Beyond Law Series

Date / time
Date(s) - 20/11/2015 - 24/11/2015
12:00 am

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The impact of JUSTICE on the legal landscape in the UK since its inception in 1957 has been huge, from proposing the establishment of the Ombudsman scheme in 1961, to intervening in the Supreme Court in support of legal advice in Scottish police stations nearly 50 years later.  There is barely an aspect of the justice system that has not benefited from JUSTICE’s vision.

The fundraising events are crucial to securing the survival of JUSTICE in Scotland.  Beyond some support from London, at present most of JUSTICE Scotland’s work is undertaken by volunteers who do what they can around their busy working lives.

Dorothy Bain QC, former Chair of the Scottish Executive Committee said:

“Each series will consist of four events around themes that connect the law and the wider world and are designed to engage writers, film-makers, thinkers and social commentators in a dialogue about the law. As well as the support of the Rt. Hon Lord Hodge, the Faculty of Advocates have also pledged their support to JUSTICE Scotland and will be hosting all of the events in the series.”

Find full details of all the events in the series here.


The first event in the series, Law and International Relations, was held on 20 November 2015 and saw General Sir Mike Jackson and the Rt Hon. Sir Menzies Campbell QC discuss the tensions between law and war.

Read a full write up of the event.

Law and International Relations
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The second event in the series, Law and Society, was held on 22 January 2016. The packed audience were treated to the insights and anecdotes of Shami Chakrabarti as she reflected on her outstanding career fighting for civil liberties and of the relationship between the law and society. She was joined by Derek Ogg QC and Lord Hodge, Justice of the UK Supreme Court.

JUSTICE Law & Society colourJUSTICE Law & Society B&W

The third event, Law and the Media, was held on Friday 30 September. Renowned journalist Jon Snow discussed four decades of covering justice issues in the media with Helena Kennedy QC. He reflected on his long career in journalism with particular reference to issues around law and justice.

A write up of the event can be found here at the Scottish Legal News website.

Jon Snow and Jon Snow and Helena Kennedy QC
Media and law panel. Jon Snow holds up a cracked mobile phone.
Media and law panel stands in front of a JUSTICE banner

On 24 November,  Law and the Arts explored the challenges of incorporating criminal law into dramatic writing through the theme of crime in fiction. The portrayal of law in fiction was discussed and debated. Speakers at the event were Joyce McMillan, chief theatre critic for The Scotsman newspaper (Chair); Lin Anderson, the renowned Tartan Noir crime writer and co-founder of the Bloody Scotland crime writing festival; Frances Barber, actress, played Caroline Warwick QC in Silk; Professor Sue Black, world class forensic scientist and Donald Findlay QC, the inimitable and leading criminal QC.

Law and the Arts was kindly hosted by the Faculty of Advocates at 11 Parliament Square, Edinburgh. It was a fun and informative evening with an excellent panel representing the arts.

 

Photographs courtesy of Phoebe Grigor.