All Articles

Kashmir: Prisoners of the Subcontinent
Over the past 70 years, Kashmir has been the stage for the historically tenacious conflict between India and Pakistan – a dramatic performance of micro-aggressions and relentless propaganda against each other. Both countries control significant dividends of Kashmir but have fought three wars to gain each other’s half. This has transformed Kashmir into one of the most […]
The case of Niloufar Bayani
PART ONE Niloufar Bayani is an Iranian researcher and conservationist who was arrested in January 2018 whilst conducting field research work in Iran as part of her role with the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation (PWHF). In October 2018, Ms Bayani and three of her colleagues were indicted with the charge of ‘sowing corruption on earth’, […]
Staying actively Anti-Racist
Black Lives Matter is not a trend, and it cannot afford to simply become one. Here at Advocate we have been taking this time to educate ourselves further, sign petitions, donate, attend protests etc. But most importantly, we have recognised the importance of staying actively anti-racist every day of the week, not just when social […]

Revolution or Reversal? Erdoğan’s chipping away of Kemalist reformation in Turkey
(Written in 2018) In the aftermath of World War One, Kemal Atatürk led a successful campaign during 1920-1922 which broke away from the Ottoman approach, an empire which at its height encompassed central Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia. Seeing as the Kemalist Revolution marked the end of one of the longest lasting Empires in […]

Clowns to the Left, Jokers to the Right – Here I am stuck in the middle with EU
On Sunday the 11th of February, Anna Soubry and Chuka Umunna, the co-chairs of the All-Party Group on EU Relations and two of Remain’s loudest voices, did a joint interview on the Andrew Marr Show. During the interview Marr made an interesting observation, “you are closer to each other politically, you (Anna Soubry) are closer […]

The Putin Paradox: Order at Home, Chaos Abroad
There is a paradox at the heart of Vladimir Putin’s rule. For many Russians he is the ‘law and order’ candidate; a leader who promotes family values, a stable economy, Orthodox Christianity and resolve in the face of terrorism. For many outside Russia, however, he is seen as promoting chaos whether that be in […]

Jerusalem and the New U.S.-Israeli ‘Special Relationship’
In December, the world saw a seismic announcement from US President Donald Trump. He declared Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel, a highly contentious statement given that Jerusalem is the focal point of three religions. Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all have major sacred sites in Jerusalem, so by proclaiming Jerusalem to be […]

Out on the street with nothing to eat?
Should it even be legal? What gets your blood boiling? We all have a moment where we see a news headline which makes us so angry that we see red. Why does the government allow such things to happen? Can such a law even exist? Let it out and tell us about the legal issues […]

Strike back: is punching Nazis acceptable?
In January this year, a debate was opened when a video of Richard Spencer, a prominent American Nazi, being punched in the face by an anti-fascist protester went viral. While few felt sympathy for Spencer, a man who has called for “peaceful ethnic cleansing” and whose movement has been associated with sending strobe lighting to […]

Fighting For Diversity in the Legal Profession
Current law firm statistics at partner level paint a bleak picture of diversity in the legal profession. At BLP, Britain’s ‘most’ diverse law firm, only 16% of their partners are from BME backgrounds, whilst the majority of commercial firms hover around the 4% mark. Gender and ethnic diversity remain problematic. However, there is a good […]

A Ticking Time Bomb: Sexual Health
Should it even be legal? What gets your blood boiling? We all have a moment where we see a news headline which makes us so angry that we see red. Why does the government allow such things to happen? Can such a law even exist? Let it out and tell us about the legal issues […]

What’s Changed in Legal Practice?
One of the benefits of being a University of Nottingham Law student is access to its legal skills workshops and seminars. These are designed to sharpen commercial awareness, improve application writing or interview skills and provide a unique perspective on particular aspects of the legal industry. A seminar that piqued my interest was one delivered […]

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation: Draconian or Necessary?
Since 1999, the laws governing data protection at the European level have remained largely stagnant. The existing regime pertains mainly to data controllers – those who collect personal information. On the other hand, data processors – those who service information – are normally excluded from these regulations.[1] In addition, the current regime has glaring loopholes- […]

Why won’t we talk about guns?
The 1st of October 2017 was a tragedy. There can be no denying. At least 58 lost their lives and 500 more were injured when 64-year-old Stephen Paddock interrupted a country music festival with a shower of bullets on the Las Vegas strip. Accompanying him in his Madalay Bay hotel room were a stockpile of […]

Is Cold War II brewing?
Is Cold War II Brewing? The Cold War was the period of hostility between the Western powers and the Soviet bloc countries from 1945 to 1990. Tensions between the USA and Russia were near boiling point. Battles between different ideologies took place across the globe. And the world teetered on the brink of nuclear […]

The Refugee’s Struggle
When all eyes were on the new Prime Minister, Theresa May, during her first speech on the 13th July 2016, something very different was happening off the coast of Lesbos. Four dead bodies were being dragged from the sea after a dinghy that was carrying migrants had capsized off the east coast. A young girl […]

Elections: The Weakness of Democracy
In recent elections and referendums, we have witnessed a global change in the political tide; some of us may question the operation of democracy in our current societies. Democracy comes from the Greek (as the first Western democracy was from Athens) demos meaning ‘people’ and kratos meaning ‘power’, literally translating to ‘power to the people’. […]

The Golden Record: What Next?
2017 will mark the fortieth year since NASA sent off voyagers I and II on a tour of the solar system and then beyond into interstellar space. On board these vessels, which were designed to last for thousands of years, was a time capsule of sorts named the golden record. This record was created in […]

Is the US on the Decline?
A key theme of the recently successful Trump campaign was monopolising upon the concern of American decline. The call to “make America great again” only resonated because it reflected a genuine feeling in the U.S. regarding domestic and international decline; there is a pervading sense that something has been lost. The majority of Americans now […]

Morals & Machines
In 1984, director James Cameron introduced to the world, “The Terminator”. This was a film, set in a dystopian world where society is dominated by artificial intelligence networks. Back when the film was first released, the idea of machines and computers being able to revolt against man’s control was absurd. Today, it does not seem […]

Racing Forward – The Future of Technology and Transport
It would not be at all controversial to claim (As Uber itself does), that Uber is “changing the logistical fabric of cities around the world”. However, a recent employment tribunal ruling is sure to change the logistical fabric of not only their business model, but that of the ‘gig economy’ at large. The gig economy […]

Deliveroo: Good for Who?
A quote by Tim Goodwin has been floating around the Internet recently, receiving many likes and shares. It reads as follows: “The world’s largest taxi company [Uber], owns no vehicles. The world’s most popular media owner [Facebook], creates no content. The world’s most valuable retailer [Alibaba], owns no inventory. The world’s largest accommodation provider [Airbnb], […]

Afterlife – In a Virtual Reality System
Humans have been on a quest to find immortality since the dawn of time when we grasped the concept that we will all inevitably face death in time to come. It may be possible that this idea of immortality is not far from reality’s reach today. There are already methods out in the market for […]

All Eyes on You – The Snooper’s Charter
Was Orwell right? Are we now living in a real life 1984? Have we all just kissed goodbye to our privacy without knowing it? Unfortunately, the answer is possibly yes. Big Brother (or various government authorities) may soon be spying on you, if they are not already, or at least saving your personal data. The […]

The International Criminal Court – International No More?
On 24th November 2016, the 15th Assembly of State Parties of the International Criminal Court (ICC) left the international community worried for the future. Vocal criticisms of the ICC, withdrawals of membership and a changing political sphere do not do well to quell the fear of the existence of the Court. Over the course of […]