Welcome to episode 31 of the Litigation Podcast: Mediation: Voluntary and Involuntary.

In the first in a series of short podcasts on mediation, Mark Shaw KC and Jane Mulcahy KC remind us of the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) and share thoughts on how mediation can be a powerful tool in even the most contentious and combative case.

Tune in to episode 30 of The Litigation Podcast: The Impact of AI: Are Existing Laws Enough? 

AI-powered automated systems are rapidly reshaping decision-making across sectors. In this episode, the panel examines whether current legal frameworks are sufficiently robust and adaptable to meet the challenges this poses. The discussion addresses two core issues: the right to a human decision and the legal implications of automated decision-making by public authorities and private entities. It then assesses how these challenges are already playing out in practice across both the public and private sectors. The panel asks: do we need new legal safeguards, or can existing laws rise to the occasion? 

The seminar was chaired by James Segan KC, Blackstone Chambers, and the episode includes: 

• Jeremias Adams-Prassl, Professor of Law & Associate Dean (Research), Oxford University, Blackstone Chambers Academic Panel Member 
• Joe Tomlinson, Professor of Administrative Law at the Dickson Poon School of Law, King's College London, Blackstone Chambers Academic Panel Member 
• Ravi Mehta, Blackstone Chambers 
• Ava Mayer, Blackstone Chambers 
• Hugo Murphy, Blackstone Chambers

The Blackstone Breakfast Briefing returns with a roller-coaster round-up of the summer’s key fraud-related judgments.

In this episode, the speakers will explore sanctions, illegality and public policy (Alan MacLean KC and Tom Leary – Eurochem v Societe Generale), deep-fake AI images (Marlena Valles – Getty Images v Stability AI), and judgments obtained by fraud (Madelaine Clifford – Commercial Bank of Dubai v Al Sari). Meanwhile, the wealth of recent judgments means the ever-popular Case of the Quarter slot takes on an extended role – as Cases of the Quarter. Fraser Campbell KC highlights the significant insurance judgment in Axa v Santander whilst Andrew Scott KC reports on car finance and all things fiduciary from the Supreme Court (Hopcroft v Close Brothers et al). Andrew George KC keeps everyone honest and on time from the Chair.

Welcome to episode 28 of the Blackstone Chambers Litigation Podcast: Litigating War - Ukraine v Russia 2025.

This session followed the European Court of Human Rights Grand Chamber judgment of 9 July 2025 in which the Grand Chamber revisited its case law on jurisdiction and held Russia responsible for “an unprecedented and flagrant attack on the fundamental values of the Council of Europe” and for widespread violations of the Convention across Ukraine dating back to 2014 and embracing all aspects of the full-scale invasion launched in February 2022. The judgment has been described by a former President of the Court as the greatest in the 65 year history of the Court.

The session was chaired by Tim Otty KC, leading counsel for Ukraine, with speakers including Tom Richards KC, Naina Patel KC, Jason Pobjoy KC, George Molyneaux and Isabel Buchanan, all of whom were also part of Ukraine’s counsel team.

Blackstone Chambers’ Breakfast Briefing is back and thrilled to start 2025 by celebrating Blackstone Chambers’ recent sponsorship of the Conflicts of Laws Prize on the University of Oxford’s prestigious BCL course.

Andrew Scott KC surveys recent events with our keynote conflicts address before Blackstone’s barristers run through a series of their recent stand-out cases in the field including Tom de la Mare KC (Kingdom of Spain v London Steam-Ship Owners’ Mutua), Peter Head (Magomedov v TPG Group), Gayatri Sarathy (Kireevav Bedzhamov), Tim Otty KC and Drishti Suri. Andrew George KC smoothes everything over from the Chair.

In this episode, ATLEU’s Jamila Duncan-Bosu talks with Blackstone’s Charlotte Kilroy KC about ground-breaking litigation brought by Anti Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit (ATLEU), on behalf of a young Indonesian man on a seasonal worker visa who was left homeless and in serious debt following exploitation on a UK fruit farm. The case argues that the visa scheme lacks the necessary safeguards to protect people from slavery and exploitation.

Jamila also celebrates ten years of ATLEU’s work as the only UK charity dedicated to providing specialist legal representation to survivors of trafficking and slavery and advocating for their rights and justice.

Featured on the podcast:

• Charlotte Kilroy KC is expert in a wide range of areas of public law, civil law and human rights law. She has extensive expertise in bringing judicial review challenges to systems and policies, and has been involved in many of the leading cases on procedural fairness, natural justice and access to court.
• Jamila Duncan-Bosu is a founding solicitor of Anti Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit (ATLEU). Jamila leads ATLEU’s compensation legal team and specialises in employment and discrimination law and representing survivors of trafficking and slavery in compensation claims against their trafficker or those who have benefitted from their exploitation.

Listen in to this episode of The Litigation Podcast Shorts, as Michael Beloff KC recounts his final case: the McCloud Appeal. In this significant case, the Employment Appeal Tribunal dismissed the Lord Chancellor’s appeal against the Tribunal’s decision which found that the new judicial pension scheme unlawfully discriminated against younger judges. Michael represented six of the judges who successfully challenged this discrimination. He concludes this episode by sharing invaluable insights and practical advice, drawing on decades of experience in the field.

More about Michael’s life and career can be found in his memoir, MJBQC: A Life Within and Without the Law.

Join Michael Beloff KC, widely regarded as the ‘The Godfather of Sports Law’, in this episode of The Litigation Podcast Shorts. Michael shares fascinating insights and anecdotes from his remarkable career as a barrister specialising in sports disputes.

Look out for the fourth and final instalment in Michael’s Litigation Podcast Shorts series, where he discusses his final case and offers invaluable insights and practical advice on life and practice as a barrister.

More about Michael’s life and career can be found in his memoir, MJBQC: A Life Within and Without the Law.

Welcome to this episode of The Litigation Podcast Shorts, as Michael Beloff KC discusses his experiences in defamation law. Drawing on a quintet of high-profile libel cases, Michael offers a rare perspective on this fascinating area.

Join us next time, when Michael, widely regarded as the ‘Godfather of Sports Law’, delivers his unique insight into sports law.

More about Michael’s life and career can be found in his memoir, MJBQC: A Life Within and Without the Law.

Blackstone Chambers’ Commercial Breakfast Briefing returns with an in-depth look at Commercial Remedies, beginning with some ground-breaking recent developments in the law and practice relating to freezing injunctions.

After some icebreakers from Andrew George KC in the Chair, Luka Krsljanin analyses the important guidance on showing a real-risk of dissipation provided in Canada Inc v Sovereign Holdings. Carmine Conte provides reflections on “full and frank” disclosures, while Leona Powell reviews “on-notice” freezing injunctions and other less common scenarios. The “Case of the Quarter” slot is back by popular demand, as Robert Weekes KC and Daniel Cashman provide summaries of recent cases.