Myths and Realities about Equal Marriage – UK Human Rights Blog

“The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill is back before Parliament today for the ‘Report Stage’. The latest version of the Bill is here, updated explanatory notes here, and the full list of proposed amendments here. Predictably, the amendments are the focus of much controversy.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 20th May 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

The meaning of care and attention – NearlyLegal

“SL v Westminster [2013] UKSC 27 is a very important case concerning the meaning of ‘care and attention’ in the context of s.21, National Assitance Act 1948.”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 20th May 2013

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

EVENT: King’s College London – Creativity, Innovation and Competition Conference

Posted May 20th, 2013 in Forthcoming events by sally

“This conference deals with recent, controversial issues at the intersection of patent, copyright and competition law. It features a diverse range of international and UK speakers, from academia and practice, whose expertise is in intellectual property and/or competition law. The conference will be of interest to scholars, lawyers, those in industry and Ph D students.”

Date: 20th June 2013

Location: River Room – Strand Campus, King’s College London

Charge: £50

More information can be found here.

Classifieds

Posted May 20th, 2013 in news by sally

Recently added:

Legal and Policy Officer

Posted May 20th, 2013 in by sally

Salary: £25,000 plus Benefits
1 Year Fixed Term Contract

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales is a permanent assembly of Catholic Bishops in these countries. The Catholic Trust for England and Wales (CaTEW) is a Trust established by the Bishops’ Conference to be the instrument required by civil law to enable financial and juridical actions to be legally carried forward.

We are currently advertising for a Legal and Policy Officer for a fixed term period of 1 year (there is a possibility that this could be extended). This is a key post within the Bishop’s’ Conference, reporting to the Assistant General Secretary (AGS) for Christian Responsibility and Citizenship. You will also be expected work as directed with the AGS for International Affairs and the General Secretary on particular issues of priority.

The post-holder will be responsible for providing legal advice and briefing to Bishops and secretariat staff of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales working on public policy issues (excluding education), to support the Bishops engagement with the legislative process in Whitehall and Westminster generally, to assist in the production of guidance on legal developments affecting the Church, and to represent the Bishops conference secretariat at external meetings as appropriate.

Duties include:
1. To research and provide timely briefing, support and advice on the legal aspects of policy and legislative issues as required;
2. To assist in the development of the Bishops’ Conference’s continuing engagement with the issues of assisted suicide/ euthanasia, and abortion, liaising with the Anscombe bioethics Centre, Living and Dying well and other groups as directed;
3. To assist in the production of guidance on the implementation of the Equality Act and any changes to legislation on the definition of marriage;
4. To attend and represent the Bishops Conference secretariat as appropriate at seminars and events, including those of the Equality and Human Rights Commission
5. To work closely with the Head of Parliamentary Relations, policy staff at Catholic agencies and other staff at the secretariat to ensure good communication and enhancement of common effort;
6. As needed to assist in briefing and informing Catholic and other interested parliamentarians and their staff;
7. As needed to attend the ecumenical Radar Group, other policy co-ordination groups;
8. As requested to monitor and advise on EU and Welsh Assembly legal developments of relevance to the Church.

The right candidate will:
• Be a Catholic with a good understanding of the moral and social teaching of the Church;
• Have a very strong academic background (with at least a 2:1 honours degree);
• Have a current UK legal qualification as either a solicitor or barrister (a practicing certificate or experience of pupillage or tenancy is not essential);
• Have very high professional standards of work, including a consistent attention to detail, complete reliability and accuracy, and a constant commitment to excellence;
• Understand that they will have access to confidential information, requiring absolute discretion at all times;
• Have the ability to organise work and prioritise tasks;
• Have sound judgement and the capacity for independent thought and action;
• Demonstrate a high degree of initiative and persistence combined with high levels of diplomacy.
• Have excellent written and oral communication skills
• Be a good team player
• Have a good sense of humour

If you would like to discuss the role informally and in confidence, please contact Charles Wookey on 020 7901 4812.

To apply, please email your CV and a covering letter to michaela.kelly@cbcew.org.uk . Closing date is Friday 21st June 2013.

Due to the high number of responses we receive to our advertisements we are unfortunately not always able to respond individually to each applicant. If you don’t hear from us within 14 days you may assume you have not been selected on this occasion.

Interview: Chris Grayling – Law Society’s Gazette

“In his foreword to the consultation on ‘transforming’ legal aid, justice secretary Chris Grayling explains that change is needed to ‘boost public confidence’ and cut costs, which he claims have ‘spiralled out of control’. Speaking to the Gazette, he offers no empirical evidence that the public has lost confidence in the system. But he claims to have received ‘lots of letters and emails’ from people concerned about legal aid entitlement. He alludes to prisoners getting legal aid ‘to argue they should have a different cell’, and migrants receiving civil legal aid.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 20th May 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

What Place does Wardship have in Modern Family Proceedings? – Family Law Week

Posted May 20th, 2013 in care orders, children, jurisdiction, local government, news, wardship by sally

“Leanne Buckley-Thomson, barrister at 12 College Place, provides an overview of wardship and considers its usefulness in modern family proceedings.”

Full story

Family Law Week, 18th May 2013

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

EVENT: The Law Society – The Minority Lawyers’ Seminar: Career Development and Social Media

Posted May 20th, 2013 in Forthcoming events by sally

“The Bar Council, the Law Society, and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) are proud to announce this year’s Minority Lawyers’ Conference (MLC) will be held as a series of evening seminars throughout the year. The seminars will cover some of the challenges around career development, and will focus on helping lawyers from minority communities.”

Date: 18th June 2013, 6.00-8.00pm

Location: The Law Society’s Hall, 113 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1PL

Charge: £10 + VAT

More information can be found here.

Good Intentions are Not Enough: Thompson v Hurst – Family Law Week

Posted May 20th, 2013 in appeals, cohabitation, housing, land registration, mortgages, news by sally

“Sheila Hamilton Macdonald, barrister, examines the implications of the Court of Appeal judgment in Thompson v Hurst; a cohabitee property dispute in which the property had been registered in the name of only one of the cohabitees.”

Full story

Family Law Week, 16th May 2013

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Home Office calls for evidence in Balance of Competences Review – Home Office

Posted May 20th, 2013 in asylum, consultations, freedom of movement, immigration, news by sally

“The government has today launched calls for evidence on the balance of powers between the UK and the European Union on asylum and immigration, and on the Free Movement of Persons.”

Full story

Home Office, 16th May 2013

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Stop and Tase? – Criminal Law and Justice Weekly

Posted May 20th, 2013 in consultations, damages, judicial review, news, police, statistics, weapons by sally

“Last month saw the launch of the judicial review of the ‘Taser Roll-out Programme’. The landmark challenge comes after the Metropolitan Police Service and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) began the roll-out of Tasers across all 32 boroughs of London without holding a public consultation or providing the public with information about the Programme. Forty officers in each borough will be trained to use the Taser; eight officers per shift and two Emergency Response Teams will have Tasers with them at any one time. The judicial review also raises the issue that there was a legitimate expectation that the ‘Taser Policy’ across London would remain in force and that there is an arguable breach of art.2 and 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights in continuing with the implementation of the Programme.”

Full story

Criminal Law and Justice Weekly, 18th May 2013

Source: www.criminallawandjustice.co.uk

Joyce v O’Brien and another – WLR Daily

Joyce v O’Brien and another [2013] EWCA Civ 546; [2013] WLR (D) 182

“Where the character of a joint criminal enterprise was such that it was foreseeable that a party or parties might be subject to unusual or increased risks of harm as a consequence of the activities of the parties in pursuance of their criminal objectives, and the risk materialised, the harm could properly be said to have been caused by the criminal act of the party suffering it even if it resulted from the negligent or intentional act of another party to the criminal enterprise. Therefore, in such circumstances the principle of ex turpi causa non oritur actio would provide the negligent party with a defence to a claim for negligence by the injured party.”

WLR Daily, 17th May 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Fish & Fish Ltd v Sea Shepherd UK and others – WLR Daily

Fish & Fish Ltd v Sea Shepherd UK and others [2013] EWCA Civ 544; [2013] WLR (D) 181

“In order for a party to be liable as a joint tortfeasor by virtue of doing acts in furtherance of a common design to do acts that were tortious, it was not a requirement that the party’s acts had been an essential part of or of real significance to the commission of the tort.”

WLR Daily, 16th May 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Hotak v Southwark London Borough Council – WLR Daily

Posted May 20th, 2013 in appeals, homelessness, housing, law reports, local government by sally

Hotak v Southwark London Borough Council [2013] EWCA Civ 515; [2013] WLR (D) 180

“When assessing an applicant’s priority need for accommodation under section 189(1)(c) of the Housing Act 1996 the local housing authority was entitled to consider evidence of personal support and assistance provided by a family member which would continue should the applicant become street homeless. The weight to be given to the evidence was a separate and important consideration. The reviewing officer was required to assess the vulnerability of the applicant as it would be when he was made homeless.”

WLR Daily, 15th May 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

BAILII: Recent Decisions

Posted May 20th, 2013 in law reports by sally

Court of Appeal (Civil Division)

Willock & Ors v Corus UK Ltd [2013] EWCA Civ 519 (17 May 2013)

Birmingham City Council v James & Anor [2013] EWCA Civ 552 (17 May 2013)

Joyce v O’Brien & Anor [2013] EWCA Civ 546 (17 May 2013)

A (a child), Re (a child) [2013] EWCA Civ 543 (16 May 2013)

High Court (Family Division)

MR (A Child) [2013] EWHC 1156 (Fam) (07 May 2013)

High Court (Administrative Court)

Azaroal, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2013] EWHC 1248 (Admin) (17 May 2013)

UK Uncut Legal Action Ltd v Revenue and Customs [2013] EWHC 1283 (Admin) (16 May 2013)

EO & Ors, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2013] EWHC 1236 (Admin) (17 May 2013)

Source: www.bailii.org

OFT issues warning over personalised pricing transparency – OUT-LAW.com

“Businesses must be more transparent about the way they collect information about consumers in order to offer personalised prices for goods and services online, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has said.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 20th May 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Elena Ambrosiadou wins legal battle with ex-husband Martin Coward over software: They might be rich – but judge isn’t buying it in ‘toxic’ divorce – The Independent

Posted May 20th, 2013 in divorce, evidence, financial dispute resolution, news by sally

“Two hedge fund tycoons whose marriage ‘turned toxic’ were accused by a judge yesterday of giving ‘tainted’ evidence in their battle over the spoils of their failed relationship.”

Full story

The Independent, 17th May 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Changes to Civil Procedure Rules and court costs made in April 2013 – OUT-LAW.com

“From 1 April 2013 a number of changes to the Civil Procedure Rules (CPRs) governing court action in England and Wales took effect. This is a summary of those changes.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, May 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

When are the proceeds of an agent’s breach of fiduciary duty held on trust? – Sports Law Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers

“In FHR European Ventures LLP & ors v Mankarious & ors [2013] EWCA Civ 17 the Court of Appeal returned to the question when an agent holds proceeds of a breach of fiduciary duty as constructive trustee for his principal. The decision is required reading for sports lawyers asked to advise on breach of fiduciary duty cases. That is so not least because FHR addresses the decision in Sinclair Investments (UK) Ltd v Versailles Trade Finance Ltd [2011] EWCA Civ 347 in which the Court considered that it was bound by Lister & Co v Stubbs 45 Ch D 1 (CA) to reject the broad approach to the imposition of constructive trusts in this field which was described in Attorney General for Hong Kong v Reid [1994] 1 AC 324 (PC).”

Full story

Sports Law Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers, 20th May 2013

Source: www.sportslawbulletin.org

Criminal legal aid cuts to reach £370m – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 20th, 2013 in budgets, consultations, fees, legal aid, news, solicitors by sally

“The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that projected savings of £150m in fee cuts will not, as was expected, count towards required cuts of £220m a year – taking cuts in criminal legal aid to £370m.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 17th May 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk