Rob Harkavy
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Rob Harkavy
@robharkavy.bsky.social
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Journalist. Editor, Global Legal Group. Weekend Editor, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Sharing selected legal writing.
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robharkavy.bsky.social
An Anglo-Nigerian couple have succeeding in persuading the High Court to grant them a parental order despite the Nigerian fertility clinic which facilitated the birth via a surrogate refusing (or unable) to identify the baby's gestational mother. #LawSky
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Parental order granted despite untraceable gestational mother | ICLG
High Court grants parental order after anonymous Nigerian surrogacy left the birth mother untraceable and the child’s immigration status in doubt.
iclg.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:14 AM
robharkavy.bsky.social
Uganda's Constitutional Court has rejected a challenge from non-profit Women's Probono Initiative (WPI) and upheld Uganda's constitutional protection of polygamous marriage. #LawSky
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Ugandan Constitutional Court upholds legality of polygamy | ICLG
Court rejects non-profit advocacy group’s contention that polygamy is degrading, harmful and discriminatory against women.
iclg.com
July 14, 2025 at 10:28 AM
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The UK Supreme Court has handed down its judgment in a high-profile, high-net-worth dispute over the division of matrimonial assets post divorce, with the court ruling in favour of the respondent husband. iclg.com/news/22780-b...
BREAKING: Supreme Court overturns Court of Appeal in high-net-worth divorce | ICLG
Wrestling with the concept of ‘matrimonialisation’, court rules that inter-spousal transfers do not necessarily fall under the sharing principle.
iclg.com
July 2, 2025 at 11:17 AM
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Google and Apple under fire more misleading age ratings in their app stores. #LawSky

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Complaint lodged with CMA over allegedly misleading app-store age ratings | ICLG
Google and Apple find themselves once again subject to a complaint before the UK Competition and Markets Authority, this time over age ratings for games offered in Apple’s App Store and the Google Pla...
iclg.com
June 30, 2025 at 12:15 PM
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I sat down with Jessica Keal, who is fast becoming one of the most recognisable new names in family law. Find out her thoughts on the challenges faced by #LGBTQ people, especially same-sex parents, court backlogs and the twists and turns of high-net-worth divorce.
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Meet Jessica Keal, family law’s rising star | ICLG
Simkins’ Jessica Keal talks court delays, high-net-worth divorces and the legal hurdles facing queer families.
iclg.com
June 27, 2025 at 1:35 PM
robharkavy.bsky.social
Boarding-gate angst could be a thing of the past in the EU with a hand-baggage fee ban moving a step closer, potentially creating a conflict between consumer protection legislation and competition law, or possibly even putting fares up for everyone. #LawSky
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EU hand luggage fee ban sets stage for friction between consumer rights and competition law | ICLG
With airlines in the competition-law corner and consumer-protection advocates in the other, Europe is bracing for a gloves-off legal battle.
iclg.com
June 26, 2025 at 9:02 AM
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Victims and survivors of 2018's Danforth Avenue mass shooting in Toronto will take some comfort from the Ontario Court of Appeal's decision to certify a class action against Smith & Wesson, the manufacturer of the firearm used in the attack. #LawSky
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Appeal court certifies class action against gunmaker | ICLG
The Ontario Court of Appeal has green lit a claim against the manufacturer of a firearm used in a Toronto mass shooting.
iclg.com
June 25, 2025 at 2:52 PM
robharkavy.bsky.social
With tensions rising in the Middle East and Iran threatening to close or blockade the bust Strait of Hormuz, what are the legal implications of such a move?
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What happens if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz? | ICLG
Tehran’s threats to block international shipping from the Strait of Hormuz raises huge questions of maritime, insurance and disputes law.
iclg.com
June 25, 2025 at 12:09 PM
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Freedom of the press subordinate to banking secrecy in Switzerland.
www.globallegalinsights.com/news/swiss-j...
Journalist Under Criminal Investigation in Switzerland - GLI
Global press organisation condemns the investigation of a journalist as a serious threat to media freedom and press integrity.
www.globallegalinsights.com
June 24, 2025 at 12:23 PM
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A public health charity is suing an online casino and its real-world counterpart in Philadelphia after calculating that a player would have to spend $375,000 to qualify for a promotion. #LawSky
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Public health charity turns ire on US gaming outfit | ICLG
Boston charity files claim in Philadelphia over ‘unwinnable’ promotion that requires a spend of several hundred thousand dollars.
iclg.com
June 23, 2025 at 12:20 PM
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High Court criticises Medical Practitioners Tribunal for its one-year suspension of a GP found to have sexually assaulted young female patient, concluding permanent removal from the Medical Register to be the only appropriate remedy. #LawSky
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Court finds suspension of GP who sexually assaulted patient ‘manifestly inappropriate’ | ICLG
Judge rules one-year suspension handed to doctor ‘did not adequately reflect the gravity of the misconduct’ and slaps lifetime ban on errant GP.
iclg.com
June 23, 2025 at 9:00 AM
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Should social media platforms be held responsible for the content on their sites in the same way as traditional media like newspapers, magazines and broadcasters? #LawSky
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Publishers vs platforms: is the legal disconnect tenable? | ICLG
A ruling by the Brazil Supreme Court to treat social media as publishers rather than platforms in terms of liability for their content raises thorny questions over the current legislative landscape.
iclg.com
June 20, 2025 at 9:27 AM
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Already struggling economically in the aftermath of a brutal civil war, South Sudan may soon have to find a billion dollars, with the Qatar National Bank seeking to enforce an arbitral award made in respect of a wartime loan granted to the South Sudanese government.
#LawSky
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Qatar bank sues South Sudan for award enforcement | ICLG
Africa’s poorest country could soon find itself on the hook to settle an ICSID arbitral award of more than USD 1 billion, adding to its crippling economic woes.
iclg.com
June 19, 2025 at 9:38 AM
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The EU Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to outlaw fully AI-generated child-abuse images, amid mounting and very worrying evidence from the charity Protect Children that viewing entirely synthetic imagery often translates into real-world crimes. #LawSky
www.globallegalinsights.com/news/eu-move...
CSAM Directive Strengthens Protection of Minors - GLI
MEPs unite to outlaw CSAM, addressing the creation and distribution of synthetic child abuse images across the European Union.
www.globallegalinsights.com
June 18, 2025 at 11:50 AM
robharkavy.bsky.social
A new bill approved by the French Senate targets the excesses of ultra-fast fashion, aiming to reduce overconsumption and environmental damage, with swingeing penalties for low eco-scores.
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French ultra-fast fashion bill moves a step closer | ICLG
France’s Senate approves revised legislation aimed at mitigating the social and environmental effects of companies such as Temu and Shein.
iclg.com
June 17, 2025 at 2:17 PM
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Of President Trump's many fights, the battle against leading universities looks set to run and run.
@harvard.edu @columbiauniversity.bsky.social
@aaup.bsky.social
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Mixed results for Ivy League in Trump challenges | ICLG
Teaching unions at Columbia have already filed an appeal against yesterday’s reversal in New York, while Harvard receives some comfort in Boston.
iclg.com
June 17, 2025 at 10:16 AM
robharkavy.bsky.social
California continues to challenge The White House with a series of lawsuits, the latest being a claim filed yesterday on behalf of 11 states taking issue with the new Congressional Review Act, which effectively undermines states' right to impose their own net-zero goals.
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The war between California and The White House opens a new front | ICLG
California files multi-state lawsuit following President Trump’s quashing of the state’s environmentally friendly auto-emissions rules.
iclg.com
June 13, 2025 at 12:25 PM
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The Birmingham High Court has issued a General Civil Restraint Order against a serial litigant who filed more than 40 unsuccessful employment-tribunal claims against solicitors' firms. iclg.com/news/22708-s...
Serial litigant banned from issuing Employment Tribunal proceedings | ICLG
A lawyer who filed more than 40 claims against solicitors’ firms after failed job applications has been handed a Civil Restraint Order.
iclg.com
June 13, 2025 at 10:18 AM
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Western sanctions against Russia are creating an increasingly complex compliance landscape for businesses and their legal advisers.

How are the business and legal worlds adapting, and are #sanctions actually working? iclg.com/news/22707-c...
Caging the bear: the evolution and legal implications of sanctions against Russia | ICLG
Sanctions remain a central pillar of Western foreign policy more than three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
iclg.com
June 13, 2025 at 7:24 AM
robharkavy.bsky.social
Hollywood studios go to war with AI
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Hollywood giants take on AI image creator | ICLG
Disney and Universal file lawsuit accusing Midjourney AI of being ‘the quintessential copyright free-rider’.
iclg.com
June 13, 2025 at 7:22 AM
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Australia introduces reforms to its family law system with a focus on domestic violence, financial abuse and the disclosure of sensitive information.
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A new dawn for Australian family law | ICLG
A raft of changes to family law in Australia, including an uprated recognition of domestic abuse, comes into force today.
iclg.com
June 10, 2025 at 2:36 PM
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US bank reverses firearms banking policy introduced after 2018 Parkland school shooting.
www.globallegalinsights.com/news/us-bank...
US bank rescinds firearms policy amid regulatory and political shifts - GLI
Citibank reverses its forearms policy, reshaping access to banking for firearms-related clients after recent events.
www.globallegalinsights.com
June 9, 2025 at 10:22 AM
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London court grants bank permission to sell contents of unclaimed safety deposit boxes.
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Bank granted permission to sell contents of safety deposit boxes | ICLG
A court has authorised a French bank to sell items deposited in its London branch, some of which have been unclaimed for more than a century.
iclg.com
June 9, 2025 at 9:29 AM
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This isn't just any data breach, it's a...
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“Catastrophic” data breach at M&S triggers collective proceedings | ICLG
Thompsons Solicitors’ Patrick McGuire explains how his firm is spearheading a collective action on behalf of Scottish victims of the Marks & Spencer hack.
iclg.com
June 6, 2025 at 1:54 PM
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US court lowers the bar for majority-group claimants in workplace discrimination claims, in a case brought by a straight woman who claims to have been passed over for promotion in favour of less well-qualified gay and lesbian employees. #gay #lesbian #LGBTQ+ #diversity
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US Supreme Court recalibrates workplace discrimination standard | ICLG
Judges side unanimously with a heterosexual white woman who claims to have been unfairly passed over for promotion in favour of less qualified gay and lesbian colleagues.
iclg.com
June 6, 2025 at 9:49 AM