News: Phone Hacking Update – Leveson, Email deletion, more lawyers

We like to keep readers up to date with the developments in the phone hacking saga although events continue to move very quickly. On Tuesday 7 September 2011 we had the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee taking evidence from former News of the World executives (see our post here).

Conference: Franco-British Lawyers Society – “Privacy in an Open Society”

This year the law of Privacy as it affects the media has been an issue strongly debated in the UK Parliament as well as in the Press.  Article 8 has had a great impact on UK law on investigatory powers (Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act) and on family law (Tchenguiz v Imerman).  The European Convention on Human Rights requires French Law to conform to the same standards.  But France has apparently achieved this with less controversy.  Why the difference?  At the Annual Conference of the Franco-British Lawyers’ Society, senior judges, lawyers and academics from the UK and France and the Information Commission, will address these highly topical issues.

Opinion: “The Revolution will be Televised” – Adam Wagner

The Justice Secretary Ken Clarke has announced that the ban on broadcasting in courts is to be lifted. Broadcasting will initially be allowed from the Court of Appeal, and the Government will “look to expand” to the Crown Court later. All changes “will be worked out in close consultation with the judiciary“.

Broadcasting in court is currently prohibited by Section 41 of the Criminal Justice Act 1925 and Section 9 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981.