30/01/2024 – Current Awareness

‘As the dust settles on another year, it is (just about still) time to look back over the year gone to review some of the most dramatic, legally interesting or impactful cases of the year gone by. As ever, this is only a selection of the top cases of the year, but as a whole they reveal yet another year in which the courts have been drawn into the centre of the most important social and political debates of the society in which they find themselves.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 29th January 2024

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Hillside in practice – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 30th, 2024 in housing, local government, news, planning, Supreme Court, Wales by tracey

‘Megan Forbes analyses a recent High Court case that has provided guidance on the practical implications of the Supreme Court’s Hillside decision.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 26th January 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Children’s wellbeing at the heart of family court reforms – Ministry of Justice

Posted January 30th, 2024 in children, dispute resolution, family courts, Ministry of Justice, news by tracey

‘Children will be better protected from the impact of lengthy courtroom battles thanks to pioneering measures to help families resolve disputes as swiftly as easily possible.’

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Ministry of Justice, 26th January 2024

Source: www.gov.uk

People smuggler jailed for fake passport scheme – Home Office

Posted January 30th, 2024 in conspiracy, identity fraud, immigration, news, passports, sentencing by tracey

‘A people smuggler has been jailed for conspiring to bring 16 Albanian migrants to the UK with fake EU passports and fraudulent airline bookings.’

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Home Office, 26th January 2024

Source: www.gov.uk

More to do to tackle rape misconceptions and lack of understanding of consent, CPS survey finds – Crown Prosecution Service

Posted January 30th, 2024 in consent, Crown Prosecution Service, news, rape, young persons by tracey

‘More still needs to be done to tackle common false beliefs about rape and understanding of consent, especially among young people, according to the largest survey of its kind in five years.’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 26th January 2024

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

New guidance on generative AI for the Bar – The Bar Council

Posted January 30th, 2024 in artificial intelligence, barristers, news by tracey

‘The Bar Council has issued new guidance for barristers navigating the growing use of ChatGPT, and other generative artificial intelligence (AI) large language model systems (LLMs).’

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The Bar Council, 30th January 2024

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Narrowing degree evidence for foreign qualified lawyers exempt from SQE ‘overly restrictive’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 30th, 2024 in examinations, news, solicitors by tracey

‘Requiring foreign qualified lawyers exempt from the Solicitors Qualifying Examination to prove they are proficient in the English language could be “overly restrictive”, the Law Society has said.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 29th January 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Government resurrects employment tribunal fees – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 30th, 2024 in employment tribunals, fees, news by tracey

‘The government is proposing to reintroduce fees for employment tribunal claims, nearly seven years after the Supreme Court quashed the previous charging regime as unlawful.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 29th January 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

County lines gang member jailed – BBC News

Posted January 30th, 2024 in assault, conspiracy, drug trafficking, guilty pleas, news, sentencing by tracey

‘A leading member of a County Lines gang has been jailed for his part in trafficking drugs valued at nearly £250,000.’

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BBC news, 29th January 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Pizza boss banned for hiring two illegal workers – BBC News

Posted January 30th, 2024 in company directors, disqualification, employment, fines, immigration, news by tracey

‘A pizzeria owner from Cumbria who hired two illegal workers has been banned from being a company director for six years.’

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BBC News, 30th January 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

HSBC fined £57.4m for customer deposit protection failings – BBC News

Posted January 30th, 2024 in banking, deposits, financial regulation, fines, news by tracey

‘HSBC has been fined £57.4m by the Bank of England for “serious failings” over its requirements to protect customer deposits.’

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BBC News, 30th January 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Laurence Fox loses High Court battle after calling two people paedophiles on social media – The Independent

Posted January 30th, 2024 in defamation, internet, media, news by tracey

‘The actor Laurence Fox has lost his High Court libel battle with two people he referred to as paedophiles on social media.’

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The Independent, 29th January 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘Women sit next to abusers at music industry parties’ MPs warn – BBC News

Posted January 30th, 2024 in equality, harassment, news, reports, select committees, sexual offences by tracey

‘The music industry is still a “boys’ club” where sexual harassment and abuse are common, MPs warned in a report. The Women and Equalities Committee said musicians have to sit beside sexual abusers at parties and events, due to a “culture of silence”.’

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BBC News, 30th January 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Plea for return of two Aboriginal children stranded in UK without passports – The Guardian

Posted January 30th, 2024 in children, guardianship, news, passports, visas by tracey

‘Two Aboriginal children who have been stranded in the UK without passports or visas since 2020 while courts decided their guardianship must be immediately brought home to Australia, the nation’s peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children says.’

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The Guardian, 30th January 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com