Diversity and the profession: a reply to Lord Sumption – The Lawyer

Posted September 23rd, 2015 in barristers, diversity, judiciary, news, solicitors, women by sally

‘Last night, Lord Sumption, a Justice of the Supreme Court, was trending on Twitter. This, I think, was a first. The furore was linked to an interview given by Lord Sumption to the Evening Standard.’

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The Lawyer, 22nd September 2015

Source: www.thelawyer.com

Joint enterprise law criminalises young, black men. It urgently needs reform – The Guardian

Posted September 23rd, 2015 in criminal justice, joint enterprise, minorities, news, young persons by sally

‘The supreme court is next month to consider radically reforming the law of joint enterprise, after claims that it drags innocent people into the criminal justice system and excessively punishes those on the periphery of violent crime.’

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The Guardian, 22nd September 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

EVENT: Conway Hall Ethical Society – Are Human Rights Universal? – Ethics & Politics Discussion

Posted September 23rd, 2015 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘Many have argued that when the West talks about human rights then it is their concept of human rights they want to make universal. In addition, when the Prime Minister talks about human rights he wants a British Human Rights Bill, thus suggesting that there is a British dimension to human rights. So how universal is it?’

Date: 28th September 2015, 7.00-9.00pm

Location: Conway Hall

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

Cold call blocking firm fined £75k for ‘aggressive’ nuisance calls – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 23rd, 2015 in advertising, fines, news, telecommunications by sally

‘Cold Call Elimination Ltd telephones people to try to sell blocking service and device to stop nuisance calls – the same type of calls it was making itself’

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Daily Telegraph, 23rd September 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Should national security ever trump the right to a fair trial? – The Guardian

‘A ruling on whether ‘secret’ evidence from convicted murderer Wang Yam can be heard at the European court of human rights has far wider significance.’

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The Guardian, 22nd September 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Labour makes fresh pledge to review legal aid reforms – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 23rd, 2015 in legal aid, news, political parties by sally

‘Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn has put legal aid on his agenda, asking former minister Lord Bach to “immediately” review the government’s reforms.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 22nd September 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Joshua Folkard: Horizontal Direct Effect of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in the English Courts – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted September 23rd, 2015 in constitutional law, EC law, human rights, judiciary, news, parliament by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has recently pronounced (twice) that some provisions of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union have horizontal direct effect. These decisions provide some guidance as to the legal and constitutional status of the Charter (at least from an English perspective). The Court of Appeal in both cases held that this conclusion required the disapplication of primary UK legislation. These decisions therefore raise an issue as to the appropriate balance of power between Parliament and English judges.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 23rd September 2015

Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org

Charities should face fundraising ban if they harass donors – report – The Guardian

Posted September 23rd, 2015 in charities, data protection, financial regulation, harassment, news, penalties by sally

‘Charities that harass or abuse donors should be named and shamed, and in some cases banned from approaching the public for money, a government-commissioned review of fundraising has recommended.’

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The Guardian, 23rd September 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Selfie-snapping monkey in US lawsuit against British photographer – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 23rd, 2015 in animals, copyright, news, photography by sally

‘US activists suing on behalf of Naruto argue the six-year-old macaque owns photos he snapped on David Slater’s camera.’

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Daily Telegraph, 22nd September 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Pensions reform 2015: it’s not just about retirement saving – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 23rd, 2015 in news, pensions, retirement, taxation by sally

‘FOCUS: Very few of us are ever going to have enough money in retirement to do everything we might want to do, so we need to think outside the current pensions ‘box’ if we are going to have anywhere near enough.’
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OUT-LAW.com, 22nd September 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Woman awarded £184k in ‘first caste discrimination’ case – BBC News

Posted September 23rd, 2015 in compensation, forced labour, news, race discrimination by sally

‘A woman recruited from India to be a domestic servant for a family in the UK and paid 11p an hour has been awarded almost £184,000 in unpaid wages.’

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BBC News, 22nd September 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Miley Cyrus MAC ad avoids ban after complaints it was overtly sexual – The Guardian

Posted September 23rd, 2015 in advertising, complaints, news by sally

‘An ad campaign featuring a scantily-clad Miley Cyrus has avoided a ban from the advertising regulator despite complaints it was overtly sexual and could be seen by children.’

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The Guardian, 23rd September 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Women who can’t remember night before should speak to rape counsellor, says DPP – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 23rd, 2015 in consent, news, prosecutions, rape by sally

‘Alison Saunders, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service, urges women who wake up in a man’s bed with no recollection of what happened to them to seek professional advice.’

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Daily Telegraph, 22nd September 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Criminalising forced marriage fails to protect girls – The Guardian

Posted September 23rd, 2015 in domestic violence, forced marriages, news, prosecutions by sally

‘The law makes forced marriage a criminal offence, but who protects the young victims who bring dishonour on their family by going to the police when they return home?’

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The Guardian, 22nd September 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Newspapers join forces and tell David Cameron not to water down Freedom of Information law – The Independent

Posted September 23rd, 2015 in freedom of information, government departments, media, news by sally

‘The UK’s major national newspaper groups have joined forces and told the Government not to water down freedom of information transparency laws.’

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The Independent, 22nd September 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Strasbourg in the Age of Subsidiarity: Enough Reform to Accommodate Conservative Concerns? – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted September 23rd, 2015 in human rights, news, parliament by sally

‘On 7th September 2015, Judge Robert Spano (of the European Court of Human Rights) spoke at a high-level international conference on “The Role of Parliaments in the Realisation and Protection of the Rule of Law and Human Rights”, organised by Murray Hunt, Legal Adviser to Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights. This was his second public intervention in the United Kingdom since his seminal speech on “Universality or Diversity of Human Rights: Strasbourg in the Age of Subsidiarity” delivered at Oxford in 2014, the first having been covered by UK Human Rights Blog here, and built upon his earlier speeches by elaborating on four post-Brighton Declaration cases in which the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (the European Court) applied the principle of subsidiarity to find no violation of human rights, considering that the cases fell within the national margin of appreciation, after having examined evidence demonstrating that the national Parliaments had considered the human rights issues. Taken collectively, the four cases demonstrate that Strasbourg is well and truly in the age of subsidiarity, deferring to the decisions of national Parliaments, provided those Parliaments had considered the human rights implications of legislation. Whether this will satisfy Conservative Party concerns that membership of the European Convention on Human Rights is incompatible with the doctrine of Parliamentary sovereignty will be explored at the end of this post.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 21st September 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Gallagher-Appleton divorce triggers dispute over family court reporting – The Guardian

Posted September 23rd, 2015 in divorce, family courts, news, public interest, reporting restrictions by sally

‘The courtroom divorce battle between Liam Gallagher and Nicole Appleton has triggered a landmark legal dispute over what can be reported in the public’s interest from the family courts.’

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The Guardian, 22nd September 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk