Jamie Cooper-Hohn wins £337m in High Court divorce case – BBC News

Posted November 28th, 2014 in divorce, financial dispute resolution, news by sally

‘The American wife of a London financier has been awarded £337m by a High Court judge in a divorce case.’

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BBC News, 27th November 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Judge attacks social workers for “grossly overstating” case in evidence – Local Government Lawyer

Posted November 28th, 2014 in bias, care orders, child abuse, evidence, news, social services by sally

‘A judge has sharply criticised social workers for giving “visibly biased” evidence when a local authority applied for a final care order in relation to a three-year-old boy with a view to placing him for adoption.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 28th November 2014

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

13 men guilty of enforced prostitution and rape of vulnerable girls in Bristol – The Guardian

Posted November 28th, 2014 in child abuse, news, prostitution, rape, sexual grooming, sexual offences by sally

‘Thirteen men, all of Somali origin, have been convicted of the systematic sexual abuse of vulnerable girls as young as 13 in Bristol and officers are investigating claims against 49 other suspects.’

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The Guardian, 27th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

‘Dog sat on my accelerator’ speeding driver is jailed – BBC News

‘A driver who claimed his excessive speed during a police chase was due to his dog sitting on the accelerator pedal has been jailed for 13 months.’

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BBC News, 27th November 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Supreme Court agrees to hear case on breach of unless order – Litigation Futures

‘The Supreme Court is to consider the consequences of failing to comply with an unless order for a second time, it has emerged.’

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Litigation Futures, 28th November 2014

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Music bodies launch legal challenge against new UK private copying rules – OUT-LAW.com

Posted November 28th, 2014 in artistic works, compensation, copyright, EC law, judicial review, licensing, news by sally

‘A number of UK music industry bodies have launched a legal challenge against newly introduced UK rules that enable consumers to make private copies of lawfully acquired copyrighted material without be held as copyright infringers.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 27th November 2014

Source: www.out-law.com

Andrew Mitchell loses Plebgate libel trial – The Guardian

Posted November 28th, 2014 in closed circuit television, costs, defamation, news, parliament, police by sally

‘Andrew Mitchell, the Tory MP and former cabinet minister at the centre of the Plebgate row lost his high court libel trial on Thursday in a ruling which sees him facing a legal bill of millions of pounds and leaves his political career in tatters.’

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The Guardian, 27th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

‘Monster’ who beat baby is given 17-year term – BBC News

‘A “monster” father who pretended to dote on his four-month-old daughter but broke her neck and damaged her spine has been given a 17-year term.’

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BBC News, 27th November 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Prison numbers could push 100,000 by end of decade – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 28th, 2014 in Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, sexual offences, statistics, violent offenders by sally

‘Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, defends revised figures showing an expected surge in the number behind bars.’

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Daily Telegraph, 27th November 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Legal aid contracts for on-call criminal solicitors to be slashed by two-thirds – The Guardian

‘On-call, duty contracts for criminal solicitors to attend police stations and courts will be slashed from 1,600 to 527 in England and Wales, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed.’

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The Guardian, 27th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Litigation funding options: The importance of a comprehensive checklist – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted November 27th, 2014 in appeals, compensation, costs, law firms, legal ombudsman, news by sally

‘The judgment of Mr Justice Hickinbottom in Clarke v McDaniel & Co (15 October 2014, unreported) provided a salutary reminder to litigation solicitors of the need to ensure that in their initial discussion with a potential client they advise and explore with the client other sources of funding litigation.’

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Hardwicke Chambers, 17th November 2014

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Securities’ providers could recoup huge property market losses for investors following landmark High Court ruling – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted November 27th, 2014 in appeals, mortgages, negligence, news by sally

‘The recent High Court judgment Titan Europe 2006-3 Plc v Colliers International UK Plc [2014] EWHC 3106 (Comm) regarding commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) reflects judicial dislike of legal lacunas that let professionals perform sub-standard services without the risk of paying out damages in negligence. It is a ruling of significance to the finance industry that could give some individuals who lost out when the recession revealed that their investments were worth less than they had been told a way of recovering their money. ‘

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Hardwicke Chambers, 20th November 2014

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Let Me Stop You There… The test for lifting injunctions in public procurement challenges – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted November 27th, 2014 in advertising, EC law, injunctions, news, public procurement, regulations, tenders by sally

‘If you’ve seen an advert in the last few years warning you to submit your tax return on time, telling you not to drink and drive, or asking you to consider joining the armed forces, chances are that the company responsible was Group M UK Limited. That company has been at the heart of an important recent case concerning the test for lifting suspensions of contracts in public procurement challenges.’

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Hardwicke Chambers, 21st November 2014

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Challenging an error of fact – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted November 27th, 2014 in immigration, judicial review, mistake, news by sally

‘Lurking in the background of many judicial review claims is a complaint that a decision maker has made an error of fact.’

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Hardwicke Chambers, 24th November 2014

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Assessing loss of a chance – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted November 27th, 2014 in appeals, employment tribunals, law firms, loss of chance, negligence, news by sally

‘In Chweidan v Mischon de Reya Solicitors [2014] EWHC 2685 (QB) Mrs Justice Simler considered the principles to be applied when assessing claims for loss of a chance and provided a helpful overview of a number of the leading authorities.’

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Hardwicke Chambers, 17th November 2014

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Zero Hours Contracts – No. 5 Chambers

Posted November 27th, 2014 in contract of employment, employment, news by sally

‘A zero hours contract is not a term of legal art although a definition has been attempted in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill which proposes to insert as S.27A of the Employment Rights Act 1996:
(1) In this section “zero hours contract” means a contract of employment or other worker’s contact under which –
(a) The undertaking to do or perform work is an undertaking to do so conditionally on the employer making work or services available to the worker, and
(b) There is no certainty that any such work or services will be made available to the worker.
(2) For this purpose, an employer makes work or services available to a worker if the employer requests or requires the worker to do the work or perform the services.’

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No. 5 Chambers, 14th November 2014

Source: www.no5.com

Enforcement of Standard Essential Patents and Abuse of a Dominant Position – Zenith Chambers

Posted November 27th, 2014 in EC law, enforcement, injunctions, news, patents by sally

‘Advocate General Wathelet has delivered his opinion on a reference from the Regional Court of
Dusseldorf for a preliminary ruling on issues concerning the application of Article 102 TFEU to the
enforcement of standard essential patents (SEPs) using injunctions. The opinion, if followed by the
Court of Justice, will be important for future patent litigation and commercial negotiations over the
enforcement of SEPs.’

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Zenith Chambers, 21st November 2014

Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk

Equitable Compensation – The Supreme Court Reviews the Position – Littleton Chambers

Posted November 27th, 2014 in appeals, compensation, mortgages, news, solicitors, Supreme Court by sally

‘The Supreme Court recently gave judgment in the case of AIB Group (UK) Plc v Mark Redler & Co Solicitors [2014] UKSC 58. The decision provides an important treatment of equitable compensation within the wider scheme of remedial rules.’

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Littleton Chambers, 26th November 2014

Source: www.littletonchambers.com

Same sex couples – now with added marriage – Tanfield Chambers

‘MSSCA 2013 does not create a new status of “same sex marriage” 1 (SSM). It extends the
existing institution of marriage to same sex couples:
s.1 The marriage of same sex couples is lawful.
s.11(1) In the law of England and Wales, marriage has the same effect’

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Tanfield Chambers, 14th November 2014

Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk

Counter Terrorism and Security Bill unveiled – Home Office

Posted November 27th, 2014 in bills, citizenship, news, passports, terrorism, visas by sally

‘Urgently-needed legislation which will give the UK some of the toughest powers in the world to tackle the increasing threat from international terrorism was introduced today.’

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Home Office, 26th November 2014

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office