In the early part of next year we are hosting an important series of free webinars.

The inspiration behind the project is Louise Tickle, a nationally renowned campaigning journalist who has been instrumental in opening up many sectors of the courts and tribunals system to greater public scrutiny and press reporting.

She has drawn together expert panels - including journalists, lawyers, judges, academics and campaigners - who, over the course of the series, will debate some of the critical questions facing those who attend legal hearings, either in a personal or professional capacity, and those who report on them for the wider public.

As Louise says,

“When great powers are exerted by the state that can change people’s lives forever - and sometimes destroy them - the ability to scrutinise and hold to account the people and systems exercising those powers is the only thing that can keep us safe.

Power, in the form of the state, often prefers and promotes secrecy, or at least opacity, citing privacy to justify the stifling of public discussion. And of course, sometimes, this will be right. But how often, genuinely, is this justified, how pure is the motivation, and how do we navigate the tensions set up when freedom of expression conflicts with privacy interests?"

So we were delighted to be asked to help host the events, as they fit with our ethos of opening up law and legal processes to make them as accessible as possible. We think they will be compelling listening for everyone with an interest - personal, professional or theoretical - in understanding how justice works in an open society.

The series will run between late January and early March next year. You can take a look at the full programme - and register for free on one or all of them - here. 

Louise Tickle: how do we navigate the tensions set up when freedom of expression conflicts with privacy interests?