The Law Show

David Gauke MP, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice speaks to Joshua Rozenberg about prisons, modernising the courts system, legal aid and the coroners service.Also: Could plans to change the way solicitors are regulated result in easier and cheaper access to legal services or put consumers at risk? Paul Philip, chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and deputy vice president of the Law Society, Simon Davis, discuss the pros and cons of the proposed changes. Plus the Secret Barrister, who blogs and tweets about life as a criminal barrister tells Law In Action why the criminal justice system is close to breaking point.

The government wants fully self-driving cars on UK roads by 2021 but which will be ready first - the technology or the law? Who is responsible in an accident - the owner or the manufacturer?Joshua Rozenberg meets the team planning a 200 mile driverless journey across the UK and speaks to barrister Lucy McCormick, co-author of Law and Driverless Cars, who explains how the legal landscape is evolving. Also: this week, the High Court is considering a challenge by two victims of the black-cab rapist, John Worboys. Among the points being considered is a challenge to a Parole Board rule, made by ministers, that says its proceedings must not be made public. Former DPP and chairman of the Parole Board Sir David Calvert-Smith discusses the desirability of a more transparent system. Plus: a new data protection law will soon come into effect. It's called the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, and it's designed to make sure that organisations take more care of how they store and use our personal information. Philip Giles of Giles Wilson Solicitors and Chair of the Law Society's Small Firms Division explains what this means for businesses and the way they handle data, and Deputy Information Commissioner James Dipple-Johnstone reveals the sizeable penalties for failure to comply with the new law.

Is sex discrimination law failing women in the workplace? It's more than 40 years since parliament passed the first Sex Discrimination Act, making it unlawful for employers to discriminate against women in the workplace by treating them less favourably than men. Still, allegations of sexual discrimination and sexual harassment have dominated the news over the past few months.Joeli Brearley tells the story of how she lost her job after she told her employer that she was pregnant and Joshua Rozenberg asks former High Court Justice Dame Laura Cox and employment discrimination lawyer Karen Jackson whether the law itself needs reform. Also: Judges ought to know their sentencing law, but it's much harder to get sentencing right than it should be, according to the government's law reform advisers. The Law Commission is recommending a new sentencing code that will be much easier for judges to follow. Law in Action speaks to David Ormerod QC, the law commissioner in charge of the project.Plus the story of how an international group of graffiti artists won nearly $7 million in damages in a New York court after their work was destroyed. We speak to the artist Meres One, curator at the 5 Pointz building which housed the work, and lawyer Eric Baum about the Visual Artists Rights Act which protected the artworks under law.

The number of prosecutions in England and Wales that collapsed because of a failure by police or prosecutors to disclose evidence increased by 70% in the last two years.Joshua Rozenberg speaks to the Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders and David Tucker from the College of Policing about their response to this rising concern.He also speaks to those directly affected by the failures - members of the public charged and taken to court because police failed to disclose evidence that would clear them.Such cases are nothing new to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice. Law in Action speaks to the CCRC's chair Richard Foster about the current wave of cases and his concerns that people are being wrongly imprisoned because evidence is not shared with defence teams. CONTRIBUTORSClive Steer, businessmanJulia Smart, barrister at Furnival ChambersDr Hannah Quirk, Senior Lecturer in Criminal Law & Justice, University of ManchesterRichard Foster, Chair of the Criminal Cases Review CommissionAlison Saunders, Director of Public ProsecutionDavid Tucker, crime and criminal justice lead for the College of Policing.

Following the appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate alleged links between Russians and Donald Trump's election campaign, Joshua Rozenberg finds out what the role of the special counsel involves, how he will go about his work and how the White House will be affected by the probe. Also in the programme: the BBC's Delhi Correspondent, Sanjoy Majumder, reports on the reaction to a recent Indian Supreme Court decision which has upset drinkers and liquor store owners - but pleased those affected by drink-driving accidents. And, as the African Union prepares to meet later this month, Joshua talks to a leading South African-based lawyer about the fierce debate taking place on whether African countries should continue to be part of the International Criminal Court.

In his first interview since taking office, the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales Sir Ian Burnett talks to Joshua Rozenberg. He explains what can be done to gain back public confidence. Also, if you are a foster carer, are you an employee or a worker? How a Scottish couple fought to have their status changed. Katie Gollop QC in conversation with Nemone Lethbridge who was called to the Bar nearly sixty years ago. She remembers why she was not allowed to use one particular facility in Chambers.Finally, as Paddington comes to the big screen again, immigration barrister Colin Yeo explains what the Peruvian bear's status is in England. Paddington 2 is directed by Paul King and produced by StudioCanal.Producers: Diane Richardson & Smita Patel Editor: Richard Vadon.

Joshua Rozenberg asks what's the point of investigating the dead over allegations of abuse. He speaks to the former judge Sir Richard Henriques, who is critical of recent police investigations into dead people accused of abuse. The programme also explores whether we need new laws to protect cyclists on our roads. Producer: Smita Patel Researcher: Diane Richardson.

Professor Simon Harding, criminologist at the University of West London, considers proposals to control the sale and possession of corrosive substances with Joshua Rozenberg.

Joshua Rozenberg talks exclusively to the director for legal affairs at the government's signals service GCHQ and asks him why the UK's secret intelligence agency needs lawyers.

Joshua Rozenberg examines the implications for the criminal justice system - especially the courts and prisons - of the growing number of prosecutions and convictions of older people for sexual offences. The programme also discovers the legal implications of the explosion in the theatrical use of holograms of both the living and the dead. And we find out what's on the agenda for the new Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, David Lidington.