The Hon. Sir Michael Burton GBE Kt. QC (above), became chairman of the UKAJLJ committee five years ago. He agreed to take on the role for one year, and we are fortunate that he remained as Chair for so long. His tenure was a resounding success, and our distinguished guest speakers included Lady Justice Ingrid Simler, Lord Neuberger, and John Bercow, among others. He conducted meetings with considerable enthusiasm, humour, and efficiency,  and we are grateful for everything he has done for the Association.

Following in the tradition of our Association, we welcome another eminent judge as our new chairman, the Honourable Mr. Justice David Waksman. (below)

JACQUELINE PERRY TALK 21st January 2021

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"The Covid 19 pandemic has affected every aspect of our lives. Lawyers are dealing with the multitudinous problems that have arisen, and will continue to arise, as a result of the interruption to industry, services, supply chains, sponsorships, business closures and a range of contracts.

Our distinguished guest speaker, Jacqueline Perry QC, gave an insightful talk on the legal fall out of Covid 19. She spoke about some of the complexities, challenges and wider issues faced by parties and lawyers arising under contract and insurance law, in particular: force majeure and frustration in a multi-jurisdictional context.

Ms Perry provided us with impressively researched figures from both the UK and US, illustrating the enormous financial cost of the pandemic. She warned against a rush of insurance claims, which could be catastrophic if met in full; and could well result in bankruptcy for many insurance companies, with the resultant loss to all those insured.
 
Her talk was followed by a lively question and answer session."

ROS WRIGHT CB QC  'JEWISH WOMEN - PIONEERS IN THE LAW' on 25th November 2020

The UKAJLJ was privileged to hear about women pioneers in the law, from one such pioneer, Ros Wright, barrister and Bencher of the Middle Temple. Ros’ illustrious career, includes serving as an Assistant Director at the DPP’s Office, General Counsel as a financial services regulator and Director of the Serious Fraud Office, whilst like pioneering women others, she maintained a traditional family life. She set the stage for her meticulously researched and eye opening adventure through over a century of women legal pioneers. It was evident that the journey from the first women to enter the profession, through to women being ‘tolerated but not encouraged’ to the present day opportunities female practitioners enjoy, was in great part due to the early strides and the ground-breaking initiative of the compelling women profiled. So many of the stories recounted resonated, in particular, because several in the audience had personal connections to some of the incredible women that featured and certainly there were also many names familiar to the UK Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists. Ros’s talk was delivered with wit and clear passion for this great history, and we thank her for an uplifting and inspiring presentation.

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Antisemitism is an insidious cancer that has afflicted the Jewish people throughout the ages.

After the atrocities of the 20th century, one would not have expected a resurgence within the seat of democracy, British parliament.

But in recent years this virus has gained prominence at the centre of British politics.

On 15th October the UKAJLJ held a webinar entitled Antisemitism in British Politics Today, chaired by Sir Michael Burton, the outgoing Chairman of the Committee. We were honoured to have as our guest speakers Lord Mann, a former Labour MP who now sits in the House of Lords as a cross bencher, and in 2019 was appointed as the government’s advisor on antisemitism, and Dame Louise Ellman, Chair of the Labour Friends of Israel and vice president of the Jewish Leadership Council. Both were politicians of long-standing, and staunch supporters of the Labour party. Both resigned from the party after what they observed as a fundamental failure to address numerous incidents of antisemitism, and the failure by the executive to deal with them.

Lord Mann, who is not Jewish, spoke of  those failures, the cause and effect, and the steps that could be taken to combat antisemitism. Dame Louise Ellman spoke of her personal experiences of antisemitism that occurred within her Liverpool constituency, the abysmal treatment meted out to her because she is Jewish, and the woefully inadequate way it was handled by the executive.

The talk was followed by both speakers answering questions, and Jonathan Lux gave the vote of thanks on behalf of the Committee of UKAJLJ.

From left to right; Jakki, Levene (Secretary UKAJLJ), Sir Michael Burton (Chairman UKAJLJ), Sir Terence Etherton MR, Riaz Hussain QC (Techbar). 

On Monday 13th January 2020 the United Kingdom Association of Jewish Lawyers & Jurists (UKAJLJ) in conjunction with the TECBAR and COMBAR Equality and Diversity Committees were delighted to host this talk by Sir Terence Etherton MR. 

Sir Terence gave a fascinating and humorous account of the development of the role of the Master of the Rolls, the previous Jewish holders of the office, and his own very personal, and impressive story of his rise through the ranks of the judiciary as an openly gay  married man.

The meeting was very well attended and followed by a drinks reception  which was generously supported by Gray’s Inn.

Religious Education and the Attitude of Family Courts on 20th November

Joint talk with the Association of Muslim Lawyers

From left to right, Saima Zia (AML), Sarah Anticoni (Speaker), Jacqueline Levene (UKAJLJ), Remy Mohamed (AML)

Since 2014 the UKJLJ has held an annual joint meeting with the AML on subjects of mutual interest and concern. Following on from previous successful talks, this year’s subject was on ‘Religious education and the attitude of Family Courts’. 

We were privileged to have as our guest speaker Sarah Anticoni, a partner in the firm of Charles Russell Speechlys, and a recognised expert in resolution of all matters relating to family disputes. Unfortunately, the speaker for the AML, Zimran Samuel, was unable to attend due to a last minute family illness.

Ms Anticoni gave a fascinating talk, which engendered a great many questions and lively discussion.

The meeting was hosted by Augustus Della – Porta of Bates Wells, who also provided the refreshments.

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On the 22nd July we were honoured to welcome Professor Katznelson, Professor of Political Science and History at Columbia University, as our guest speaker. He took us on a wonderfully erudite journey from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century expounding on the introduction, and sometimes revocation, of laws relating to Jews and their religious practices in the United Kingdom, and to a lesser degree, in the USA.

The talk was followed by a lively discussion

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Dame Cressida Dick Talk on 11th of September 2019

From left to right; Florette Hyman, Cressida Dick, Sir Michael Burton GBE, QC (chairman UKAJLJ). 

We were thrilled to have Dame Cressida Dick talk to us, especially on such an auspicious day. It was an extremely insightful and thought provoking evening into the Metropolitan Police approach to hate crime, knife attacks and cybercrime, amongst other things.

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The evening was well attended and Dame Cressida Dick took many Q and A's from the audience.

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We thank our Committee Member, Florette Hyman for her help in the evening coming to fruition. We also thank Taylor Wessing for hosting.

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Please follow this link to view the article in the Jewish News about the event:  https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/after-receiving-