Professor John Jackson presents his research at a round table event

Professor John Jackson gave a keynote address to special advocates on his research into the role of special advocates at a round table event hosted by the Special Advocate Support Service (SASO) in Cornerstone Chambers in London on 3 November 2016.

Special advocates represent the interests of parties who are excluded from legal proceedings on the ground that information in the case is too sensitive for them or their lawyers to see. After an introduction by the senior lawyer at SASO in which he welcomed independent research into the role of the special advocate, John presented the findings of his research which was funded by a British Academy Senior Fellowship. The presentation considered the different types of proceedings in which special advocates are engaged, the appointment and training of special advocates, ethical issues and the different roles they have to play throughout the proceedings. He compared their role with that of security-cleared advocates in other jurisdictions such as Canada and the United States.

After John made his presentation there was a discussion among the special advocates present about how they view their role and how they engage with government counsel and with excluded parties in the cases in which they are appointed.