As it celebrates turning one, we count down the ten best contributions to our legal affairs hub
This day last year, we posted our first ever Legal Cheek Journal piece.
A chance for students and young lawyers to submit legal affairs-oriented content to us, the Journal has grown from strength to strength in the past 12 months. We’ve had contributions on Julian Assange, kinky sex, Magna Carta and transgender rights. Top journalist and honorary QC Joshua Rozenberg now has a regular writing slot, and Legal Cheek looks forward to reading even more of your articles throughout 2017.
To celebrate the Journal’s first birthday, the team scoured the past year’s contributions to find the very best of the best. In no particular order and based on a number of factors — including site traffic and social media shares — here are the top ten Legal Cheek Journal articles so far.
1. Do our gun laws leave us open to a US style shooting?
In the midst of recent Europe-wide terror attacks, personal safety is high in the public conscience. Here, LPC student Tom English considers whether the United Kingdom’s gun laws stand up to scrutiny, or whether a ‘US-style’ shooting is likely.
Read the full article here.
2. How law touches on every area of sport
Aside from receiving some of the nicest comments on any Legal Cheek article ever, Ali Farooq’s whistlestop tour of this little known practice area has proven an invaluable resource for budding sports lawyers.
Read the full article here.
3. Could new EU legislation spell the end for vaping?
Swapping cigs for vaping devices was all the rage in 2016, but by the spring users were becoming concerned EU legislation was set to rain on their parade. John-Mark Tawadrous, a solicitor and self-confessed vape user, was on hand to explain.
Read the full article here.
4. Assisted dying — a right not a request
Alex Bedford’s sensitive and persuasive article on assisted dying put forward the case for its legalisation. Drawing on his own experiences, student author Bedford told readers there’s no excuse: now is the time to fight for legislative reform.
Read the full article here.
5. Brexit: who can pull the Article 50 trigger?
It takes guts to stand up to authority, and that’s exactly what London School of Economics student Kristyna Muhlfeitova did when she challenged David Cameron and Theresa May’s Brexit stance.
Read the full article here.
6. Why I think you should be able to buy illegal drugs from licensed shops
One of the more contentious articles of the year came from Peter Baker, an aspiring solicitor who thinks licensed charities should be able to produce and sell drugs to users over the age of 18. His piece certainly divided opinion in our comments section.
Read the full article here.
7. What would happen if the Queen went on a crime spree?
Cambridge law student Alex Shattock had readers giggling with his eclectic constitutional law piece about Elizabeth II hypothetically committing an armed robbery. The legal barriers in place to stop authorities prosecuting the monarch are pretty intense.
Read the full article here.
8. The Article 50 Brexit challenge needs to be successful, here’s why
The first of a number of pieces written for us by incoming trainee Michael Walker. The Cambridge law graduate put his stake in the ground and said exactly why he thought Gina Miller was right to bring her now famous judicial review challenge.
Read the full article here.
9. Are the courts too soft on contract breakers?
Law student Dalia Damanhouri got us all thinking when she questioned whether the judiciary is simply too lax when it comes to contract law disputes.
Read the full article here.
10. What do Spider-Man and Superman teach us about criminal justice?
Last summer, Exeter University student Joel Wish unearthed some of the interesting legal lessons tucked away in the pages of comic books. Who reckons they can sneak Batman and Superman references into their criminal law exam papers?
Read the full article here.
The winner of the Legal Cheek ‘Best Journal Contribution’ gong will be selected by an independent judging panel and announced at the Legal Cheek Awards on the evening of Thursday 16 March. You can view the full collection of shortlists published so far here.