Thank you to all who joined us yesterday at Conference5RB at the IET Savoy Place and to our sponsor, Hiscox, who has supported the conference since our first event in 2006.
Keynote speaker Professor Rachael Mulheron
Opening the Conference, 5RB’s joint head of Chambers, Justin Rushbrooke KC, welcomed everyone back after a four-year gap and thanked the audience for making it the biggest ever, with well over 300 attendees.
We were delighted to be joined by Professor Rachael Mulheron KC (Hon), Professor of Tort Law and Civil Justice at Queen Mary University of London as our keynote speaker. Professor Mulheron discussed the viability of class actions following Lloyd v Google [2021] UKSC 50. She also highlighted Paccar Inc & Ors v Road Haulage Association Ltd & Ors – a significant CAT case which is currently headed to the UK Supreme Court (on appeal from [2021] EWCA Civ 299) – considering whether Litigation Funding Agreements are in fact Damages-based Agreements.
The keynote speech was followed by three plenary sessions in which members of 5RB provided an update on misuse of private information, data protection, and defamation law. After lunch, members held workshops addressing practical approaches to legal problems arising from Chambers’ practice areas – including reporting restriction orders, privacy injunctions, and the public interest defence under s.4 of the Defamation Act 2013.
The programme came to a close with Adrienne Page KC in conversation with Dr Maggie Semple OBE. Dr Semple is an entrepreneur and champion of equity, diversity and inclusion. She owns the women’s fashion brand, Semple, and has recently published ‘My Little Black Book – a Blacktionary’, which aims to encourage communication on societal issues concerning race and ethnicity. Dr Semple explained how her British Guyanese heritage has shaped her character and considered the ways in which all workplaces can improve inclusivity post-pandemic.
The Conference5RB 2022 programme can be accessed here.