Belsner faces £130k costs payment but Checkmylegalfees “has a future” – Legal Futures

Posted November 16th, 2022 in costs, indemnities, law firms, news, third parties by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has signalled the possibility of a non-party costs order in the Belsner case after ordering the claimant to make an interim costs payment of £130,000.’

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Legal Futures, 16th November 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Home Office’s ‘out-of-date’ grasp of fraud highlighted by watchdog – The Guardian

Posted November 16th, 2022 in fraud, government departments, news by sally

‘The Home Office has an incomplete and out-of-date grasp of the cost of fraud in the UK and a poor understanding of who commits the crime, a public spending watchdog has found.’

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The Guardian, 15th November 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Hacking victim retains anonymity in ‘persons unknown’ action – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 16th, 2022 in anonymity, computer crime, judgments, news, victims by sally

‘A company working in “security-sensitive and highly classified projects of national significance” has succeeded in having its identity withheld from a summary judgment against the unknown perpetrators of a $6.8m “ransomware” attack. In XXX v Persons Unknown, Mr Justice Cavanagh agreed that a derogation from open justice was needed to prevent the court itself becoming “the instrument of harm”.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 14th November 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Suffolk Police apology over sex abuse victims’ data on website – BBC News

Posted November 16th, 2022 in anonymity, data protection, internet, news, police, sexual offences, victims by sally

‘An investigation has begun after the personal details of sexual abuse victims appeared on a police website.’

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BBC News, 15th November 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Open Justice : Court Reporting In The Digital Age – Transparency Project

Posted November 15th, 2022 in civil justice, family courts, law reports, media, news by sally

‘On 1 November 2022 the House of Commons Justice Committee published their report : Open Justice: court reporting in the digital age.’

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Transparency Project, 12th November 2022

Source: transparencyproject.org.uk

Mental health may be biggest factor in UK homicides, study finds – The Guardian

Posted November 15th, 2022 in gangs, homicide, mental health, news, reports, statistics by sally

‘Mental health problems may more often be a factor in homicides than gang membership, with most killings potentially preventable, a study suggests.’

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The Guardian, 14th November 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

High Court refuses to extend interim injunctions stopping hotels from accommodating asylum seekers – Local Government Lawyer

‘A High Court judge has refused to extend ‘without notice’ interim injunctions obtained by Ipswich Borough Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council that blocked the acccommodation of asylum seekers in local hotels.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 14th November 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Four London gang members jailed over armed heists targeting cash vans – The Guardian

‘Four members of an organised crime gang that stole £400,000 in a series of armed robberies targeting cash vans have been jailed.’

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The Guardian, 14th November 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Identity of those instructing solicitors not protected by litigation privilege – Legal Futures

Posted November 15th, 2022 in anonymity, news, privacy, privilege, solicitors by sally

‘There is no general rule that the identity of those instructing solicitors on behalf of a corporate client is protected by litigation privilege, the Court of Appeal has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 15th November 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

The UK should be ashamed of ‘joint enterprise’ convictions. America has put us on notice – The Guardian

Posted November 15th, 2022 in imprisonment, joint enterprise, news, racism by sally

‘Six years ago the supreme court ruled these cases were unfair and racially biased. But, as the New York Times has noted, they keep on coming.’

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The Guardian, 15th November 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Personal injury solicitor awarded £32,000 for unfair dismissal – Legal Futures

‘A personal injury solicitor who was transferred to a new law firm without notice or consultation has been awarded just under £32,000 in damages by an employment tribunal.’

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Legal Futures, 10th November 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Assault EW cases and the perverse effects of virtue-signalling legislation – Counsel

Posted November 10th, 2022 in assault, autism, emergency services, hospitals, imprisonment, mental health, news, police by sally

‘Defence lawyers are concerned that charging is frequently not in the public interest and that defendants with severe mental health problems and/or who are neurodivergent are being pointlessly swept into the criminal justice system, warns Penelope Gibbs.’

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Counsel, November 2022

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

Cloudside man who served mince pies in lockdown jailed – BBC News

‘A man who broke Covid lockdown rules by serving wine and mince pies at a shooting club, then later attempted to destroy evidence, has been jailed.’

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BBC News, 9th November 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

MPs warn court system is failing to support public understanding of justice system – Local Government Lawyer

Posted November 10th, 2022 in civil justice, criminal justice, judgments, news, reports by sally

‘The Justice Committee has called for a “renewed focus” in the court system to remove barriers to the media and members of the public coming to court proceedings.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 9th November 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Councils in court over hotels housing asylum seekers – BBC News

Posted November 10th, 2022 in asylum, change of use, hotels, injunctions, local government, news, planning by sally

‘Lawyers for two councils have urged the High Court to block the Home Office’s contractors from using large hotels to house asylum seekers, claiming the schemes break planning laws and harm communities.’

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BBC News, 9th November 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UK teenager’s death probably caused by bed blocking breathing tube – coroner – The Guardian

Posted November 10th, 2022 in hospitals, inquests, news, young persons by sally

‘A teenager died shortly after routine surgery when a breathing tube became blocked, possibly when it was squashed by the wheels of her recovery bed, a coroner has concluded.’

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The Guardian, 9th November 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Commission urges reform of ‘ineffective’ confiscation regime – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Codification of legal decisions reached in more than 500 cases brought under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 is among the proposals of a call for reform of an “ineffective” confiscation regime published today.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 9th November 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Campaigning and political activity by charities: guidance – Law & Religion UK

‘On 7 November, the Charity Commission issued updated guidance for England and Wales on Campaigning and political activity by charities. It follows the passing of the Elections Act 2022, which received Royal Assent on 28 April.’

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Law & Religion UK, 9th November 2022

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

Sam Guy: Eroding Public Law’s Exclusions? Charting the Landscape of Crowdfunding in Judicial Review – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted November 9th, 2022 in constitutional law, judicial review, news by sally

‘The use of crowdfunding to access public law litigation is a matter which attracts much online commentary but has thus far, with notable exceptions, received considerably less rigorous scholarly engagement. Accordingly, several important questions remain unanswered as to the dynamics of crowdfunded litigation – amongst others, who are the actors bringing (and defending) these cases, how much money do cases raise, and how do they fare in the judicial review system? In a recent article published open access in the Modern Law Review, I report the results of an empirical study which charts the landscape of judicial review crowdfunding systematically for the first time. In the study, I analyse 413 crowdfunding pages by people seeking funding for judicial review claims, posted on CrowdJustice, the leading litigation crowdfunding website. Here, I highlight some of the study’s results, and emphasise the difficulties facing prospective litigants in accessing judicial review, even with the advent of crowdfunding, a problem which has, previously on this blog, been termed ‘public law’s disgrace’.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 8th November 2022

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Government planning definition of “gypsies and travellers” unlawfully discriminatory, Court of Appeal rules – Local Government Lawyer

‘A decision on a planning application made by settled Travellers by North West Leicestershire District Council and the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities has been quashed by the Court of Appeal.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 9th November 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk