Insemination case: Chances missed to check on adopted daughter – BBC News

“A review into how a mother was able to force her adopted child to impregnate herself has found agencies missed opportunities to intervene.”

Full story

BBC News, 5th June 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Two British soldiers admit sexual and racial abuse of Afghan citizens – The Independent

“Two British servicemen were disciplined and fined today for carrying out, respectively, a sexual offence on a young boy and being engaged in racist insults while serving in Afghanistan.”

Full story

The Independent, 4th June 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Diplomat awarded £300,000 following accusations of inappropriate behaviour – Daily Telegraph

“A former diplomat has won £320,000 from the government after he was accused of behaving ‘inappropriately’ towards a senior politician’s wife.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 4th June 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Crime victims allowed to challenge prosecutors – The Guardian

“Victims are to be given new rights to challenge the Crown Prosecution Service’s decision not to charge a suspect or to drop a prosecution.”

Full story

The Guardian, 5th June 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Pamela Anderson TV ad banned for being ‘sexist and degrading to women’ – The Guardian

Posted June 5th, 2013 in advertising, complaints, news, ombudsmen, women by sally

“A raunchy TV ad featuring ex-Baywatch star Pamela Anderson has been banned for being sexist and degrading to women.”

Full story

The Guardian, 5th June 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

EVENT: IALS – Aspects of Law Reform: An Insider’s Perspective (Hamlyn Seminar)

Posted June 4th, 2013 in Forthcoming events by sally

“Jack Straw introduces his book thus: ‘I’ve been fascinated by the inter-action of the work of our courts on the processes of government and the body politic. Over a significant part of my Ministerial career I was responsible for an extensive legislative programme, including the Human Rights Act 1998, which has become a new foundation of what passes as the constitution of the United Kingdom. The final Ministerial post I held, from 2007 -2010 was as Lord Chancellor – the first in modern times to sit in the House of Commons. The job gave me an interesting insight at the intersection of the three branches of modern democratic government, executive, judicial, and legislative. In alighting on subjects for my three lectures, I tried to identify subject areas where I could draw on my experiences over many years, and hopefully better illuminate aspects of our system.’

The first lecture was on ‘The Future of the Criminal Courts’; the second on ‘Human Rights and Europe’; the third on ‘Judicial Appointments’.”

Date: 26th June 2013, 4.00-6.00pm

Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies

Charge: Free, registration is required

More information can be found here.

EVENT: Queen Mary – Roundtable in Banking Law and Finance ‘Systemic Risk and the Future of Insurance Regulation’

Posted June 4th, 2013 in Forthcoming events by sally

“The general theme of this year’s roundtable event will be financial stability and regulatory reform with special reference to the regulation of insurance markets at domestic, European and international level.”

Date: 27th June 2013, 2.30-7.00pm

Location: The Old Library, Lloyd’s, One Lime Street, London EC3M 7HA

Charge: Practitioners: £150.00, QM Alumni, academics, barristers, NGO’s, Government organisations: £80.00, Students: £30.00

More information can be found here.

BBC Hall probe to be lead by former High Court judge – BBC News

Posted June 4th, 2013 in BBC, children, inquiries, judges, news, sexual offences by sally

“Retired High Court judge Dame Linda Dobbs is to lead an investigation for the BBC into broadcaster Stuart Hall’s conduct at the corporation.”

Full story

BBC News, 4th June 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

EVENT: UCL Centre for Criminal Law with Old Bailey Chambers – Expert Evidence

Posted June 4th, 2013 in Forthcoming events by sally

“This event will cover an update of the law of expert evidence, including admissibility, duties of an expert witness and current controversies, as well as a case-study of psychiatric evidence relating to partial defence of murder.”

Date: 25th July 2013, 6.00-7.00pm

Location: UCL Faculty of Laws

Charge: Free

More information can be found here.

EVENT: JUSTICE – Tom Sargant memorial annual lecture 2013

Posted June 4th, 2013 in Forthcoming events by sally

“This year’s lecture will be given by Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, President of the UK Supreme Court. Further details to follow.”

Date: 15th October 2013, 6.30pm

Location: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, 28 Tudor Street, London EC4Y 0AY

Charge: Free

More information can be found here.

EVENT: Law Society Public Debate Series – Does Taser use breach fundamental human rights?

Posted June 4th, 2013 in Forthcoming events by sally

“Tasers have been carried by the police since 2003. The aim of Taser use is to prevent conflict, protect life and resolve disputes. However, people have been injured by Taser guns during peaceful protests, when being arrested and when they have already been put in handcuffs.

This debate will help the profession look at not only legal context but also moral and human rights context of Taser use. During the debate each speaker will share their views so as to develop a balanced view of Taser use in the UK.”

CPD hours 1.5

Date: 24th June 2013, 6.00-7.45pm

Location: The Law Society

Charge: Free

More information can be found here.

EVENT: IALS – Legislative Drafting and Language

Posted June 4th, 2013 in Forthcoming events by sally

“Legislative Drafting and Linguistics: Strategies to Communicate the Law
•Chair: Hayley Rodgers, Office of Parliamentary Counsel
•Richard Heaton, First Parliamentary Counsel
Innovations in Legislative Drafting; but have we succeeded in offering perfect laws? Perhaps we can look at alternatives? But, as for statutory law, can other disciplines assist us?
•Maurizio Gotti, University of Bergamo
Borrowing from other disciplines; what linguistics can offer; law in the sense of legislative instruments

Linguistics and Law Reform
•Chair: Jonathan Teasdale, Sir William Dale Fellow, formerly Law
Commission
•Vijai K. Bhatia, City University of Hong Kong (via Skype)
Language in law reform: linguistics can play a major role in moulding law reform; how? examples?
•Adrian Hogarth, Senior Parliamentary Counsel, Law Commission
Law reform and language: the legal perspective and examples

Law and Translation
•Chair: Thomas Glyn Watkin, Cardiff University, former First Welsh
Legislative Counsel
•William Robinson, IALS Associate Research Fellow, former Law
Reviser, European Commission
Why translation of legislation is so difficult
• Ingemar Strandvik, European Commission
What has been done so far and what still has to be done in the next future: some practical examples.”

Date: 27th June 2013, 2.00-5.00pm

Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies

Charge: £50.00. Academic Rate: £40.00. Student Rate: £15.00.

More information can be found here.

EVENT: Queen Mary – CCLS Lecture: Countercyclical Regulation and its Challenges

Posted June 4th, 2013 in Forthcoming events by sally

“The Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS) at Queen Mary, University of London runs a programme of cutting-edge public events throughout the year that reflect the research work of the Centre. In June 2013, CCLS is holding a series of events on Financial Law and Regulation – in particular, a roundtable debate on ‘Systemic Risk and the Future of Insurance Regulation’ with global experts in banking and finance law as well as two public lectures on the themes of ‘Countercyclical Regulation and its Challenges’ and ‘Ring-Fencing’ respectively.”

1 CPD Point

Date: 26th June 2013, 5.30-7.00pm

Location: Lecture Theatre, The Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary, University of London, 67-69 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3JB

Charge: Practitioners: £50, Alumni etc: £30, Students: £10

More information can be found here.

Legal aid residency tests ‘will leave migrant children destitute’ – The Guardian

“Abandoned migrant and trafficked children will be left destitute and at risk of exploitation if the government goes ahead with a plan to introduce residency tests to determine whether they qualify for legal aid, child protection experts are warning.”

Full story

The Guardian, 2nd June 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

EVENT: IALS – Deferred Prosecutions: Coming to the UK and already up and running elsewhere in Europe

Posted June 4th, 2013 in Forthcoming events by sally

“Chair: Professor John Spencer, QC, University of Cambridge; President of the UK European Criminal Law Association

Patrick Rappo, Partner, Steptoe & Johnson, formerly of Serious Fraud Office – The new law and how DPs will work in UK

Francois Franchi, President, Cour d’Appel, Paris – How the French do the same thing, differently!

Ms Lila Sujanani – Legal and practical critique of UK system

Professor Joachim Vogel, RIOLG, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich – Prosecution agreements in commercial fraud cases – law and practice in Germany.”

Date: 26th June 2013, 2.30-6.00pm

Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

EVENT: IALS – The Constitution of the Public Sphere: the post-Leveson Landscape (W G Hart Legal Workshop 2013)

Posted June 4th, 2013 in Forthcoming events by sally

“The WG Hart Legal Workshop 2013 will address the array of legal, regulatory and philosophical questions opened by the Leveson Inquiry and Report, and by the subsequent and related reform debates that have fulminated in recent times. Most obviously, this focuses attention on the emergent scheme for press regulation and how this fits in the wider regulatory context. The phone-hacking scandal, the Leveson Inquiry and associated policy debates have ranged far more widely than this and impinge on many aspects of the legal framing of the public sphere. The public sphere, of course, comprises much more than the British mainstream media. Recognising this, the workshop will also seek to address the relevance of current policy debates and legal and regulatory reform for the new, converging and social dimensions of the media landscape. It will also seek to draw on international and comparative perspectives.”

Date: 24th – 25th June 2013

Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies

Charge: Email for more information.

More information can be found here.

Inspectors call for streamlined criminal justice process – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted June 4th, 2013 in criminal justice, Crown Prosecution Service, news, police, reports by sally

“Inspectors of police service and prosecutors have called for decisive action to streamline the criminal justice process and end ‘the spectre of unnecessary bureaucracy’.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 4th June 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Expert: ruling gives ‘very little comfort’ to employers looking to defend compulsory retirement age in partnership case – OUT-LAW.com

“Employers looking to defend or reintroduce a mandatory retirement age will find ‘very little comfort’ in last week’s decision allowing a law firm to force a partner to retire at 65, an expert has said.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 4th June 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Man jailed for contempt after attacking judge who had just jailed his brother – The Independent

Posted June 4th, 2013 in assault, contempt of court, judges, news, sentencing by sally

“A fitness instructor who attacked a judge and knocked off his wig has been jailed for 18 months after admitting contempt of court.”

Full story

The Independent, 4th June 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Blowing the Budget – an early warning – Zenith Chambers

Posted June 4th, 2013 in budgets, case management, civil procedure rules, costs, news by sally

“The Costs Management Rules, now set out at Section II of CPR 3, will apply to the majority of multi-track cases issued on or after 1st April 2013.”

Full story (PDF)

Zenith Chambers, 30th May 2013

Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk