Straw backs call for politician to have choice in appointing top judges – Litigation Futures

Posted February 11th, 2021 in judiciary, lord chancellor, news, recruitment, vetting by sally

‘The role of politicians in appointing senior judges should be beefed up, although with the limitation that the Lord Chancellor should choose from shortlist of independently vetted candidates, according to a think tank.’

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Litigation Futures, 11th February 2021

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

David Wilson: Sex offender who posed as girls online jailed for 25 years – BBC News

‘A man who posed as teenage girls online and blackmailed 51 boys into sending him indecent images of themselves has been jailed for 25 years.’

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BBC News, 10th February 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

A cheaper route to qualifying? ULaw unveils SQE pricing – Legal Futures

Posted February 10th, 2021 in education, fees, legal education, news, solicitors, universities by sally

‘The University of Law (ULaw) has unveiled a range of courses to prepare students for Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), costing from £500 to £16,500 – the latter being little different from the legal practice course (LPC).’

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Legal Futures, 10th February 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Man to pay £25,000 damages over negative TrustPilot review – BBC News

Posted February 10th, 2021 in complaints, damages, defamation, internet, law firms, news by sally

‘A man who left a negative review of a legal firm on the TrustPilot website has been ordered to pay £25,000 ($34,000) in libel damages.’

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BBC News, 9th February 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

How the Queen lobbied for changes in the law to hide her wealth – The Guardian

Posted February 10th, 2021 in bills, constitutional law, news, parliament, podcasts, royal family by sally

‘Government memos discovered in the National Archives reveal that the Queen lobbied ministers to alter proposed legislation. The Guardian’s David Pegg follows the trail and explains its implications for a monarchy which is supposed to stay out of politics.’

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The Guardian, 10th February 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Simple passing of time and unlawful occupation of accommodation could not amount to new fact for the purposes of new homelessness application, judge finds – Local Government Lawyer

Posted February 10th, 2021 in homelessness, housing, local government, news by sally

‘A Deputy High Court judge has dismissed a legal challenge to a council’s decision to refuse to accept a fresh homelessness application from the claimant following an alleged change in his circumstances.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 9th February 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

The woman who live-tweets inquests – BBC News

Posted February 10th, 2021 in autism, coroners, disabled persons, inquests, internet, news by sally

‘George Julian is crowdfunding to attend coroners’ courts and live-tweet the inquests of people with learning disabilities and autism.’

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BBC News, 10th February 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Case Preview: R (on the application of A) v Secretary of State for the Home Department – UKSC Blog

‘On 10 February, the Supreme Court will hear the appeal in R (A) v SSHD. The case concerns the legality of guidance issued under the Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (“MAPPA”).’

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UKSC Blog, 8th February 2021

Source: ukscblog.com

Defendants no longer required to state nationality at the start of criminal cases – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted February 10th, 2021 in case management, criminal procedure, data protection, human rights, news by sally

‘On 8 February 2020, small but significant changes were made to the Part 3 (Case Management) of the Criminal Procedure Rules and Practice Directions 2020 (“CrimPR”). These changes remove the requirement that defendants in criminal trials provide their nationality to the court at preliminary hearings. The question is now to be asked only where a court passes an immediate or suspended custodial sentence.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 9th February 2021

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Romance fraud on rise in coronavirus lockdown – BBC News

Posted February 10th, 2021 in coronavirus, fraud, identity fraud, internet, money laundering, news, statistics by sally

‘Romance fraud – scamming someone out of money by pretending to want a relationship – has been on the rise during lockdown.’

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BBC News, 10th February 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

£1m cost of advertising for claimants is not recoverable, judge rules – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Lawyers leading group litigation against British Airways have been told they cannot expect the defendant to pay the £1m costs of advertising for claimants if the action succeeds.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 8th February 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

The £55 court fee that should have been £10,000 – Litigation Futures

‘The fee to bring an unlimited additional claim should be £10,000, rather than the £55 the court office had advised one of the parties in bitter litigation involving two law firms, a judge has ruled.’

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Litigation Futures, 10th February 2021

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Covid travel rule-breakers could face 10-year jail terms, says Hancock – The Guardian

‘Travellers arriving from coronavirus hotspots could face £10,000 fines and jail sentences of up to 10 years under a package of measures designed to stop new variants entering Britain.’

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The Guardian, 9th February 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

“Contested heritage” and offensive inscriptions: Re St Margaret Rottingdean – Law & Religion UK

Posted February 5th, 2021 in burials and cremation, demonstrations, ecclesiastical law, news, racism by sally

‘On 17 June 2020, we posted Of graves, headstones and “offensive” inscriptions: Re St Margaret’s Rottingdean in which we examined the judgment and directions in Re St Margaret Rottingdean [2020] ECC Chi 4, handed down on 15 June 2020, in the context of the developments following the public protests associated with the Black Lives Matter campaign which came to a head in the UK over the weekend of 6/7 June 2020 with the toppling of the statue of slave-trader Edward Colston and its deposit in the harbour in Bristol.’

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Law & Religion UK, 4th February 2021

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

Parliamentarians hear call for quotas to boost profession’s diversity – Legal Futures

Posted February 5th, 2021 in barristers, diversity, equality, judiciary, legal profession, news by sally

‘There is a “lead ceiling” hampering the advancement of ethnic minority lawyers to the senior ranks of the profession and quotas are needed to bring about change, a leading asylum barrister has told parliamentarians.’

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Legal Futures, 5th February 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Court of Appeal hands down ruling on policy for development in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and presumption in favour of sustainable development – Local Government Lawyer

‘The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) allows a council to reject a planning application because of an adverse impact on an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB), the Court of Appeal has ruled.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 4th February 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Angela Wrightson: Teenage torture killers keep anonymity – BBC News

‘Two teenagers who tortured and murdered a vulnerable woman in her own home have been granted lifelong anonymity.’

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BBC News, 4th February 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

The new UK subsidy control regime – Brexit Law

Posted February 5th, 2021 in brexit, consultations, EC law, government departments, news, state aids by sally

‘The UK government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (“DBEIS”) announced yesterday [3 February] a consultation on new legislation to establish a domestic subsidy control regime.[i] The proposals are outlined in a consultation document “Subsidy control Designing a new approach for the UK”.[ii] The closing date for responses to the consultation document is 31st March 2021.’

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Brexit Law, 4th February 2021

Source: brexit.law

Gosport hospital deaths: Families ‘need Hillsborough-style inquests’ – BBC News

‘Relatives of patients who died after receiving “dangerous” levels of painkillers at Gosport War Memorial Hospital have called for new inquests.’

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BBC News, 5th February 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Domestic Abuse Bill: calls for data ‘firewall’ to protect migrant women – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The government has been urged to remove ‘blind spots’ in the Domestic Abuse Bill that could deter migrant women from reporting domestic abuse to the police for fear of being deported or enable perpetrators to control their victims.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 3rd February 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk