, Champagnes and much more.
Luke came out to see how we were enjoying ourselves and seemed genuinely humbled by our effusive praise. This man has no ego but is just the loveliest human being who clearly does not see just what a superstar he is.
Just when we thought we could not put another morsel into our mouths, desserts came and we were reborn with new appetites. A citrus fruit cleanser paved the way for Le Chocolat (paired with Sauternes) which was the icing on the cake. Or at least we thought it was until the petits fours arrived.
The staff were super friendly and informative and welcoming. Attention to detail was meticulous. Try as we did, there was simply nothing to fault and everything to praise.
In the blink of an eye, the evening was over - but let me tell you we had been there for about five hours. It was GORGEOUS. I can honestly see three stars next
Our bill came to around £900 which, truthfully, was not as shocking as I imagined and whilst clearly a lot of money, this is not an everyday place but somewhere very, very special and, hand on heart, was worth every single penny. Raymond Blanc is one very smart man. By bringing the Selby brothers to Le Manoir he has created Le Manoir 2.0, a restaurant for 2025; a lighter version of classic French cuisine, a more green approach which is what consumers want and expect today and an atmosphere that is less formal and more suited to our times. I won’t be visiting as much as I did Evelyn’s (sadly) but I will most definitely be going back.
Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons Church Rd, Great Milton, Oxford OX44 7PD 01844 278881
Welcome To SIP, our new regular column devoted to every delicious thing we can sip; wines, cocktails and non alcoholic delights.
Written by our journalist Maroulla Paul who is a self confessed nerd when it comes to wines and spirits. Maroulla has WSET Wines and Spirits Level 3, WSET Sake Level 1 and Capstone Level 1 (so far!)
ABV 0% DELICIOUSNESS 100%
BWhen Laura Uberoi from our Editorial Board asked if we could look at non-alcoholic wines for this edition of SIP, my heart sank. I have tried so many non-alc (as they are now familiarly referred to) drinks - both ‘wines’ and ‘spirits’ - and I can honestly say, I find them all disgusting and would rather just stick to water if it's a non-drinking day.
to Matthew Jukes, my attitude changed.
For anyone who doesn’t know, Matthew is a bit like God in the wine industry. He is a world-famous wine writer and taster and has worked in the business for almost four decades. What he doesn’t know about wine can easily be written on the back of a postage stamp with a lot of space to spare. He is a consultant to some of the finest Michelin-starred restaurants around the globe and has won more awards than we’ve had hot dinners. As a WSET Diploma student, I was most certainly not going to pass up on an opportunity to interview this guru.
Matthew, as well as everything else he does, just happens to be the co-founder and CEO of Jukes Cordialities, a range of non-alc drinks which he created and blends himself. Ahead of our interview, Matthew sent me some products to taste and I must confess they sat untouched and unattended in my fridge for a couple of weeks while various bottles of Riesling and Assyrtiko came and went in rapid succession.
The weekend before the interview, I knew I had to grit my teeth and try them. I had a sample box of four sparkling drinks; No 1 (a white), No 6 (a red), No 8 (a rosé) and a sparkling Pinot Noir. These are described as ‘prêt-à-boire’ - simply chill them, open and drink!
I started with the red - Jukes’ best seller. As I opened the can and poured it into a beautiful crystal glass (I was hoping the aesthetics would soften the blow) I was instantly hit with an aroma which I identified
as apple cider vinegar. Now when it comes to wine, vinegar is not the best aroma to experience so my initial impression was not good. I took a deep breath and tasted - and in that one mouthful, I was converted.
This sparkling was full of black fruit; berries, currants and plums but also with some fig and spice - pepper like in a Syrah but created not from compounds but from actual peppercorns which Matthew cracks and sieves off the dust. Beetroot gives it huge depth of colour and a sense of terroir. The vinegar transformed to a fresh acidity in the mouth which stopped the drink from being sweet or cloying as many non-alcs tend to be. I loved it!
I very quickly made my way through the rest of the box.
The rosé is all about melons - both watermelon and cantaloupe, rhubarb, pomegranate, sour cherry and cranberry. For each fruity element, there is a vegetal
“Jukes have just been certified as being organic. They are also halal. So virtually anyone can imbibe - healthily and happily. ”
counterpart to balance it. There is a taste of the sea; a saltiness and there is a big kick of fennel. It is dry and exotic, not overly fruity - more akin to Provence the place rather than the wine and its acidity makes it the perfect pairing for spicy foods - which is probably why Mayfair’s Tamarind have it on their list. And at only 13 calories per glass, you can forgive yourself for ordering another naan. (Matthew describes the rosé as being Barbie pink but with a flick knife in its pocket. Demure but menacing!).
The white really uses the vinegar brilliantly. The vinegar is combined with tarragon and sage which results in some floral notes. It has a cleansing, dynamic, brittle finish which is exactly what we look for in white wines. The length is extraordinary. Matthew talks about the vinegar almost as a ‘washing line’ on which he hangs various foods and flavours. The vinegar is the flavour delivery system. The result is the same silhouette as wine on the palate.
Then there is the Sparkling Pinot Noir. This one actually macerates pinot noir skins (sourced from Blackbook, the urban winery we reviewed last year, who just happen to serendipitously be Jukes’ neighbours) in the apple cider vinegar and uses no other ingredients. I think this one might well be my favourite.
I was excited to speak with Matthew and to find out more. What made him make such a leap?
“The story dates back around 8 years when I was in New York doing some talks on wine and working with some sommeliers and two occurrences really made me stop and think. I was at a dinner in a swanky restaurant sitting next to Sally Singer who was the editor of vogue.com and she said as it was a Tuesday night, she normally would not drink as she never indulged except at weekends but she was going to make an exception because she was with me. I found her being so prescriptive unusual. The following day, I was having lunch at a Daniel Boulud restaurant and I barely saw a bottle of wine at the other tables, it was wall-to-wall water and coke. It dawned on me something terrifying was going to happen to the wine business. New York is the scene setter for the rest of the world so I knew it would come our way before long. I knew someone was going to have to come up with an alternative to fine wine that is not a dealcoholised wine. Dealcoholised wines are not wine; they are wine flavoured sweet drinks that are not gastronomically pleasing.”
Matthew decided to take on the challenge himself. His start point was that when we describe the aromas and taste of different wines, we never use the word ‘grapey’ but normally flavours of foods so he decided to use his wine blending experience to blend such foods to create a wine-like drink. He said his Eureka moment came when he came across an ancient recipe called a ‘Haymaker’s Punch’ , which was a drink invented in the South West of England in the late 1700s from leftovers - cores, knobbly bits etc. These
offcuts were put in a bucket and steeped in apple cider vinegar then strained and honey was added. The result was a healthy, sustainable, delicious cordial that could be diluted with water and so Matthew recreated this recipe not using leftovers but the finest quality ingredients he could find in his local Waitrose. Whilst he was very pleased with his initial experiment, it was still too sweet so he then spent the next couple of years playing with iterations until he got to something that was a red drink that was tasty and shared the taste profile of real wines.
As well as the sparklings, Jukes also produce a set of cordials - which is what the restaurants and bars are buying. And when I say restaurants I mean top tier ones like Core by Clare Smyth, Adam Byatt at Trinity, Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester - these are just a few of many in London as well as all over the world (including Arpège in Paris, Matthew’s favourite place). As chefled places, these restaurants appreciate that these are drinks also made by chefs using a combination of the 160 ingredients in the Jukes pantry with the highest quality organic apple cider vinegar.
There is a ritual involved in mixing the drink. You chill the bottles - and the water, choosing still or sparkling and then combine half the bottle (marked clearly) with 100 mls of your preferred water. Depending on which water you pick, the drinks will taste completely different from the same base.
“With still water the drinks will seem more relaxed, with more volume and feel silkier. With sparkling, they will be more urgent, with more energy. Jukes 1 is more chardonnay-like as a still but with sparkling it is edgier, with more elbows!”
You can vary these quantities to suit your personal preference and make it stronger or stretch it so it just has a whisper of flavour but you can drink it all afternoon.
Another thing you can do is mix tonic water and an ice cube and maybe a slice of orange to a bottle of Jukes 6 in a gorgeous heavy tumbler and you will think you are in a swish bar drinking a devastating cocktail. You will even find yourself getting a little merry without any booze - your mind will play tricks on you.
Jukes have just been certified as being organic. They are also halal. So virtually anyone can imbibehealthily and happily.
Whether you are a non-alc cynic (like I was) or a convert (as I am now!) you really need to try Jukes. For the first time there really is a delicious alternative to wine. ■
https://jukescordialities.com/
Ethical pile-ups in the modern Motor Industry
Automakers are no strangers to ethical concerns, but how well are the big players adapting to the new world order and what does the future hold?
Whether or not Elon Musk foresaw that the rise in his political influence with the second Trump presidency would equate to a fall in his popularity ratings, the resultant animus toward Tesla has resulted in protests and acts of vandalism against its cars, charging stations and dealerships despite the company’s notably green credentials. The corresponding slump in business metrics – including profitability (71%), share price (35%), and vehicle deliveries (13%) - is perhaps more of a surprise, until you remind yourself that the name Tesla has always been synonymous with Musk himself.
So the recently announced intention to 'significantly' scale back Musk's involvement in Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), taken with recent gains in the Electric Vehicle (EV) market by competitors, might appear to suggest that Tesla is under financial pressure. The reality is that his advisors are sensibly acting on the negative publicity generated by the airing of Musk’s seeming and increasingly far right views.
In truth, recent news stories tell only half the tale. Tesla's market capitalisation should be no more than $500b, based on a generous multiple of 45 (being that applied to elite brands such as Ferrari and Hermès) and by reference to projected earnings of $11b for 2027. Yet as the latest data from financial analysts 'Resident Alpha' illustrates, the actual number comes in at a whopping $884b, with the additional $384b attributable to Musk and the multifaceted qualities and influences he brings to the table.
In short, the markets appear to view Tesla's current financial challenges as a temporary blip, whilst the controversy that frequently follows its founder appears to have been 'priced in'. So it would seem that when it comes to Musk's unique cult of personality and for now at least, the usual rules of car making, ethics and internal governance don't apply.
Even Tesla must heed the way the wind blows in terms of public opinion, however. The Wolfsberg
behemoth Volkswagen found itself under significant pressure in 2021 after investing in a manufacturing plant in the Chinese region of Xinjiang, where socalled 're-education' camps for over a million ethnic minority Uyghurs had been established. By late 2024 and despite an internal report finding no evidence that local workers had suffered abuse, criticism from human rights groups and Western lawmakers persisted, along with allegations of 'value-washing', leading the company to cut its losses and sell the entire plant to the Shanghai government, together with two nearby test tracks.
Unfortunately for VW this crisis came hot on the heels of the Dieselgate scandal, when the automaker was caught installing software allowing its vehicles to cheat emission tests. The outcome has thus far involved fines of over $33b, numerous recalls and multiple criminal and civil lawsuits, with the final payout some way from being known.
To add insult to injury, VW also experienced a data breach in December 2024, accidentally exposing the sensitive data of some 800,000 customers across its various electric brands including Audi, Seat and Skoda. This came to light as a result of work undertaken by the Chaos Computer Club, a wellknown collective of ‘ethical hackers’. VW is bracing itself for yet further and resultant litigation.
Tesla on the other hand, received praise from the Las Vegas Police Department in the same month for providing data relating to the Tesla Cybertruck that was blown up outside the Trump International Hotel on New Years Day. The company was able to map the route taken by the driver, who shot himself in the head moments before detonating the explosion, by utilising information collected as the vehicle paused at charging stations. Unlike Apple, Tesla's terms and conditions allow it to share all manner of information with the authorities when required.
And as for the future? Look East. Chinese EV sales rose by 14% in the UK last year, with manufacturers such as BYD, MG and Geely leading the charge; a figure
expected to rise to 25% by 2030 when new petrol and diesel car sales will be banned in the UK in the push towards net zero. Thus the UK EV market is now being driven by affordability for the masses fuelled by cheap Chinese labour, materials and dramatic government subsidies.
And there sits the conundrum. EV batteries require cobalt, copper, lithium and nickel amongst other raw materials, and that has led to the rapid expansion of mines resulting in human rights abuses and environmental harm not just in China but all over the world. This disconnect with traditional green policy was illustrated in a recent report by Amnesty International, which found that most EV makers aren’t sufficiently demonstrating that they’re meeting International human rights standards, or even putting their own policies into action.
Until relatively recently, the EV market was all about high earning consumers flaunting their green credentials in Tesla's latest cool creation. But in a warming world where mass ownership of EVs is becoming imperative, it’s far from clear where the next generation of planet conscious EV buyers will find their ethical home. Currently, they have a dilemma on their hands.
Joel Leigh is the motoring correspondent of City Solicitor and a Partner at Howard Kennedy LLP
Dye & Durham Enhances Environmental Due Diligence with ClimateCheck™ Integration
New EnviroAssure and Enviro360™ reports equip conveyancers with future-focused climate data ahead of anticipated updated Law Society guidance
Dye & Durham UK has announced the official launch of two new environmental search reports, EnviroAssure and Enviro360™, delivering a next-generation approach to environmental due diligence for conveyancers and their homebuying clients.
Both products feature ClimateCheck™, Dye & Durham’s proprietary solution for assessing climate-related risks today and over the course of a typical mortgage lifetime – out to 2030 and beyond to 2050.
EnviroAssure and Enviro360™ represent a major evolution in environmental searches, combining all the critical datasets required for compliance with Law Society Practice Notes on Contaminated Land and Flood Risk, with the added intelligence of forward-looking climate impact assessment. Designed to be both comprehensive and easy to interpret, the reports provide a clear, visual indicator of risk changes over time, empowering solicitors to better advise their clients and helping buyers make more informed decisions.
Tim Champney, Director, Property Risk & GeoData at Dye & Durham UK, said: “The conversation around climate change has shifted. Conveyancers have an increasingly clear duty to inform clients of environmental risks that could materially impact the value, enjoyment or insurability of their future home. Our ClimateCheck™ tool makes this not only possible but practical.”
Two Products, One Consistent Approach to Climate Risk
• EnviroAssure is a highly detailed environmental search incorporating ClimateCheck™, radon, planning, energy & infrastructure, enhanced flood analysis, ground stability (including coastal erosion), contaminated land, and property energy efficiency.
• Enviro360™ includes all of the above, along with an integrated CON29M Official Coal Mining Report, consultative Mine Entry Interpretive Report
(MEIR), and a triple-tier suite of protections including a Non-Coal Minerals Warranty, £100K Coal Search Data Warranty, and a Cheshire Brine Screen.
Both reports are underpinned by a single, consistent climate model using the RCP4.5 scenario, widely considered the most likely emissions pathway. This ensures a unified view of future risk to avoid blending multiple, and often conflicting, climate pathways.
ClimateCheck™ delivers an at-a-glance front page summary, providing direction and magnitude of change for perils including river, sea and surfacewater flooding, coastal erosion and clay subsidence. Each risk is rated using a simple five-point scale (from “Decrease”, “No Change” to “Increase”) to show whether risk is expected to change and by how much. Other pertinent considerations, including an analysis of exposure to heat stress, is also coming soon, for a full picture.
Concludes Tim: “We’re proud to provide a solution that doesn’t just surface risk but adds context and clarity for end-users. Our reports provide easyto-understand analysis, along with practical advice that end-customers will greatly value, enabling them to make informed decisions without burdening conveyancers with the need to interpret complex data.”
As a strategic partner of the Law Society and a member of COPSO, Dye & Durham has been actively involved in consultations on the forthcoming updated Law Society Climate Guidance, due in May 2025.
Feedback from early adopters of the soft-launched products has been overwhelmingly positive, with users praising the intuitive layout, digestibility of insights, and value-add for end-clients.
For more information, visit: www.dyedurham.co.uk ■
DID YOU KNOW?
Glimmering guilt and the betrayal of the Radium Girls
Dusk falls over Ottawa, Illinois. In the gloaming, light streams out from the windows of businesses clustered on Main Street. In the clock face factories, women are hunched over workbenches, their faces illuminated by an ethereal, otherworldly gleam. Above them sway the bulbs of electric lights, but the ghostly hue comes from little pots of strangely glowing paint.
These are the Radium Girls, artists of the atomic age, tasked with painting the hands and numerals on watches with a luminous compound. Even in the darkest of nights, this seemingly magic substance was bright and iridescent. To begin with, the positions were prized - it was well paid work and not as physically demanding as many other jobs. Little did they know, the very element that lent their work its captivating sheen would soon begin to devour them from within.
The power of radium
Radium, discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie, was a wonder of the early 20th century. Its seemingly miraculous properties – its perpetual glow, its purported medicinal benefits – had captured the public imagination. It was a symbol of progress, of the boundless potential of science. This intoxicating allure blinded many, particularly those in positions of power, to the darker truths that were beginning to emerge.
The process of painting the dials was deceptively simple but ultimately lethal. To achieve the fine detail required, the women were instructed to “lip-point” their brushes. This involved placing the brush tip between their lips to create a sharp point. As they did this, they unknowingly ingested tiny amounts of radium with each stroke. They were even encouraged to lick their brushes to ensure a smooth application.
The managers, and indeed the scientists who formulated the paint, knew the substance was radioactive, yet this crucial information was deliberately withheld from the workers. The prevailing attitude, it seems, was one of expediency and profit, a chilling calculus that prioritized production over the well-being of their employees.
A deadly occupation
As the years passed, a sinister pattern began to emerge. The Radium Girls started to suffer from a host of horrifying ailments. Their jaws would ache, teeth would loosen and fall out, and eventually, their bones would become brittle and riddled with holes. Some developed large tumors, their bodies slowly succumbing to the relentless radiation poisoning. They went from being vibrant young women to shadows of their former selves, their luminescence now a macabre reminder of the poison that was consuming them.
The response from the companies, notably the United States Radium Corporation, was a masterclass in unethical behaviour. When the women began to complain of their ailments, their concerns were dismissed as hysteria or attributed to other causes. The company’s own scientists, some of whom had conducted internal studies revealing the dangers of radium exposure, actively participated in the cover-up. They produced misleading reports, downplaying the risks and even publicly denouncing the women’s claims. This was not mere ignorance; it was a deliberate and calculated act of deception, a profound betrayal of the scientific principles they were sworn to uphold.
The managers and owners of these corporations were equally culpable. Driven by the insatiable pursuit of profit, they fostered a culture of denial and actively suppressed any evidence that linked radium to the workers’ illnesses. They refused to implement even basic safety precautions, such as providing protective gear or proper ventilation. Their silence in the face of mounting evidence of suffering was not just negligent; it was a morally reprehensible act of indifference. They saw the women not as human beings deserving of care and protection, but as cogs in a machine churning out profit.
Litigation of the living dead
The fight for justice was long and arduous, led by a handful of courageous women who refused to be silenced. Their legal battles, though often fraught with setbacks, eventually brought the truth to light and paved the way for landmark industrial and labour safety regulations.
A settlement for each of the Radium Girls was reached in autumn 1928 - a lump sum of $10,000 (roughly equivalent to $183,000 in today’s terms) and a $600 per year annuity (roughly equivalent to $11,000 today) paid at a rate of $12 per week for the rest of their lives. All medical and legal expenses incurred would also be paid by the company. Tragically, many of the women would not live long enough to benefit from this victory.
The luminous glow of radium, once a symbol of progress, became forever associated with the darkness of corporate greed and the devastating consequences of ethical failure. The story of the Radium Girls is not just a historical footnote; it is a timeless lesson in the enduring importance of professional responsibility and the catastrophic price of its abandonment. Their suffering, etched in the very bones that glowed with a fatal light, continues to demonstrate the importance of ethics in all walks of life. ■
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