Man jailed for taking brother’s picture in Newcastle court – BBC News

Posted February 29th, 2024 in contempt of court, courts, guilty pleas, news, photography, sentencing by sally

‘A man who took a “light-hearted” picture of his brother in a court dock has been jailed for six months.’

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BBC News, 28th February 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ministers to press ahead with legislation to exonerate Post Office Horizon victims – The Guardian

‘Ministers have vowed to press ahead with legislation to automatically overturn convictions related to the Post Office Horizon scandal by the end of July.’

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The Guardian, 22nd February 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Criminals gaming the justice system as cases jammed for years in court backlog – The Independent

Posted February 12th, 2024 in courts, criminal justice, delay, Ministry of Justice, news, statistics by tracey

‘Criminals are gaming the system by pleading not guilty and relying on crippling trial delays to evade justice, The Independent has been told. Laying bare the extent of the crisis in the courts, figures obtained by this publication suggest the number of cases waiting more than three years for a verdict has skyrocketed at least sevenfold since 2019 to exceed 1,280 last June.’

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The Independent, 11th February 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Court discretion and dispute resolution clauses – Law Society’s Gazette

‘In Lancashire Schools SPC Phase 2 Ltd v Lendlease Construction (Europe) Ltd and others [2024] EWHC 37 (TCC), the Technology and Construction Court considered whether a dispute resolution clause (DR clause) which required the parties to engage with adjudication before proceeding to litigation, ousted the jurisdiction of the court.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 2nd February 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Around 100 courtrooms closing every week due to ‘endemic’ dilapidation, warns Lady Chief Justice – The Independent

‘Dilapidation is “endemic” in Britain’s crumbling court system, with around 100 unplanned courtroom closures every week exacerbating trial delays, the head of the judiciary has warned.’

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The Independent, 18th January 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Courts “could cope” with large number of Post Office appeals, says LCJ – Legal Futures

‘The courts “could cope” with a large volume of criminal appeals in the wake of the Post Office scandal, the Lady Chief Justice told MPs yesterday.’

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Legal Futures, 17th January 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Somerset women in custody offered alternative to court – BBC News

Posted January 8th, 2024 in courts, criminal justice, news, rehabilitation, women by tracey

‘Women in Somerset who’ve been arrested for the first time for low-level crime are being offered an alternative to going to court.’

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BBC News, 8th January 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Brand new guide to help public easily access court hearings – Ministry of Justice

Posted January 2nd, 2024 in civil justice, courts, criminal justice, Ministry of Justice, news, tribunals by tracey

‘People are being encouraged to see how justice is done in courtrooms with the publication of a new and simple “how to” guide for attending court hearings today.’

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Ministry of Justice, 30th December 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

Court of Appeal adds additional hurdle to pension trustees recouping payments – OUT-LAW.com

Posted November 13th, 2023 in appeals, courts, enforcement, jurisdiction, local government, news, ombudsmen, pensions by tracey

‘Pension trustees in the UK will have to take an extra step to recover a disputed overpayment, as the English Court of Appeal has recently ruled that the Pensions Ombudsman (PO) is not a “competent court” for such purpose.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 10th November 2023

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

The Pensions Ombudsman – competent but not a court – Pensions Barrister

Posted November 9th, 2023 in appeals, chambers articles, courts, jurisdiction, news, ombudsmen, pensions by sally

‘The trustees of a pension scheme discover that members have been mistakenly overpaid: perhaps because the trustees misinterpreted the scheme rules, or perhaps because certain provisions of the scheme rules that were assumed to be valid were in fact invalid. The trustees decide to recoup the overpayments by setting them off against members’ instalments of future pension. A member raises a dispute, either as to the amount to be recouped or the rate of deduction.’

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Pensions Barrister, 9th November 2023

Source: www.pensionsbarrister.com

Speech by the Master of the Rolls: Justice in the Digital Age – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted November 6th, 2023 in artificial intelligence, computer programs, courts, internet, judges, news by tracey

‘Justice in the Digital Age – Speech on the 150th Anniversary of the Technology and Construction Court.’

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Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 3rd November 2023

Source: www.judiciary.uk

CA confirms Ombudsman not “competent court” – Pensions Barrister

Posted November 2nd, 2023 in appeals, courts, news, ombudsmen, pensions by sally

‘Judgment of the CA was handed down today in Pensions Ombudsman v CMG Pension Trustees Ltd. CA confirmed that the requirement in s.91(6) PA95 for trustees to obtain an order of “a competent court”, where their right to recoup overpaid benefits from future pension payments is disputed by the member, is not satisfied solely by a determination of the Ombudsman. This means that such a determination will require to be enforced by the county court on the application of the trustees. However, the Court rejected the respondent’s argument that the county court has a judicial role to play, and held that enforcement was purely an administrative matter to be carried out by a court officer, without the court considering the merits of the matter.’

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Pensions Barrister, 1st November 2023

Source: www.pensionsbarrister.com

No-fault eviction ban delayed indefinitely by court reforms – BBC News

Posted October 24th, 2023 in bills, courts, delay, landlord & tenant, news, repossession by tracey

‘A ban on “no-fault” evictions in England will be indefinitely delayed until after the court system is reformed, the government has announced.’

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BBC News, 24th October 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Court transcript costs are exploitative – BBC News

‘Victims of violent and sexual crimes are calling for court transcript costs to be cut after they were quoted “unaffordable” sums for them.’

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BBC News, 24th October 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ancient tribunal to consider why lights on Southampton bridge are blue – The Guardian

Posted October 3rd, 2023 in courts, harbours, legal history, news, ships, sport by sally

‘In medieval times the court leet in Hampshire dealt with matters such as wrangles over water supply, the grazing of stock and what a proper measure of beer looked like.’

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The Guardian, 2nd October 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Speech by Judge Barry Clarke: Discrimination in Employment/Industrial Courts – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted September 22nd, 2023 in courts, employment, equality, judges, news, tribunals, unfair dismissal by tracey

‘Speech by Judge Barry Clarke: Discrimination in Employment/Industrial Courts.’

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Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 18th September 2023

Source: www.judiciary.uk

One fifth of judgments missing from national database – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 15th, 2023 in archives, courts, delay, family courts, judgments, news, statistics by tracey

‘Important gaps remain in the government’s official repository of court judgments more than a year after its launch, research has revealed. According to the study by the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting in England and Wales (ICLR), about 20% of the judgments that might be expected to be on the National Archives’ Find Case Law database are missing.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 15th September 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Justice secretary must “get to grips” with escalating civil court delays – Legal Futures

Posted September 7th, 2023 in civil justice, courts, delay, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘Justice secretary Alex Chalk must urgently “get to grips” with increasing civil court delays to help thousands of consumers trapped in “legal limbo”, the Association of Consumer Support Organisations (ACSO) has argued.’

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Legal Futures, 6th September 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Backlog of adult rape cases in courts in England and Wales hits record high – The Guardian

‘The backlog of adult rape cases in crown courts in England and Wales has risen to almost four times the level it was in 2019.’

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The Guardian, 29th June 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

What is the Tipstaff and what is their role? – Family Law

Posted June 30th, 2023 in child abduction, children, courts, families, family courts, news by tracey

‘The Tipstaff is often one of the first topics of discussion raised by new clients who have been accused of abducting their children. Questions that I am regularly asked are “What is the Tipstaff?” “What is their role in my case?” “Why did they send the police to visit me?” and “why do I have to provide them with my passports?” ‘

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Family Law, 26th June 2023

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk