England’s Top Judge Speaking at Law Firm Fined for Breaching Russia Sanctions – Guido Fawkes

England’s Top Judge Speaking at Law Firm Fined for Breaching Russia Sanctions

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Co-conspirators may remember last month’s spirited intervention from Lady Justice Carr, England’s top judge, when Starmer and Badenoch stressed the primacy of parliament over activist judges at PMQs:

“I think it started from a question from the Opposition suggesting that the decision in a certain case was wrong, and obviously the Prime Minister’s response to that. Both question and the answer were unacceptable. It is for the Government visibly to respect and protect the independence of the judiciary.”

Awkward, then, that someone with such an imperious view of the legal profession should be the main speaker at an event hosted by Herbert Smith Freehills tonight. HSF has just today been fined £465,000 for breaching sanctions on Russia…

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation today issued the fines to subsidiary HSF Moscow – despite Herbert Smith requesting a ministerial review – which relate to six payments of £3.9 million to Alfa-Bank JSC, PJSC Sovcombank, and PJSC Sberbank. Those are three banks subject to an asset freeze by the UK government. Lady Justice Carr’s speech tonight has the title “Valuing Lawyers.” Write your own jokes…

Carr’s lecture for the 2025 Sir Henry Brooke Lecture at HSF’s premises on Primrose Street begins at 6 p.m. tonight with a Q&A and reception afterwards. Might be frostier than expected…