Page 3 - Newcastle News Sep 2017

Editorial
Diary Dates
14th September 2017 GDPR Seminar
2nd October
Commercial Landlord and Tenant seminar - Charles Morgan
Standing Committee Dates for 2017
Monday 25th Sep 2017 Monday 4th December 2017 Monday 15th January 2018
Date for the Annual Dinner
10th November 2017
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The views and opinions expressed in the Newcastle News are those of the individual contributors. No responsibility for any loss of consequential loss occasioned to any person acting as a result of any views and opinions expressed or any information in the Newcastle News can be accepted by any contributor, the Publisher or the editorial board of the Newcastle Law Society.
Editorial
Our glorious summer is coming to an end, although some may question if it ever began! I had a break in early June and assumed that for a change I would be here to enjoy the sunshine in July and August. Unfortunately I seem to recall dodging rain showers as I was running between courts.
However, normal service is about to be resumed as the children are returning to school and those of my colleagues who were, almost irritatingly (for me) looking forward to their holidays a few weeks ago are now back and not looking so smug.
Over the past weeks we have seen Newcastle catapulted into the national headlines for the wrong reasons. The media reported Operation Sanctuaryextensively, although much of their commentary was directed at the decision of Northumbria Police to employ a convicted sex offender to provide information which led to the arrest and conviction of a number of individuals. Many organisations have contributed to the debate including the NSPCC who deplored the tactic, although I personally thought that the Chief Constable of Northumbria Police acquitted himself very well in the press in explaining the force's reasoning for using this method of investigation. It seems logical to me that if you are going to try and infiltrate a criminal gang you have to use individuals who will blend in and perhaps not arouse the suspicion of those whom the police are trying to catch. It would have been virtually impossible for
an undercover police officer to have undertaken that role, as criminals are naturally wary of those whom they do not know particularly well. I have been reading a book by a former undercover police officer who tried to become part of the drugs scene in the Midlands. His role was to detect those responsible for supplying drugs and it is clear that whilst street level addicts seemed to accept him as one of their own after only a short time, those higher up the food chain were extremely suspicious and on occasions he met with serious violence as they believed he was a police officer, because he seemed to appear on the drug scene from nowhere. Everyone has their view and use of informants is a controversial tactic, but sometimes the ends justify the means and if those involved in serious crime are brought to justice, the public may be prepared to accept this method of investigation.
When parliament returns after the summer break, we will undoubtedly see an acceleration of Brexit negotiations. Of particular interest to the lawyers is the view that we need to control our own laws and ensure that the law is interpreted in the courts across this country and not in Luxembourg. The Prime Minister is anxious that we have control of our own legal destiny, although many consider this to be simplistic. One law professor has suggested that we cannot maintain a close link with EU and at the same time have a complete break with the European Court. He is quoted as saying it's
the judicial version of "have our cake and eat it too". The public has often been frustrated and indeed angered by some of the legal decisions coming from ECJ which they see unfair and unjust and perhaps contrary to their perception of the rules of natural justice.
This is one of the many difficult issues that our negotiators face in the coming months and years and is one which will have a significant impact upon how we apply our laws in the future.
The future of our profession is often a cause for concern and on more than one occasion, I have wondered how my particular area of law will attract talented lawyers who may not be persuaded by a career retricted by public funding. Over the past few weeks we have had a number of students gaining some work experience and whilst most have an interest in the law, they are acutely aware of the difficulties with legal aid
and declared a reluctance to practice in an area of law which relied upon that type of funding. Sadly I do not think our new Lord Chancellor will be particularly concerned about this issue.
Paul Hanratty Ediitor
Commercial Landlord and Tenant Update
2nd October 2017
4pm – 6pm
Newcastle venue TBC – see booking form for details
Speaker: Charles Morgan
We are delighted to announce that Charles Morgan now practising from Six Pump Court, Temple, London is returning to Newcastle to deliver his highly regarded Commercial Landlord and Tenant Update for the Newcastle upon Tyne Law Society. Charles’s principal areas of practice are environmental law and commercial property law. Further details on the booking form. Please book early to secure your place.
Contents...
President’s Column...4 Local News...5
President’s Summer Party ...6 President’s Charity...7