Welcome to weekly legal/business updates, sharing the latest developments and noteworthy events in the legal and business sectors

Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter and welcome! In today’s fast-paced world, it’s overwhelming to keep up. That’s why I’ve curated a weekly round-up of headlines that interest me. Stay informed, enhance your commercial awareness, and gain valuable insights. Sit back, relax, and let this newsletter be your companion in navigating news and knowledge.

Probate Delays Cause Major Impact on Cancer Research UK Funding

Probate funding represents about 40% of Cancer Research UK’s overall income and 50% of fundraising says Angela Morrison, Chief Operating Officer for Cancer Research UK. The huge delays with probate means that there is an estimated £30 million sitting in the backlog. As a result, Cancer Research UK has been unable to invest in projects they have committed to.

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TikTok Banned?

The US House of Representatives have approved a bill - The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applicants Act. Certain apps that are under the control of ‘foreign adversaries’ will be labelled as national security threats and therefore banned in the US. If it passes and becomes law, TikTok’s parents company ByteDance will have to sell 80% of its stake to a US company or be removed from American app stores. There is concern over whether this bill will damage US-China trade as it targets TikTok and not other social media platforms such as Facebook or X. It will be interesting to see whether this bill becomes law…

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Concerns Over ‘Deepfake’ Clients and Vendor Fraud

The Solicitors Regulation Authority are warning lawyers about the risks of deepfake technology. They said that not meeting clients face to face can be a cause for concern and relying on video calls to identify and verify your client is increasing the risk of vendor frauds. Deepfakes are AI generated and can impersonate a real human being. Extra care is being advised to combat fraudsters, especially in the conveyancing sector.

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EU’s AI law Passes Parliament

The European Parliament have approved the Artificial Intelligence Act which aims to protect fundamental rights, democracy, the rule of law and environmental sustainability from high-risk AI. Certain AI applications are banned if they threaten citizens rights, transparency requirements are imposed for general-purpose AI systems and there are limits on the use of biometric identification systems by law enforcement.

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Legal Lessons Campaign

Young Citizens have launched the annual Big Legal lesson, which provides free teaching resources and lessons on what the law is, who has the power to change the law and how that affects us. The lessons have been received by more than 200,000 children since it first launched in 2020. The lessons are suitable for children aged 5-18 and The Law Society are hugely supportive and see it is a “fantastic opportunity for pupils”.

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Fun facts for your friends…

The Metropolitan Police Act 1839 makes it an offence to beat or shake your carpet or rug or mat in the street in London. However, there is one exception! You are allowed to shake your doormat in the street as long as it is before 8am…

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