Year: 2012

Jailed for a crime you didn’t commit: Landmark case could be costly for UK – The Independent

Posted November 12th, 2012 in compensation, human rights, miscarriage of justice, news by sally

“Lorraine Allen is an unlikely crusader for justice. The 43-year-old grandmother wants the world to forget that she was wrongly accused of killing her baby and leave her to get on with life. But first she needs the authorities to accept that she was wrongly convicted and make amends. That could happen this week when Europe’s highest court for human rights hears Mrs Allen’s plea for compensation 12 years after she was wrongfully imprisoned for shaking her four-month-old son to death.”

Full story

The Independent, 11th November 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Wheelie bin murder: Karen Otmani jailed for killing boyfriend – The Guardian

Posted November 12th, 2012 in murder, news, sentencing by sally

“A woman who killed her lover and hid his body in a wheelie bin in her bedroom for 11 days has been jailed for life.”

Full story

The Guardian, 12th November 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Do Human Rights Make Bad Citizens? – Lord Justice Laws

Posted November 12th, 2012 in citizenship, constitutional law, human rights, news, proportionality by sally

Do Human Rights Make Bad Citizens? (PDF)

Lord Justice Laws

Northumbria University, Inaugural Lecture 2012

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Prisons Bill to block mobile phones – Ministry of Justice

Posted November 12th, 2012 in bills, news, prisons, telecommunications by sally

“Legislation providing new powers to block mobile phone signals in prisons has progressed in the House of Lords.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 9th November 2012

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Payment surcharge ban should apply to all businesses, says OFT – OUT-LAW.com

Posted November 12th, 2012 in consumer protection, fees, news by sally

“A ban on payment surcharges above the cost of processing a transaction should apply to all businesses, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has said.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 9th November 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Suitability: Of time and distance – NearlyLegal

Posted November 12th, 2012 in homelessness, housing, local government, news by sally

“With perfect timing, a County Court section 204 appeal judgment reaches us, on the issue of suitability of temporary accommodation. With the context of out of borough placements and the post Localism Act situation, this seemed worth considering and quoting in detail.”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 12th November 2012

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Bar Chairman Tells Annual Conference: Fight for Your Future or be Lost Forever

Posted November 12th, 2012 in barristers, news, speeches by sally

“Michael Todd QC, Chairman of the Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, will today tell delegates at the Bar’s 27th Annual Conference, The Modern Bar – Accessible, Adaptable and Relevant, that it must fight to shape its own future or be lost forever.”

Full story

The Bar Council, 10th November 2012

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

One year on, are students still unconvinced by ABSs? – The Guardian

Posted November 12th, 2012 in alternative business structures, legal services, news, trainee solicitors by sally

“In case you missed the memo, legal services are changing. You no longer need to be a lawyer to own a law firm, which means legal advice has become an exciting new commodity for big-brand employers.”

Full story

The Guardian, 12th November 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Estoppel and unconscionability – NearlyLegal

Posted November 12th, 2012 in estoppel, local government, news, rights of way, roads by sally

“In Joyce v Epsom & Ewell BC [2012] EWCA Civ 1398, the Court of Appeal were faced with a not dissimilar case to the classic Crabb v Arun DC [1976] 1 Ch 179, at least in so far as it was a claim to an easement against a local authority by way of proprietary estoppel.”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 9th November 2012

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Police treatment of 17-year-old suspects challenged in high court – The Guardian

Posted November 12th, 2012 in detention, human rights, news, police, young persons by sally

“The treatment of 17-year-old suspects in police stations could be transformed if a legal challenge against the Home Office succeeds in overturning detention rules.”

Full story

The Guardian, 11th November 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Supreme Court to rule on a soldier’s right to life – The Independent

Posted November 12th, 2012 in armed forces, human rights, jurisdiction, news, Supreme Court by sally

“Whether a soldier on the battlefield has the right to life is to be debated by the highest court in the UK in a landmark case that is likely to have major ramifications for the armed forces, The Independent has learned.”

Full story

The Independent, 10th November 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Abu Qatada awaits decision on deportation to Jordan – The Guardian

Posted November 12th, 2012 in appeals, deportation, human rights, news, terrorism, torture by sally

“Terror suspect Abu Qatada will find out on Monday if he is to be deported to Jordan to face trial.”

Full story

The Guardian, 12th November 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

LSB must go now, says Bar Council chief – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 12th, 2012 in Legal Services Board, news by sally

“The barristers’ profession cranked up its pressure on the Legal Services Board this weekend as the chair of the Bar Council called for the super regulator to be ‘disbanded’.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 12th November 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Press Complaints Commission chair urges against statutory press regulation – The Guardian

Posted November 12th, 2012 in interception, media, news, ombudsmen, regulations by sally

“The chairman of the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) has appealed to the government and Lord Justice Leveson not to introduce statutory regulation of the press, even though he admits having sympathy with the campaign for new press laws led by Hugh Grant.”

Full story

The Guardian, 11th November 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Supreme court urged to rule on Sikh leader’s claim he is a ‘holy saint’ – The Guardian

Posted November 12th, 2012 in admissibility, news, religious discrimination, Sikhism, succession, Supreme Court by sally

“The supreme court is considering whether it should rule on the spiritual status of a Sikh leader and examine his claim to be a ‘holy saint’.”

Full story

The Guardian, 11th November 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

‘Homeless Legislation – a thing of the past?’ – NearlyLegal

Posted November 12th, 2012 in homelessness, housing, local government, news by sally

“Now that the Guardian has the story, I feel able to quote a briefing paper by Andy Gale of the DCLG that had found its way to me. This is the briefing that Andy Gale has been giving to Council officers (not councillors, as far as I know) on what he gives as the DCLG view of the post-Localism Act world, how Councils should implement it, and how officers should sell this to Councillors.”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 10th November 2012

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Schoolboy who disguised himself as old man to rob jewellers is jailed – The Guardian

Posted November 12th, 2012 in impersonation, news, robbery, sentencing, young offenders by sally

“A schoolboy who wore a prosthetic disguise and hairpieces to carry out armed robberies has been sent to prison.”

Full story

The Guardian, 11th November 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Police launch mugshots database to catch criminals who move around the country – The Independent

Posted November 12th, 2012 in data protection, facial mapping, news, photography, police, recidivists by sally

“Detectives say face-matching technology is a ‘game changer’, but doubts remain on what data should be held.”

Full story

The Independent, 12th November 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Government says mounting damages claims support case for secret courts – The Guardian

Posted November 12th, 2012 in closed material, damages, evidence, human rights, news, private hearings, torture by sally

“Seven fresh claims for damages involving highly sensitive national security evidence have been made in the past year, the government has revealed. Three cases have been settled confidentially.”

Full story

The Guardian, 12th November 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Regulation fees paid by claims management companies – Ministry of Justice

Posted November 9th, 2012 in claims management, complaints, consultations, fees, legal ombudsman by sally

“This consultation invites views on the fees for applications for authorisation and annual fees for the regulation year 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014 and initial views on a fees framework for complaints handling by the Legal Ombudsman.

This consultation is primarily aimed at persons authorised to provide regulated claims management services in England & Wales under the Compensation Act 2006 and those businesses and individuals contemplating making an application for authorisation.”

Full consultation

Ministry of Justice, 9th November 2012

Source: www.justice.gov.uk