In this podcast, Jamas Hodivala KC discusses with his guests Théa Bounfour and Jean-Philippe Fogle a money laundering complaint filed with prosecutors by the French NGO, Sherpa, alleging that banks are laundering the proceeds of environmental crimes committed by large Brazilian cattle companies.Oleh Matrix Chambers

As the Safety of Rwanda Bill returns to Parliament, Helen Mountfield, Murray Hunt and Richard Hermer discuss the myriad ways it breaches international law and undermines the rule of law.Oleh Matrix Chambers

How do we begin to understand the events in both Israel and Gaza from a legal perspective? In this short podcast Richard Hermer KC talks to Professor Andrew Clapham about the relevant international law frameworkOleh Matrix Chambers

In Season 2 Episode 4 of the Matrix Pod: The Rule of Law, Richard Hermer KC, Zoe McCallum and Dr Tim Lillicrap (Research Director at Google DeepMind) discuss Artificial Intelligence and the future of law and humanity.This episode examines fast-moving developments in Artificial Intelligence technology, “the existential threat” that AI is said to gen…

Richard Hermer KC, Jessica Jones and Martha Spurrier (Director at Liberty) discuss the new Public Order Act 2023. The episode analyses the legislation including its connection to the recent Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and what the new Act means for trust in policing - seen within the context of the current problems faced by the Me…

This episode examines the events unfolding in Israel over the past weeks in which tens of thousands of citizens have taken to the streets to protest against legislation designed to increase governmental control over the appointment of judges and to limit the powers of the judiciary.Oleh Matrix Chambers

Richard Hermer KC speaks with Raza Husain KC (Matrix Chambers) and Sile Reynolds (Freedom from Torture) about the pressing Migration Bill being pushed through UK Parliament. The bill is designed to deter refugees arriving into the UK on small boats. Richard, Raza and Sile discuss the role of the courts and whether the bill can be overruled by the E…

Richard Hermer KC and Helen Mountfield KC discuss colonialism and the rule of law with Professor Caroline Elkins. They explore how law can be used as a weapon and how it might be utilised to seek redress and accountability.Oleh Matrix Chambers

Richard Hermer QC, Helen Mountfield QC, Murray Hunt and Adam Wagner dissect the last three years of rule under Boris Johnson. How has it fared, what have been the points of concern and what should the new leader do to restore any damage done? Later this year, Adam’s will publish his latest book “Emergency State” which will exam examining how, from …

Roe v Wade - Endgame? by Matrix ChambersOleh Matrix Chambers

The Laws of War – A Guide by Matrix ChambersOleh Matrix Chambers

The Rules of War by Matrix ChambersOleh Matrix Chambers

Richard Hermer QC and Professor Andrew Clapham discuss the current crisis occurring on the Russia Ukraine border including the international legal obligations to offer assistance should a threat be recognised. For those interested in learning more about the legal framework governing war, we recommend Andrew’s latest book “War”.…

Richard Hermer QC and Helen Mountfield QC talk to Tatiana Glushkova, member of the Council of Memorial Human Rights Centre, and Jess Gavron, the Legal Director at European Human Rights Advocacy Centre regarding the recent events in Russia and the wider context of the rule of law. Many would agree that our global judiciaries should remain apolitical…

The Elections Bill - how worried should we be? by Matrix ChambersOleh Matrix Chambers

This week, we speak to Lord David Neuberger about the rule of law and the role of courts and judges. Together with Helen Mountfield QC and Murray Hunt, Richard Hermer asks what are the essential ingredients that determine whether a judicial system is able, or willing, to protect the rule of law and fundamental rights? What role, if any, have judges…

Richard Hermer QC speaks to fellow Matrix barrister Raza Husain QC and Sile Reynolds the Lead Asylum Policy Advisor at Freedom from Torture about the Nationality and Borders Bill currently being steered through Parliament by the Home Secretary, Pritti Patel. The Bill, at least on its face, appears to be a radical redrawing of domestic law applicati…

This week Samantha Knights QC talks to Rahela Sidiqi, Director of the Farkhunda Trust, and Michael Ryder CMG, CEO of the Royal Society of Asian Affairs, about the current situation in Afghanistan. Together they explore what should and can be done to provide practical assistance for Afghans whose lives are in mortal danger, and what the recent Talib…

This week Samantha Knights QC is joined by Masha Karp and Owen Matthews to speak about curbs on free expression, protest, political opposition and together they look at what is happening right now in Russia. Masha is a London-based freelance journalist and writer, trustee of Rights in Russia and for many years she worked with the BBC Russian Servic…

Karon Monaghan QC and Professor Carrie Bettinger-Lopez, University of Miami School of Law join Samantha Knights QC to talk about violence against women in both the US and UK. Together they explore what has happened over the past year during the pandemic, gaps in policy and practice, reform and the new domestic abuse act in the UK, and the scope of …

This week’s episode focuses on Gaza and the current conflict in the region from an international law perspective. Richard Hermer QC speaks to Professor Andrew Clapham, to provide an overview of the legal framework that governs not only the current hostilities but the overall legal context of the conflict between Israeli and Palestinian people.…

This week the Matrix Law Pod returns to India to speak with Colin Gonsalves, a prominent human rights lawyer, focusing not only on the emergency on the ground but the impact on the rule of law. Together with Richard Hermer QC and Helen Mountfield QC, they explore what role the courts have had to play in ensuring that the state acts to protect the l…

Following the verdict in the George Floyd court case in the USA, Richard Hermer QC and Helen Mountfield QC speak with Prof. Craig Futterman, a Professor at the University of Chicago and the founder of the Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project of the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic, and Raju Bhatt, a leading civil rights lawyer in the UK and a foun…

The Matrix Law Pod is back for a third season. This week Samantha Knights QC and Raza Husain QC are joined by Maya Goodfellow, author of 'Hostile Environments: How Immigrants Became Scapegoats'. Together they cover the history and origins of Hostile Environment, the broad consensus between Conservative and Labour parties on being tough on immigrati…

This week Samantha Knights QC is joined by Christina Lamb OBE (Chief Foreign Correspondent of Sunday Times) and Caroline Buisman (International Criminal Defence and Human Rights Lawyer at Stapert Advocaten). Based on Christina Lamb's new book 'Our Bodies Their Battlefield: What War Does to Women', together they discuss how and why in modern warfare…

This week's podcast follows a panel discussion event organised by Hickman and Rose and Matrix Chambers. Since the virus arrived in the UK in February the Government has introduced a number of new criminal offences seeking to ensure compliance with its public health policies. Listen to our panel of the UK’s leading legal and political minds as they …

This week Richard Hermer QC, Murray Hunt and Helen Mountfield QC speak to Lisa Nandy, Labour MP for Wigan. Listen as they discuss topics including the results of the US election, the UK’s international reputation and influence, when it is appropriate for the UK to intervene militarily overseas to prevent crimes against humanity and much more.…

The US presidential election is fast approaching and the result could have wide-reaching consequences, not only for the citizens of the US but for all of us. Topics relating to the future of climate change action, the international legal order, the promotion of international human rights, press freedom and indeed the future of truth and decency in …

Join Richard Hermer QC, Helen Mountfield QC and Murray Hunt for the first episode of season two this week, in which they discuss the rising ‘R’ rate; rights restrictions imposed without Parliamentary oversight; the government seeking to pass legislation in violation of international law obligations; judicial review under review and the death of one…

This week we are joined by Bill Browder, the driving force behind the Magnitsky Act, the legislation being adopted in countries across the globe enforcing sanctions against foreign state officials involved in grave human rights abuses and systemic corruption. Bill is a financier by trade, and in the years spanning both sides of the turn of the mill…

Do Covid, Brexit And Black Lives Matter Present A Moment Of Constitutional Opportunity For The UK?In this week’s podcast, Murray Hunt and Helen Mountfield QC are joined by Kate O’Regan, former Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, and Alan Miller, Co-Chair of the Scottish National Taskforce on Human Rights Leadership, to discuss whet…

This week's podcast explores some of the wider themes exemplified by the Black Lives Matter protest through the lens of transitional justice. Transitional justice is a phrase used to describe how societies once torn apart by conflicts of many sorts, can deal with past legacies and move forward, whether through truth commissions, national apologies,…

The brutal killing of George Floyd has led to a chain reaction in many countries not simply of protest but an increasing acknowledgement of the need to address the persistent and pervasive impact of systemic racism. This week we speak to David Lammy MP, one of the most prominent and thoughtful public figures on questions not just of the manifestati…

This week we return to Hong Kong to examine the human rights implications as China moves to implement new national security law. We speak to Patricia Ho about the recent developments and ask, what does this mean for the rule of law in Hong Kong?Oleh Matrix Chambers

The importance of the powers of the devolved administrations of the United Kingdom became clearer following the Prime Minister’s announcement that we were to begin relaxing the lockdown restrictions and each of the administrations adopted a slightly different approach. This week we speak to Prof Aileen McHarg, Dr Evelyn Collins CBE and Prof Daniel …

In this week's podcast, we speak to Professor David Cole, Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, about human rights and the rule of law in the USA. We examine the USA's response to the Covid crisis and what it tells us, not simply about the strength of the rule of law there but what the consequences of the US experience might be for …

This week the Matrix Law Pod addresses the human rights implications of how Governments are increasingly turning to technology, not least data tracking, to help ease us out of lockdown.In countries such as South Korea and Taiwan, the authorities have been using location data from peoples phones to identify all those who have been in the close vicin…

This week we speak to Afua Hirsch and Martha Spurrier about the impact on existing inequalities within our society, most particularly race, gender and poverty, in times of crisis. It is becomingly increasingly clear that whilst the coronavirus itself does not discriminate, its effect does and is cruelly amplifying existing inequalities.Afua is a ba…

The Sound Of Silence: The Vacuum In International Leadership And Its Impact On The World’s PoorestThis week we are continuing to look at the international response to the coronavirus crisis but turning from examining the impact on wealthy, albeit troubled nations, to those toward the bottom end of the economic scale or at least in which a significa…

This week's podcast focuses on how other countries are reacting and in particular how regimes governed by populist governments are coping. Richard Hermer QC, Phillippa Kaufmann QC and Murray Hunt are joined by human rights activists from around the world to discuss the situation in Hungary, Israel and the OPT, and Hong Kong.…

Launching with ‘Public Emergencies and the Rule of Law’, Phillippa Kaufmann QC, Murray Hunt and Richard Hermer QC will discuss the UK’s approach to the Covid Crisis including whether all the government's measures are lawful and whether human rights are being sufficiently protected.Oleh Matrix Chambers