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04 May 2018 / Dan Taylor
Issue: 7791 / Categories: Features , Profession , Technology
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Blockchain for law firms

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Dan Taylor explores the potential of Blockchain, & urges lawyers to join bankers & industry chiefs in embracing this technology

  • Blockchain could be used to make law firms more secure.

Cryptocurrency has burst into the public eye, primarily thanks to Bitcoin’s volatility that saw it reach highs of $20,000 (£14, 350) per coin in mid-December. However, what often goes unnoticed is the Blockchain technology which powers and documents each transaction that uses the digital currency.

Blockchain is a unique way in which data can be recorded and is one of the most promising technological developments to have emerged in recent times. Blockchain is sometimes referred to as a distributed ledger as the data is distributed throughout a computer network. It is deemed to be highly beneficial to industries that need to keep data secure.

How it works

Blockchain works by linking each new data entry to the previous one before it, thus creating a ‘chain’. Each new data entry is first verified by a node (a computer connected to the blockchain system, which enforces the rules), which then adds the data

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NEWS
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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