April Jones murder: teenager jailed over offensive Facebook posts – The Guardian

Posted October 8th, 2012 in internet, news, sentencing, young offenders by sally

“A man who posted ‘despicable’ comments on his Facebook page about the missing five-year-old April Jones has been jailed for 12 weeks.”

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The Guardian, 8th October 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Can sole practitioners survive in the new legal marketplace? – The Guardian

“Sole practitioners have been having a hard time in the wake of the Legal Services Act 2007, which opened the door for alternative business structures (ABSs). These new forms of legal practice have given household names like the Co-op and the AA the opportunity to expand their legal offerings to consumers and have allowed law firms to be managed and owned by non-lawyers.”

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The Guardian, 8th October 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Justice minister: we’ll stop weekend courts pilot if critics are right – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 8th, 2012 in courts, criminal justice, news, pilot schemes by sally

“New justice minister Jeremy Wright today said the government would cancel plans for weekend court hearings if the trial proves to be unsuccessful.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 8th October 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Hospital allowed to withhold lifesaving treatment from brain-damaged man – The Guardian

Posted October 8th, 2012 in families, hospitals, Islam, medical treatment, news by sally

“A court has allowed a hospital trust to withhold live-saving treatment from a severely brain-damaged man if his condition deteriorates, it has emerged.”

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The Guardian, 8th October 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Anuj Bidve killer Kiaran Stapleton to appeal against sentence – BBC News

Posted October 8th, 2012 in appeals, murder, news, sentencing by sally

“The man who shot dead Indian student Anuj Bidve in Salford is to appeal against the length of his sentence.”

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BBC News, 8th October 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

NightJack blogger receives £42,500 payout from Times publisher – The Guardian

“The Lancashire detective exposed by the Times as the author of the NightJack police blog has received a £42,500 damages payout from the publisher of the newspaper.”

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The Guardian, 8th October 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Two charged over rape victim naming – Crown Prosecution Service

Posted October 8th, 2012 in anonymity, internet, news, prosecutions, rape by sally

“Two people have been charged with offences relating to messages posted online that identified the victim in the rape case which led to the conviction of footballer Chedwyn (Ched) Evans.”

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Crown Prosecution Service, 8th October 2012

Source: http://blog.cps.gov.uk

Finance & Divorce October 2012 Update – Family Law Week

Posted October 8th, 2012 in divorce, family courts, marriage, news by sally

“Anna Heenan and Nicola Rowlings, both of Mills & Reeve LLP, analyse September’s financial remedies and divorce news and cases.”

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Family Law Week, 8th October 2012

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Bar Council Calls for Consultation on Government Plans to Opt Out of EU Criminal Justice Measures – The Bar Council

Posted October 8th, 2012 in barristers, consultations, criminal justice, EC law, press releases, warrants by sally

“The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has called on the Government to issue a full public consultation on its proposals to opt out of more than 130 EU criminal justice measures, including the European Arrest Warrant.”

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The Bar Council, 5th October 2012

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

BAILII: Recent Decisions

Posted October 8th, 2012 in law reports by sally

High Court (Queen’s Bench Division)

Mutua & Ors v The Foreign And Commonwealth Office [2012] EWHC 2678 (QB) (05 October 2012)

High Court (Chancery Division)

Hellard & Anor v Mitchell [2012] EWHC 2656 (Ch) (21 August 2012)

Various Claimants v News Group Newspapers Ltd & Anor [2012] EWHC 2692 (Ch) (05 October 2012)

High Court (Administrative Court)

Lyon, R (on the application of) v Cambridge City Council & Anor [2012] EWHC 2684 (Admin) (05 October 2012)

Source: www.bailii.org

Recent Statutory Instruments – legislation.gov.uk

Posted October 8th, 2012 in legislation by sally

The Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 (Commencement No. 9) and the Welfare Reform Act 2009 (Commencement No. 9) Order 2012

The Syria (European Union Financial Sanctions) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2012

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

Victims of crime may lose out on millions in compensation – The Guardian

Posted October 8th, 2012 in budgets, criminal injuries compensation, news by sally

“The government is studying plans to slash compensation for people injured by criminals, including the children of murder victims, despite mounting opposition from within its own ranks.”

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The Guardian, 7th October 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Get back in your box – NearlyLegal

Posted October 8th, 2012 in landlord & tenant, leases, news, tribunals by sally

“There is, it is fair to say, a degree of inconsistency in the approach and practice of LVTs up and down the country. In particular, some LVT members seem to see it as part of their role to act as quasi-audit bodies, looking into all aspects of the landlord’s practice and procedure to see if they can uncover any wrongdoing. It’s very frustrating, both for landlords and tenants and is one of the reasons for the increasingly ‘lawyerly’ approach of landlords (e.g. instructing solicitors and counsel).”

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NearlyLegal, 6th October 2012

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Mau mau torture claims against Foreign Office not time barred rules High Court – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted October 8th, 2012 in colonies, Kenya, news, time limits, torture by sally

“Although any claims regarding alleged acts of torture on Kenyan detainees during the 1950s state of emergency are technically time barred the High Court has allowed three of the claims to go ahead.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 5th October 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Border Agency teams up with police in drive to target foreign criminals – The Guardian

Posted October 8th, 2012 in deportation, immigration, news, police by sally

“Refugee groups fear the Met will effectively behave as arm of Border Agency putting some people off reporting crimes.”

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The Guardian, 5th October 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

CLAF: ‘A tax on brain-damaged children’ – LegalVoice

Posted October 8th, 2012 in children, damages, legal aid, news, personal injuries by sally

“The CLAF (contingent legal aid fund) is ‘dead’, writes Elizabeth Davidson. That’s according to Roger Smith, director of JUSTICE. A CLAF – a fund which backs claims and re-invests a proportion of any damages won into future cases – was first proposed by JUSTICE in the late 1960s, and has been backed by the Law Society, Bar Council and various consumer bodies at various times, but never found its way into existence.”

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LegalVoice, 4th October 2012

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

Defiant judges ignore new human rights guidelines – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 8th, 2012 in benefits, deportation, fraud, human rights, news by sally

“A woman jailed for her role in a multimillion pound benefits fraud ring has been allowed to stay in Britain because of her ‘human rights’.”

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Daily Telegraph, 7th October 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Former Bank of Scotland director wins partial judgment in MoS libel case – The Guardian

Posted October 8th, 2012 in defamation, media, news by sally

“The publisher of the Mail on Sunday has lost part of a high court libel case brought by a former Bank of Scotland director over two articles he said falsely implied he was involved in criminal conspiracies.”

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The Guardian, 5th October 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Value proposition – The Lawyer

Posted October 8th, 2012 in barristers, contracts, fees, news, solicitors by sally

“The bar is struggling with the concept of solicitor contracts despite almost a decade of negotiations.”

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The Lawyer, 8th October 2012

Source: www.thelawyer.com

‘Resident Evil’ killers jailed for Derek Blake murder – BBC News

Posted October 8th, 2012 in murder, news, sentencing, torture by sally

“Three people who murdered a man in Norfolk after torturing him in scenes compared to the Resident Evil horror franchise have been jailed for life.”

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BBC News, 5th October 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk