Wednesday 25th January 2012, 2pm – 4.30pm, Deeprose Theatre, Govan Mbeki Building, Glasgow Caledonian University. Free. Register online here: http://gcu-law.eventbrite.com/

Any queries to lawsoc@caledonian.ac.uk

Speakers are Clive Lewis QC (Intervener for First Minister of Wales) , Aiden O’Neill QC (Counsel for 3rd to 10th respondents), Aileen McHarg (University of Glasgow) and Paul Reid, Advocate.

For further information please contact law.events@ed.ac.uk

Of interest to those who attended, Sir Nicolas Bratza (shortly to become President of the European Court of Human Rights) has recently published an article entitled: “The relationship between the UK Courts and Strasbourg” in the European Human Rights Law Review (E.H.R.L.R. (2011) No.5 Pages 505-512). (available on Westlaw)

The article discusses, with particular reference to leading case law such as the contentious decision in Hirst v United Kingdom (74025/01)(2006) 42 EHRR 41 (ECHR (Grand Chamber) , the relationship between the European Court of Human Rights and national courts, responding to criticism of the former in jurisdictions such as the UK, regarding areas such as the standards and composition of the courts and regarding the allegation that it takes a uniform approach to states with established law and practices. It argues that any attempt by the UK to withdraw from the Convention framework would harm both the Convention system itself and the standing of the UK in Europe.

The paper given by Lord Reed is also available by clicking here:

 The Interrelationship of Strasbourg and UK Human Rights Law – Reed

The SPLG are delighted to invite you to their Autumn event, on current issues in media law in Scotland and the UK.  The event is being held with the support of Glasgow Caledonian University’s Institute for Society and Social Justice Research on Tuesday 29 November 2011. 

Recent developments involving and affecting the media need little introduction.  Complaints about the apparently excessive protection of privacy through the use of superinjunctions have shifted in the course of the year to much wider concerns over the involvement of media organisations in phone hacking and unorthodox, if not unlawful, relationships with the police and others.  Meantime, in the field of freedom of expression and regulation of hate speech we have had the introduction – and evolution – of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Bill in the Scottish Parliament.

To discuss these current issues in media law we will have a panel of speakers including:

Hugh Tomlinson QC a well known specialist in media and information law including defamation, confidence, privacy and data protection.  He has represented a number of  high profile individuals seeking to protect their privacy, including several well known (English) footballers and is highly respected as an authority on civil liberties and regulation of the media.

Rosalind McInnes is principal solicitor with BBC Scotland and the author of Scots Law for Journalists, now in its 8th edition.  She speaks, publishes and teaches on all aspects of media law and has been at the coal face for many years challenging reporting restrictions, and protecting the rights of journalists, in the Scottish courts and in the European Court of Human Rights. 

The event will take place on Tuesday 29 November 2011 at the Govan Mbeki Building, Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow

It will commence with tea and coffee at  5.15pm.  Talks will start at 5.30pm and will run, with a Q&A session, until 7pm.  There will then be a drinks reception from 7pm to 8pm.

Please email Karen.Brough@shepwedd.co.uk to book your place.  We anticipate that places for this event will be in demand.  We do not charge for our evening events, but we do ask in return that if you sign up and are unable to attend you let us know, so that your place may be offered to somebody else.

The SPLG are delighted to invite you to their Winter event, on the use of international law in cases in the Scottish courts.  The event is being held jointly with Edinburgh University, on Friday 24^th February 2012.

If there ever were days when international law rarely troubled the domestic courts, they are long gone.  Scots law is in a continuing process of adaptation to international rules of law.  Some international law has changed Scots law by being incorporated directly, the most obvious examples being the European Convention on Human Rights and EU rules of law.  Other international rules such as those deriving from the Aarhus Convention are revolutionising the approach to expenses in public law cases, and encouraging a liberalisation in title and interest rules.  For the future, the Scottish Government has a legislative proposal to enshrine the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in domestic law, and there are many other untapped areas of international law that Scots lawyers could be using in the Scots courts.

We have assembled a fantastic panel to speak on this important subject.  Lord Bonomy, Senator of the College of Justice, recently spent 5 years working in the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.  He will speak about aspects of his international law experience there of benefit to Scots lawyers.  Michael Fordham QC is one of the foremost public law practitioners at the English bar, author of the leading practitioner’s book on Judicial Review, and teaches at Oxford University.  Shaheed Fatima is a barrister with Blackstone chambers, using international law in her domestic court practice.  She has written a book entitled Using International Law in Domestic Courts, has lectured at Harvard, and is Global Professor of Law at NYU School of Law.  Dr Antonios Tzanakopoulos of Glasgow University and UCL is assistant editor of the journal International law in Domestic Courts.  Between them they will look at how international law bites in domestic proceedings, past, present, and future.  The event will be chaired by Professor Alan Boyle, Professor of Public International Law at Edinburgh University.

The event will take place on Friday 24^th February 2012 at the Playfair Library, Old College, South Bridge, Edinburgh EH8 9YL.  It will commence with tea and coffee at  4.15pm.  Talks will start at 4.30pm and will run, with a Q&A session, until 6.30pm.  There will then be a drinks reception from 6.30 to 7pm.

Please email Karen.Brough@shepwedd.co.uk to book your place.  We anticipate that places for this event will be in demand.  We do not charge for our evening events, but we do ask in return that if you sign up and are unable to attend you let us know, so that your place may be offered to somebody else.

Curtice

Moynihan

Paulin

And here is Martin Chamberliain‘s presentation.

Catherine Barnard

John Curtice

Lorna Drummond

Natalie Lancey

Elaine Motion

Gerry Moynihan

Oswyn Paulin

Bobby Sandeman

Lynda Towers

Andrew Webster

James Wolffe

Final programme is located here: http://splg.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/SPLG-summer-final.pdf

Directions are located here: http://www.edinburghfirst.co.uk/venues/john-mcintyre-conference-centre

I and a few volunteers will be waiting on the door to welcome you.

Tickets are selling fast, so you should reserve yours quickly!

Our updated programme is here:

http://splg.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/SPLG-Summer-Conference-Brochure-final.docx