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13 February 2019 / Jeffrey Catanzaro
Issue: 7828 / Categories: Features , Profession , Technology
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Blockchain: under lock & key?

It’s not a question of if but when this new technology will start to transform law firms, so the time to prepare is now, says Jeffrey Catanzaro

Blockchain has the power to revolutionise so many sectors in so many ways, and it is likely we will continue to read more and more about this technology and its practical applications in 2019.

For example, blockchain is being used to track the provenance of food, to ensure it is what it says on the label: the technology can prove an onion has been grown organically, or that a piece of fish used in your sushi is sustainable. In the financial world, blockchain has the potential to be a gamechanger by creating more secure transactions, and it also forms the basis for cryptocurrencies. The music industry is using blockchain to stamp out illegal downloads and ensure artists are properly compensated. The automotive sector is utilising the platform to manage supply chains and track vehicles. You get the picture: blockchain can transform most sectors and infiltrate everyone’s lives, creating more secure and traceable transactions

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Private wealth and tax team welcomes cross-border specialist as consultant

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

International hospitality and leisure specialist joins corporate team as partner

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven

Firm appoints head of intellectual property to drive northern growth

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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