UK Government tells High Court: Same-sex couples may be shut out of Article 14 – UK Human Rights Blog

‘On 19-20 January, the England and Wales High Court (Mrs. Justice Andrews) heard the judicial review of the ban on different-sex civil partnerships brought by Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan. It was argued on behalf of the supposedly LGBTI-friendly UK Government (represented by Nicky Morgan, the Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities) that the High Court should follow two anti-LGBTI decisions from 2006.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 22nd Janaury 2016

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

High Court: Wrong to assume it is “more improbable” that professionals will be dishonest – Legal Futures

Posted January 26th, 2016 in negligence, news, professional conduct, solicitors by sally

‘It would be wrong to assume that it is “inherently more improbable” that a professional person will be dishonest than anyone else, the High Court has said.’

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Legal Futures, 26th January 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Motorcylist jailed after filming himself speeding over 150mph – The Independent

‘A motorcyclist has been jailed after filming himself speeding over 150mph.’

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The Independent, 25th January 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Full inquest to be held for murdered teacher Ann Maguire – BBC News

Posted January 26th, 2016 in inquests, murder, news, teachers by sally

‘A coroner is to hold a full inquest into the death of a Leeds school teacher murdered in her own classroom.’

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BBC News, 25th January 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Litvinenko – When real life is more fantastic than fiction – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted January 26th, 2016 in inquiries, murder, news, reports, spying by sally

‘The publication on Thursday of the long awaited report by Sir Robert Owen into the circumstances of the death of Alexander Litivenko from polonium poisoning on 23 November 2006 has (unsurprisingly) resulted in bitter criticism by the Russian Government of the Inquiry’s conclusions that the poisoning was probably directed by the Russian Federal Security Service, and probably approved by President Putin. The report is long (246 pages not including Appendices), but in page after page of readable and measured prose Sir Robert Owen tells the extraordinary story of Alexander Litvinenko’s death and the subsequent 9 year investigation into it.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 25th January 2016

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Rulings rejecting taxi and chocolate bar shapes as trade marks reflect intentions of trade mark law, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 26th, 2016 in food, intellectual property, news, taxis, trade marks by sally

‘The strict circumstances in which shapes can benefit from trade mark protection have been reinforced by two new rulings issued by the High Court in London, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 22nd January 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

Enhanced Criminal Records Check Mate – Panopticon

Posted January 26th, 2016 in criminal records, employment, news, regulations by sally

‘One might have thought, following the judgments of the Court of Appeal (noted here) and the Supreme Court (noted here) in R (T) v Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police [2014] UKSC 35, that there was little left to say about enhanced criminal records certificates (ECRC). After all, the Government had, with moderate grace, gone away after the Court of Appeal loss and drafted a revised set of rules in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2013 (SI 2013/1198) which sought to better implement the Article 8 ECHR balance between the needs of employers and the need for long-distant misbehaviour not to be a permanent stain. But that thought fatally undervalues the ingenuity of lawyers (as well as the breadth of application of the ECRC regime).’

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Panopticon, 23rd Janaury 2016

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

District council defeats judicial review challenge over neighbourhood plan – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 26th, 2016 in judicial review, local government, news, planning, referendums by sally

‘Chichester District Council has successfully defended a judicial review challenge to a neighbourhood plan.’
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Local Government Lawyer, 26th January 2016

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

EVENT: UKLSA’s 5th Annual Equalities Conference: promoting equal access to the legal profession and justice

Posted January 26th, 2016 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘The UK Law Students’ Association is organising its 5th Annual Equalities Conference, hosted by the Law Society of England and Wales and supported by its Junior Lawyers Division.

The Conference promotes equal access to the legal profession and justice. It also provides key related information as well as networking opportunities.

Speakers include:

– Chantal-Aimee Doerries QC, Chairman of the Bar; Barrister, Atkin Chambers
– Hilary Heilbron QC, Barrister and Leading international Arbitrator, Brick Court
– Sir Robin Knowles CBE, High Court Judge; Chairman of Together for Short Lives; Chair of Trustees at Legal Advice Centre (University House).
– Fergus Randolph QC, Brick Court Chambers – Conference Chair
– Koser Shaheen, Attorney, Cleary Gottlieb; Vice Chair of the Ethnic Minority Lawyers Division
– Jonathan Smithers, President of the Law Society’

Date: 2nd February 2016, 5.15-8.45pm

Location: The Law Society – 113 Chancery Lane London WC2A 1PL

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

EVENT: LawInSport Conference – Key Issues in Sports Law in 2016 and Beyond

Posted January 26th, 2016 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘LawInSport will be hosting its second annual sports law conference on the 24 & 25 February 2016 in London.

We will be bringing together thought leaders from sport, academia and the legal profession to share their views on what they consider to be the key sports law issues to watch in 2016 and beyond.

The sports scandals of 2015 have highlighted the important role sports lawyers can play in the development of sports governance, protecting the welfare of athletes and the rights of commercial partners.

Therefore we have put together panel sessions that will to cover the most pressing issues in sports law for 2016:

Anti-Doping – what is the future of anti-doping?
Media Rights – new distribution methods, regulation and legislation.
Commercial Contracts – sponsorship, merchandising and brand protection.
Athlete Rights – employment and representation contracts, handling disciplinary procedures and selection disputes.
Anti-Corruption – dealing with corruption, running investigations, gathering intelligence and taking action.
Governance – managing change, improving structures and processes, and dealing with greater scrutiny.’

Date: 24th & 25th February 2016

Location: Twickenham Stadium, TW2 7BA

Charge: See website for details

More information can be found here.

Domain names you can bank on – Technology Law Update

Posted January 26th, 2016 in domain names, internet, news, striking out by sally

‘Disputes over domain names tend to be dealt with outside of the normal court system, in panels run by dispute resolution service providers accredited by ICANN. So a decision of the UK court over as series of domain names including RBS group brands makes interesting reading.’

Full story

Technology Law Update, 22nd January 2016

Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk

Judges should be able to decline ‘unfair’ QASA evaluations, SRA says – Legal Futures

Posted January 26th, 2016 in advocacy, judges, news, quality assurance, Solicitors Regulation Authority by sally

‘Judges should be able to opt out of assessing advocates under the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) if they believe it would be unfair, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has said.’

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Legal Futures, 26th January 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘Shaken’ baby might return to parents – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 26th, 2016 in care orders, children, news, social services by sally

‘Plainly exhausted’ mother probably shook baby in ‘momentary loss of control’, judge concludes.’

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Daily Telegraph, 25th January 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Jimmy Carr’s ‘offensive’ dwarf joke broke broadcasting rules, says watchdog – The Guardian

Posted January 26th, 2016 in BBC, codes of practice, complaints, media, news by sally

‘Jimmy Carr’s joke about dwarves on BBC1’s The One Show was offensive and broke broadcasting rules, the media watchdog has said.’

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The Guardian, 25th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Justice demands court records are kept – The Independent

Posted January 26th, 2016 in appeals, archives, courts, documents, news by sally

‘Open and accountable justice requires records to be kept. Those who believe they are the victim of a miscarriage of justice need to know what was said at their trial if they are to show that they have been wrongly convicted. It seems extraordinary, therefore, that official guidelines require the destruction of the recordings of court cases after seven years. ‘

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The Independent, 24th January 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Should design rights protect things you can’t see? – OUP Blog

Posted January 26th, 2016 in Community designs, EC law, intellectual property, news, regulations by sally

‘Although many EU IP lawyers are currently concentrating on the trade mark reforms, the Commission is quietly getting on with its study of the design protection system in Europe.’

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OUP Blog, 26th January 2016

Source: www.blog.oup.com

Close legal loophole which means public services contractors don’t have disclose their work, say campaigners – The Independent

Posted January 26th, 2016 in contracting out, disclosure, freedom of information, news by sally

‘Companies who operate everything from prisons to parking services and prosecuting TV licence evaders must be made more accountable, campaigners say.’

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The Independent, 25th January 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Hillsborough inquests jury told to consider unlawful killing verdict – The Guardian

Posted January 26th, 2016 in inquests, negligence, news, police, sport, unlawful killing by sally

‘The jury at the inquests into how 96 people died in the lethal crush at Hillsborough in 1989 will be asked to consider whether the South Yorkshire police chief superintendent David Duckenfield, who was in charge of the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, caused the deaths by gross negligence manslaughter.’

Full story

The Guardian, 25th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk