AllAboutLaw Blog: A call to end Black Friday, an unusual ode to thanksgiving and more

 This week’s edition of the AllAboutLaw blog looks at the damaging effects of Black Friday and the ensuing discontent of the shopping event in France, how the signing of a new bill lead to a display of thanks by Hong Kong protesters, and a legal action launched by British athletes against the British Olympic Association.

Black Friday may be no more

As millions revel in the unsurpassable deals of the shopping extravaganza that is Black Friday, it is difficult to contextualise the environmental damage of such an event when faced with such enticing discounts.

Originating from the US holiday of Thanksgiving, Black Friday has become a global phenomenon. Nonetheless, protests have taken place in France against Black Friday and the online retail giant Amazon. Partly as a result of the “Greta Thunberg effect”, more people are becoming aware of the impact of their consumer choices on the environment. The protests in France are a testimony to this gradual change in consumerist attitude.

The protestors blocked a shopping centre in Paris, have demonstrated in front of Amazon’s French headquarters in Clichy, north of Paris, and have obstructed the company’s logistics centre in Lyon. These protests reflect the sentiment of some French lawmakers who wish to ban Black Friday because of its environmental impact. An amendment was put forward by the former environment minister Delphine Batho and will be debated in January.

The amendment includes plans to describe Black Friday advertising as “aggressive commercial practices”, thereby subjecting the company behind the targeted publicity to a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a €300,000 fine.

Activists targeted Amazon due to the sheer scale of its operations. Coline Vanhenacker, a member of the Friends of the Earth environmental group, stated that Amazon represented “overproduction, overconsumption and over waste”.

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“My son Jack, who was killed in this attack, would not wish his death to be used as the pretext for more draconian sentences or for detaining people unnecessarily”

David Merritt, the father of Jack Merritt, a victim in the London Bridge attack last Friday.

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The University of Law launches new Bar Practice Course

The University of Law (ULaw) has announced that it will be launching a new Bar Practice Course (BPC) to replace the existing Bar Professional Training Course (BTPC), subject to approval by the Bar Standards Board (BSB).

The replacement follows the BSB approval of a series of new training rules, in a bid to make the route to qualification as a barrister more flexible and affordable. The new course will be launched in the next 2020 recruitment cycle.

The BPC will be more tailored and flexible than the BPTC. With blended learning between online and classroom study, the course aims to cater to as many working styles as possible, while also fitting around any other commitments students may have.

The fees are also more accessible and affordable than the BPTC, at £13,000 in London and £11,750 outside of London, which includes the BPC fee and textbooks, unlike other BPC providers. There are also two start date routes: the usual September full-time and part-time start, as well as the introduction of a July full-time route, both of which are available from 2020.

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Firm News

Congratulations to all the winners at the annual AllAboutLaw Awards!

Kingsley Napley, the white-collar crime specialist, has recruited Alison Riley from the Crown Prosecution service.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges has promoted four women in the latest round, making up more women than men to partner in the firm’s history.

Sidley Austin continues to expand its M&A and private equity offering by hiring Brien Wassner from Shearman & Sterling’s M&A practice.

Shoosmiths has appointed Ben Bennet as the firm’s first chief operating officer in London

DWF has expanded its Australia offices after acquiring McDonald Johnson Lawyers, increasing the Australia headcount to 180.

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An original take on Thanksgiving

Last Thursday, America celebrated Thanksgiving. The day was also significant at a diplomatic level because President Trump signed into law a bill that supports the pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong. The Human Rights and Democracy Act enables the US to annually check the autonomy of Hong Kong it justify its special status with the US. 

The decision to sign the Act has been linked to the ongoing trade war with China, and the Chinese government have been quick to voice their disapproval and have threatened to impose further sanctions. However, the protests have shown their support for the move during a Thanksgiving rally, where demonstrators sang the US national anthem, displayed the American flag and waved posters of Donald Trump’s head superimposed on the shirtless body of the Rocky character.

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You may have missed the opportunity to secure a winter vacation scheme, but do not despair because there are plenty of spring and summer vacation schemes up for grabs. Make sure to visit our website to see all the open opportunities.

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The ‘thank you’ rule challenged by team GB athletes

A number of high-profile British athletes have launched legal action against the British Olympic Association (BOA). The move comes in response to ”unjust and unlawful” sponsorship rules, whereby British athletes are only allowed to express their gratitude in a generic message once to their sponsors during the Olympic Games period. This year the International Olympic Committee amended its rule 40, which previously forbade athletes to participate in advertising during the Olympics. Following a challenge in German courts, countries can now decide to be more flexible regarding rule 40. However, the frustration of the British athletes with the BOA is due to its minimal change of stance in relation to sponsorship advertisement.

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Recommended reading

1. As news leaks through the internet blackout, it is becoming apparent just how violent the Iranian protests are.

2. The European Commission has signalled its investigation into Google’s collection of data.

3. A new law effective since Sunday requires anyone in China registering for a new mobile phone to have their face scanned.

4. Singapore’s controversial “fake news” law has been put into action, and Facebook is the first to be affected.

5. Well into the third day of the 25th COP negotiations on climate change, this article indicates the expected outcomes of the conference.

6. A conflict of interest: when lawyers conceal potentially life-saving information.

7. As the Iraqi Prime Minister resigned from power on Sunday, the violence of the protests and the targeted killings are surfacing.

8. An exploration of the fear of sameness in a globalised world.

9. Human rights organisations have argued children are losing their right to British citizenship as a result of the “excessively high” fees.

10. The legal tech industry is a far cry from achieving gender diversity. Meg McVoy of Bloomberg explains why.

11. Amnesty International has expressed outrage at the extended jail sentences for six human-rights defenders in Turkey.

12. Has the recent censoring of a teenage girl on TikTok gone a step too far?

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