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Gordon Pollock joins Barnett Waddingham

Gordon Pollock joins Barnett Waddingham to spearhead drive into expert witness workBarnett Waddingham, the UK’s largest independent firm of actuaries, administrators and consultants has appointed Gordon Pollock to help lead the expansion of the firm's expert witness work.

Gordon, who was formerly a partner at Mercer worldwide and chairman of the Association of Actuaries, has extensive private sector pensions experience acting as scheme actuary to a number of household name pension schemes, as well as providing corporate actuarial advice to FTSE 100 companies. Prior to his early retirement from Mercer, he was their UK chief actuarial officer and had acted as an expert witness for Prudential Assurance Company Limited in the recent Prudential Staff Pension Scheme court case.

Lost in translation: the case of the missing interpreters

The controversy surrounding the appointment of a central agency to provide interpreters for court proceedings shows no sign of abating, if a report in the Law Society Gazette is anything to go by.

According to the journal, a clerk at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court resorted to using Google Translate to pass details of a Lithuanian defendant’s next hearing when no interpreter could be supplied by the contractor, Applied Language Solutions (ALS). Ironically, ALS includes Google among its list of private-sector clients.

Bar Council urges Government to protect legal privilege

Michael Todd QC The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has urged the Government to protect the fundamental right of citizens to hold private conversations with their lawyers. The call follows a report published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) on the use of undercover police officers.

How Lawrence Case Hinged On New Forensics

Your Expert Witness Stephen Lawrence jacket The public had last seen Gary Dobson and David Norris in 1998, running a gauntlet of hate after appearing at the judicial inquiry into the first, failed police investigation.

They and the other three original suspects were jeered and spat at as they left the hearing and Norris lashed out at someone as he left.

Then, as now, the two men denied any part in the murder of Stephen Lawrence. Stephen, 18, was an A-level student who was planning to be an architect.

Judges will decide who can tweet from court

Despite uncertainty over who's a legal commentator or journalist and who isn't, Lord Judge's guidance shouldn't lead to problems

Today's guidance on the use of Twitter from the courts of England and Wales says that a member of the public wishing to use a mobile phone or similar device to send live text-based reports must ask permission first. They can make a formal application to the court or ask informally through court staff.