Dear PNBA Members,
Welcome to the re-launched PNBA newsletter. I am very grateful to Caroline Harrison QC, Kate Livesey and Simon Hale for producing it, and to Isabel Barter and Shail Patel for their contributions. Unfortunately Sweet & Maxwell’s enthusiasm for publishing a hard copy version appears to have waned, so we have had to resort to electronic means. We are still at something of a trial stage and suggestions for improvements or articles will be gratefully received.
Due to very high demand, I am pleased to report that all places for the Clinical Negligence Weekend at Clare College, Cambridge, have now been booked. I would like to thank Cara Guthrie and Christopher Johnston QC for organising this event. Places remain available for the Lawyers’ Liability Day at Gray’s Inn, organised by Spike Charlwood and Jamie Smith, which will take place in October. We have excellent line-ups of speakers for both events, and I am sure each will be of real benefit to members who attend. For November we are planning an event on the civil justice reforms/Mitchell and its clarification, with Prof. Dominic Regan and HHJ Iain Hughes QC, moderated by Mrs Justice Carr. As with the newsletter, if you have suggestions for future speaker events please let me or a committee member know, as our aim is to arrange events which are topical and relevant to members’ practices.
The publication of this newsletter coincides with the launch of the PNBA’s new-look website. You will find a number of links throughout this newsletter which will take you to the site. I would like to thank Jacqueline Simpson and Victoria Woodbridge, our Secretary, for their hard work in helping to rebuild it. Please visit it for papers of past addresses to the association, lecture notes and other useful materials.
In this edition of the newsletter, we are delighted to provide members with access to the paper delivered by Baroness Hale of Richmond as the Peter Taylor Memorial Address earlier this year, entitled “Professional Negligence: A Panacea for the Law’s Injustices?” Her Ladyship has kindly made this paper available.
Finally, on an IT note, if like me you have a Macintosh computer it may be of interest to know that, contrary to what Sweet & Maxell’s helpline told me, you can read an electronic version of the White Book on it. They have the technology, called ProView, but seem strangely reluctant to advertise its existence.
Best wishes
William Flenley
william.flenley@hailshamchambers.com