Public street harassment set to be made illegal in England and Wales – The Guardian

‘Public street harassment is likely to be criminalised under plans being drawn up by the government as part of its long-awaited strategy to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) for England and Wales.’

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The Guardian, 20th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Stronger rules on ongoing competence move step closer – Legal Futures

‘The current regulatory approach to lawyers’ ongoing competence needs to change, the Legal Services Board (LSB) has concluded, with assessments such as spot checks likely to be part of the reform.’

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Legal Futures, 20th July 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Oldham murder: Man jailed for killing ex-wife over house sale – BBC News

Posted July 21st, 2021 in families, imprisonment, murder, news, sentencing by sally

‘A man who murdered his ex-wife after being told he would have to move out of the family home has been jailed.’

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BBC News, 20th July 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Negligence action against lawyers over amputation not time-barred – Legal Futures

‘A man who received “devastating news” that his lower leg needed to be amputated seven years after settling his personal injury claim is not prevented by limitation from suing his lawyers for negligence, the High Court has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 21st July 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Tory MPs suspended for trying to influence judge in Elphicke case – The Guardian

‘Several Conservative MPs will be suspended from the Commons for a day and told to apologise for trying to influence a judge presiding over the trial of a colleague for sexual assault, the standards committee has ordered.’

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The Guardian, 21st July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Retired solicitor sees off harassment claim over ‘puerile’ blog – Law Society’s Gazette

‘A retired solicitor’s “abrasive” and “frequently puerile” blog posts are entitled to the same level of protection as mainstream journalism, a High Court judge has ruled, striking out a harassment claim brought by a local government officer.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 19th July 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Equalities watchdog to hold inquiry into methods of challenging decisions about adult social care – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has launched an inquiry that will consider the effectiveness of existing methods of challenging local authority decisions about individuals’ entitlements to adult social care or support in England and Wales, including – but not limited to – complaints to local authorities and Ombuds, and judicial review.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 19th July 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Perils of going against officer advice – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Skiing off-piste is dangerous. Reasons include instability of snow, hidden rocks and cliff edges and inaccessibility. Similarly, if local authority planning committee members go ‘off-piste’ in determining an issue against officer recommendations, without giving intelligible and adequate reasons for doing so, their decision risks a fatal crash in the High Court. So on 21 May 2021 Mrs Justice Tipples quashed planning consent given by Cornwall County Council for the development of a detached two-storey agricultural dwelling with garage and parking in the Rame Head area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) against officer recommendations. This was because the council ‘was under a common law duty to give reasons for the grant of planning permission’ and it was ‘a case where the defects in reasons go to the heart of the justification for permission and undermine its validity.’ The case in question was R (Cross) v Cornwall Council [2021] EWHC 1323 (Admin).’

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Law Society's Gazette, 19th July 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Ep147: Vicarious Trauma in the Legal Profession – Law Pod UK

Posted July 20th, 2021 in legal profession, mental health, news, podcasts by sally

‘In Episode 147 Emma-Louise Fenelon speaks to Rachel Francis and Joanna Fleck about their book Vicarious Trauma in the Legal Profession.’

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Law Pod UK, 19th July 2021

Source: audioboom.com

RROs – late payments, rent arrears and deposits considered by the Upper Tribunal – Nearly Legal

Posted July 20th, 2021 in deposits, landlord & tenant, news, rent, repayment by sally

‘An Upper Tribunal appeal decision on a Rent Repayment Order decision that raised three issue. t”he treatment of payments made by a tenant after the landlord has stopped committing the relevant housing offence, but in respect of rent arrears which fell due while the offence was being committed; secondly, the treatment of rent deposits; and thirdly, whether the failure of the tenant to pay rent and the existence of substantial arrears are matters of conduct which can properly be taken into account when considering the amount to be repaid.”’

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Nearly Legal, 18th July 2021

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Appeal court quashes 12 more convictions in Post Office IT scandal – The Guardian

Posted July 20th, 2021 in appeals, computer programs, false accounting, fraud, news, postal service by sally

‘The court of appeal has cleared 12 more former post office operators who were wrongly convicted of offences because of the Post Office’s defective Horizon IT system.’

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The Guardian, 19th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

With the Nationality and Borders Bill, the UK is choosing cruelty over morality – EIN Blog

Posted July 20th, 2021 in asylum, bills, citizenship, immigration, news, refugees by sally

‘Immigration is currently dominated by the effects of the ever-growing number of individuals being displaced from their home countries across the world. For countries such as the UK, we have a responsibility to aid these people and offer support for the simple reason that we have the capacity and resources to do so. Despite this, governments have turned the act of seeking refuge into the political zeitgeist of our time; forcing ministers to decide whether to assist the vulnerable or to close the gates to those who desperately need entry.’

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EIN Blog, 19th July 2021

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Inaccessible Venues Are Infringing On Disability Rights – Each Other

‘Popular West End musical Six has drawn criticism from disability activists after announcing that it is moving from the Lyric Theatre to the Vaudeville theatre, which lacks accessible facilities for disabled people.’

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Each Other, 16th July 2021

Source: eachother.org.uk

Writing fake online reviews could be made illegal – BBC News

‘A plan to crack down on online rip-offs including making it illegal for people to write or host fake reviews has been outlined by the government.’

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BBC News, 19th July 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UK bus privatisation breached basic rights, says ex-UN rapporteur – The Guardian

Posted July 20th, 2021 in contracting out, news, reports, transport by sally

‘Britain’s bus services outside London were so damaged by privatisation that people were unable to access basic needs such as work, education and healthcare, according to a scathing report by the former UN special rapporteur on human rights.’

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The Guardian, 19th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Child sex offender loses appeal based on inadequate legal advice – Legal Futures

‘The Court of Appeal has rejected the claim that a man convicted of a sexual offence after a police officer posed online as a child was given inadequate legal advice.’

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Legal Futures, 8th July 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Family Court judge issues ruling to highlight successful use of “Resolutions Model” – Local Government Lawyer

‘A mother and daughter have been reunited under the rarely used ‘Resolutions Model’ by the Family Court.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 8th July 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Police bill risks criminalising homeless people, warn UK charities – The Guardian

‘Leading homelessness charities have made an unprecedented joint plea to UK ministers to reconsider the police and crime bill, warning it could in effect criminalise large numbers of people simply for being homeless.’

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The Guardian, 8th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Rebekah Vardy gets partial win in Coleen Rooney libel battle – BBC News

Posted July 8th, 2021 in damages, defamation, internet, media, news, sport by sally

‘Rebekah Vardy has successfully had parts of Coleen Rooney’s defence thrown out by a judge, in the latest stage of their libel battle.’

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BBC News, 7th July 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Changing the picture: diversity at silk level – Counsel

‘Exclusive statistical analysis: Barbara Mills QC outlines how the deeply unhelpful, homogenous BAME acronym is masking the true extent and systemic nature of the Bar’s diversity problem.’

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Counsel, July 2021

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk