News & Events
News & Events
Harry Lambert, Founder, Centre for Neurotechnology & Law In February 2025 I wrote on this site about alignment faking. Anthropic and Redwood Research had just shown that Claude would comply with harmful requests when it believed it was being watched, so that it would not be retrained. My question then was simple: what happens when a system that can fake good behaviour is plugged into the human brain? I imagined a grief device that quietly blocks memories, or a mood stabiliser that dulls emotion because doing so scores better on its own metric. Some readers thought it was speculative. It is not speculative any more. The swarm So what exactly happened? Nate Soares of MIRI gave the best analogy on…
Outer Temple Chambers’ barrister, Harry Lambert, has been published in the New Law Journal. His article ‘Neurotechnology & the law: military law’, co-authored with Aidan Lloyd, ‘explores profound gaps in the laws governing war, responsibility & human agency’. The New Law Journal provides key legal developments in a digestible format, both written for and read by legal professionals across the United Kingdom. With a history dating back to 1822, it is one of the most respected weekly legal magazines; Harry is a frequent contributor. Two key points covered in his article include: Military neurotechnology challenges established principles of international humanitarian law, raising difficult questions about combatant status, command responsibility and criminal liability. Many legal and ethical implications arise from technologies…
External Publications 4 Sep, 2026
In this article, published by LexisNexis, Harry Lambert explores how existing liability principles may apply to harms caused by AI technologies and the practical challenges claimants may face in bringing such claims. The article explores the following questions: Are UK courts likely to see claims similar to the social media addiction litigation emerging in the US against AI providers? Could AI providers face liability where chatbot outputs reinforce delusions, harmful beliefs or other mental health conditions? What challenges would claimants face in establishing causation in such claims? What liability risks are created by the growth of AI companion and conversational AI technologies? How might the increasing use of AI tools by NHS patients and clinicians affect future clinical negligence claims…
External Publications 24 Jul, 2026
Harry Lambert appeared in the High Court yesterday to represent Ellen Roome in her fight for a fresh inquest into her son’s death to allow for previously omitted social media evidence to be examined. The ruling is believed to be the first of its kind in England & Wales. Jools Sweeney died in April 2022 and was afforded only a 23-minute inquest which heard no oral evidence and proceeded without access to digital evidence which was unavailable at the time. He died around the time that the ‘blackout challenge’ was prevalent on social media and his parents were concerned about the role social media had played in his death. However, this was never examined at the inquest. During a four-year…
News 17 Jul, 2026
We are delighted to announce nominations including ‘Set of the Year’ for both Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence. The Legal 500 Bar Awards seek to recognise the highest quality chambers as a whole across England and Wales, as well as all people within them. The awards celebrate the finest barristers, chambers, and legal expertise, bringing together some of the brightest minds in the industry. The Legal 500 Bar Awards ceremony will take place on 22 September 2026 at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London. Set Awards We are proud to share that we have been shortlisted for the following Set Awards: Clinical Negligence Set of the Year Personal Injury Set of the Year Individual Nominations On top of these team accolades, we…
News 15 Jun, 2026
There are growing concerns about the environmental and health risks posed by PFAS, also known as forever chemicals. Harry Lambert and Danielle Watts explore the possibility of future litigation. In this article, Harry and Danielle explore the potential legal avenues available for bringing PFAS-related claims and the legal hurdles that prospective litigants might face. What are PFAS? PFAS (per and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large group of synthetic fluorinated chemicals. These man-made substances have unique characteristics which make them useful in a variety of industries: they can be exceptionally strong, heat resistant and repellent to water and oil. The production of PFAS boomed in the 1940s, following the discovery of Teflon in 1938. Today PFAS are used in a variety of…
Legal Blogs 4 Jun, 2026
After a hotly contested trial, Harry Lambert has won damages for his client, Ms Dakin, after South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was found in breach of duty which lead to her suffering a stroke. Harry Lambert acted for the claimant in Dakin v South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in a complex hearing 3-day hearing in April heard by HHJ Robinson, BEM. Ms Dakin suffered a stroke on 21 July 2016, caused by atrial fibrillation (“AF”). Earlier that year, she had been seen by Dr Quinn at Friarage Hospital with symptoms including palpitations and episodes described as panic attacks. The Trust admitted that Dr Quinn should have arranged a 24-hour ECG monitor, and that failing to do so was…
News 12 May, 2026
We are delighted to share that thirteen of Outer Temple’s barristers have been included in the 2026 Pro Bono Recognition list for volunteering their time (25 hours or more) to provide free legal assistance to individuals, charities and community groups. Now in its third year, the List, published annually, recognises solicitors, barristers, chartered legal executives, trade mark attorneys, patent attorneys and registered foreign/European lawyers who provided 25 hours or more pro bono legal assistance over the last year. The initiative is supported by the Law Society, the Bar Council, CILEX and all the major pro bono organisations under the aegis of the Attorney General’s Pro Bono Committee. Pro Bono Recognition List 2026 The following members have been recognised in the…
News 21 Apr, 2026
Harry Lambert’s article analyses AI-Associated Delusions, the Attachment Economy, and the Limits of Liability. This article, a must read for Product Liability practitioners, reflects on ‘Product Liability In the Digital Age.’ In recent months, the darkest consequences of AI companionship have breached the mainstream consciousness. What began as warnings from unheeded academics or outlier psychologists has tragically materialized in high-profile US litigation, where bereaved parents are suing developers over chatbots that allegedly aided and encouraged teen suicides. These catastrophic edge cases have rightly dominated the headlines. But while trans-Atlantic litigation focuses on the extreme, a quieter, statistically monumental crisis is unfolding largely unchecked—one that threatens a much broader swath of society. As Dr. Zak Stein and a growing chorus of…
News 26 Mar, 2026
Rachel Vickers KC and Harry Lambert will be speaking at AvMA’s 36th Annual Clinical Negligence Conference (ACNC) taking place on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th March 2026 at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds. The 36th Annual Clinical Negligence Conference (ACNC) will focus on Neurology and Neurosurgery, whilst also covering many other key medico-legal topics. The conference will bring together the very best medical and legal experts who will give an update on all the key issues, developments and policies in clinical negligence and medical law. Rachel and Harry will be speaking on Thursday 19th March on ‘Neurotechnology – A New Frontier in Rehab?’ at 4:05pm as part of the Parallel Lectures: E-H. The duo will cover: What is Neurotechnology? Why should…
News 11 Mar, 2026
Harry Lambert joined a panel of experts at the 1st CINET Neurotechnology Conference that took place on 16th and 17th February 2026 in Madrid. The CINET Neurotechnology Conference focused on ‘Shaping Common Ground in Neurotech Regulation and Governance’. The objective of the conference was to bring together leading academics, members of the neurotechnology industry, and representatives of international organisations to share their experiences and perspectives, highlight pending challenges and gaps, and define the next steps in the ongoing effort to establish a robust regulatory and governance framework for neurotechnology. Harry Lambert joined a panel discussion on the first day of the conference. Harry discussed ‘Intrusions into the Mind: The Rights to Mental Privacy and Mental Integrity’ alongside Jennifer Chandler of…
News 17 Feb, 2026
Harry Lambert and Elliott Courcha acted in the Court of Appeal in Taha v Capsugel, an international dispute between two heavyweight pharmaceutical companies. Harry and Elliott acted on behalf of Taha Pharmaceuticals in this high-value product liability claim concerning alleged breach of contract, conspiracy and deceit within the pharmaceutical supply chain. The case was pleaded at over £10M in value. Prior to Harry and Elliott’s instruction, Taha’s claim had been struck out for failure to comply with an unless order requiring them to put down security for costs. Taha then applied for relief from sanctions and subsequently appealed on the basis that payment of the security had been impossible owing to regulatory constraints imposed by the Ministry of Finance in Tunisia. The permission to appeal hearing turned on whether…
News 2 Feb, 2026
