Revealed: Law Society did not seek advice on Sharia law before issuing controversial wills guidance – Legal Futures

Posted December 8th, 2014 in islamic law, Law Society, news, wills by sally

‘The Law Society did not consult any experts in Sharia law before issuing the controversial practice note on Sharia-compliant wills that it was forced to withdraw last month, it has emerged.’

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Legal Futures, 8th December 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Judge resigns after making racist remark about victim – The Guardian

Posted December 8th, 2014 in crime, immigration, judges, news, professional conduct, racism, victims by sally

‘An immigration judge has been forced to resign as a district judge after making a racist remark about a crime victim.’

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The Guardian, 7th December 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Government launches consultation into mandatory reporting of FGM – Home Office

Posted December 8th, 2014 in consultations, female genital mutilation, news, victims by sally

‘Further details unveiled of funding recipients and new unit to tackle female genital mutilation.’

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Home Office, 5th December 2014

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Legal aid slashed with no thought for consequences, MoJ chief admits – The Independent

Posted December 8th, 2014 in budgets, debts, employment, families, housing, legal aid, news by sally

‘The legal aid bill is being slashed by £300m without research into the potential effect of the cuts, the most senior civil servant at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has admitted.’

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The Independent, 5th Decemeber 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Finance & Divorce Update – Family Law Week

Posted December 8th, 2014 in children, costs, divorce, foreign jurisdictions, legal aid, litigants in person, news by sally

‘Jessica Craigs, senior solicitor of Mills & Reeve LLP analyses the financial remedies and divorce news and cases published by Family Law Week during November.’

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Family Law Week, 5th December 2014

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

A Constitutional Convention for the UK: What Form Should It Take? – UCL Constitution Unit

Posted December 8th, 2014 in constitutional law, constitutional reform, news by sally

‘Four of the five main UK political parties have voiced support for a constitutional convention based on popular participation. But what form should such a convention take? There are a variety of possible models and some would work much better than others. This presentation will set out criteria that can be used to evaluate the options and then draw on evidence from recent reform processes – notably in Canada, Iceland, and Ireland – to see which options are more or less likely to meet those criteria in the UK.’

Katie Ghose – A Constitutional Convention for the UK: What Form Should It Take?

Dr Alan Renwick- A Constitutional Convention for the UK: What Form Should It Take?

UCL Constitution Unit, 12th November 2014

Source: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Give child abuse viewers medical help, not prison terms, says police chief – The Independent

‘Child abuse viewers who access images and video on the internet need medical help to overcome “perverse attractions” rather than serve prison terms, said a senior police officer.’

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The Independent, 6th December 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Mazher Mahmood: CPS to re-examine 25 ‘Fake Sheikh’ cases – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 8th, 2014 in Crown Prosecution Service, damages, evidence, miscarriage of justice, news by sally

‘The Crown Prosecution Service says 25 cases where the undercover journalist was a prosecution witness will be reviewed.’

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Daily Telegraph, 4th December 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Judge issues ultimatum after ‘absurd’ £1.3m family dispute – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 8th, 2014 in costs, dispute resolution, documents, family courts, news by sally

‘A judge has taken the unusual step of removing most case documents from court and giving partners a final ultimatum to settle their separation dispute.’

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Law Society’s Gazette,

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

First Bus wins wheelchair court judgement – BBC News

Posted December 8th, 2014 in damages, disability discrimination, disabled persons, equality, news, transport by sally

‘Bus companies are not required by law to force parents with buggies to make way for wheelchair users in designated bays on vehicles, senior judges ruled.’

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BBC News, 8th December 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Too many young adults go from ‘in care’ directly to jail – The Independent

Posted December 8th, 2014 in benefits, care homes, homelessness, news, prisons, young offenders, young persons by sally

‘Young adults leaving care are being let down by the justice system, according to a new academic study. Despite up to a third of the current prison population having experienced the care system, criminal justice professionals are ignorant of ways to help young care leavers stay out of jail, it warns.’

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The Independent, 7th December 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Criminals breaching community orders ‘should be jailed for a week’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 8th, 2014 in crime, crime prevention, news, probation, sentencing by sally

‘Major new report calls for new ‘short, sharp shock’ for prolific offenders.’

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Daily Telegraph, 8th December 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

The elephant in the bedroom – NearlyLegal

Posted December 8th, 2014 in appeals, benefits, housing, news by sally

‘Finally, the long awaited Upper Tribunal decision on room size and the bedroom tax has been released.’

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NearlyLegal, 7th December 2014

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Bradford Lidl ‘slip’ fraudster Waheed Iqbal sentenced – BBC News

‘A man who deliberately “slipped” on a wet bag in a supermarket so he could make a £10,000 insurance claim has been given a suspended jail term.’

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BBC News, 5th December 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ethnic minority lawyers nearly four times less likely to be appointed as judges – The Independent

‘Black and minority ethnic lawyers are nearly four times less likely to be appointed as judges than white candidates, according to the latest statistics from the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC), prompting calls for targets to be introduced.’

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The Independent, 7th December 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

GP ‘disgust’ at watchdog errors – BBC News

Posted December 8th, 2014 in BBC, doctors, medical treatment, news by sally

‘GPs have told the BBC their reputations have been “tarnished by incompetence” from the health watchdog.’

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BBC News, 5th December 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UK mass surveillance laws do not breach human rights, tribunal rules – The Guardian

‘Britain’s legal regime governing mass surveillance of the internet by intelligence agencies does not violate human rights, a tribunal has ruled.’

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The Guardian, 5th December 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Bijan Ebrahimi death: 16 police staff face charges – The Independent

Posted December 8th, 2014 in disabled persons, disciplinary procedures, homicide, news, police, victims by sally

‘Sixteen people from a single police force face criminal and disciplinary charges after the cries for help from a disabled man wrongly accused of paedophilia and killed by a drunken vigilante were allegedly ignored in the days before his murder.’

Full story

The Independent, 5th December 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Tragedy of Latvian migrant who buried her baby alive after police decided they couldn’t help her – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 8th, 2014 in birth, homelessness, infanticide, mental health, news, prostitution by sally

‘A hearing at the Old Bailey hears Elita Amantova, 39, was living off berries and bread left out for the birds before she gave birth.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 5th December 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Two Britons jailed for 13 years for joining jihadi group in Syria – The Guardian

‘Two British men who travelled to Syria to join an al-Qaida-linked terrorist group have been jailed for nearly 13 years.’

Full story

The Guardian, 5th December 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk