Shrewsbury 24: court of appeal overturns 1970s picketing convictions – The Guardian

‘Court of appeal judges have overturned the criminal convictions of a group of trade unionists, including the actor Ricky Tomlinson, after a campaign lasting more than four decades.’

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The Guardian, 23rd March 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Judge allows use of documents shared by mistake – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted March 23rd, 2021 in disclosure, documents, evidence, news, privilege, solicitors, witnesses by sally

‘A High Court judge has granted defendants permission to use documents inadvertently shared by the claimants’ solicitors before trial.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 22nd March 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Craig Prescott: Modernising the Monarchy: Moving Beyond the 1917 Letters Patent and the “George V Convention” – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted March 23rd, 2021 in constitutional law, equality, news, peerages & dignities, royal family by sally

‘In March 2021, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, gave one of the most extraordinary interviews ever held with a member of the Royal Family. It may have a profound and long-lasting effect on the monarchy, an institution that remains central to the UK’s constitutional arrangements. Already, there are calls for reform. This blog focuses on the section of the interview that discussed the lack of princely status for Archie, the Sussexes’ eldest child.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 23rd March 2021

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Algorithms and Education: A New Frontier of Discrimination? – Oxford Human Rights Hub

‘In this brief post, I want to demonstrate how ostensibly neutral and efficient algorithms can cause discrimination in education. Last year, the national advanced level qualifications (“A-levels”) exams in the UK that lead to places in university, further study, training, or work had to be cancelled because of school closures owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. In mitigation, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (“Ofqual”) asked teachers to supply an estimated grade for each student and a ranking that compared with every other student at the school within the same estimated grade. This data went into an algorithm that also factored the school’s performance in the subject over the previous three years. The animating purpose behind the algorithm was to avoid ‘grade inflation’ and ensuring consistency with previous year’s results. When the grades were announced, the outcome was devastating for many. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, nearly 40% of results were lower than teachers’ assessments. The effects of “downgraded” results were disproportionately felt in comparatively poorly resourced state schools.’

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Oxford Human Rights Hub, 15th March 2021

Source: ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk

Councils to be given greater flexibility in reforms to use of Right to Buy receipts – Local Government Lawyer

Posted March 23rd, 2021 in housing, local government, news, right to buy, time limits by sally

‘Councils in England are to be given more freedom on how they spend the money received from homes sold through Right to Buy, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has said.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 22nd March 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Turani & Anor v Secretary of State for the Home Department- Equality Law Blog

Posted March 23rd, 2021 in equality, immigration, news, race discrimination, refugees by sally

‘The Court considered an appeal from a High Court decision which had rejected indirect race discrimination and PSED challenges to the application of the Defendant’s ex gratia scheme to support and assist third-country national refugees outside the UK who have fled the conflict in Syria. The case is important, if somewhat disheartening to equality lawyers, for its conclusions on the (limited) extra-territorial effect of the Equality Act 2010. It is worth emphasising that the Court of Appeal’s approval of the High Court’s conclusions on justification were subject to the proviso that the limited evidence on which the High Court was prepared to find in the Defendant’s favour was the result of the way in which the claim had developed post-issue; as Underhill LJ, concurring with Simler LJ leading judgment, stated at §110: “the story is indeed a good illustration of the perils of “rolling judicial review”.’

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Equality Law Blog, 22nd March 2021

Source: equalitylawblog.com

The Domestic Abuse Bill and its Lack of Support for Migrant Women – EIN Blog

Posted March 23rd, 2021 in benefits, bills, domestic violence, immigration, news, women by sally

‘Domestic abuse is a pivotal issue within today’s society, and is often not realised to be exacerbated by poor policy and support. After years of development the Domestic Abuse Bill returned to the House of Lords in the UK on the 8th March 2021 to complete its report stage, one of the final stages before being enshrined in law.’

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EIN Blog, 22nd March 2021

Source: www.ein.org.uk

High Court: No duty on barrister not to cause instructing solicitor loss – Legal Futures

Posted March 23rd, 2021 in barristers, fees, negligence, news, set-off, solicitors by sally

‘A barrister was not liable to her instructing solicitors for the fees they claimed they lost out on as a result of her alleged negligence, the High Court has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 23rd March 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

R (Blundell & Ors) v SSWP; R (Day) v SSWP – Equality Law Blog

‘The Claimants unsuccessfully challenged the Defendant’s policy of making deductions at a fixed rate from universal credit (UC) to pay off criminal fines. So far as relevant here, the claim alleged breach of the PSED (s149 Equality Act 2010) and unlawful indirect disability discrimination. The latter claim failed on the evidence, Kerr J pointing out that it would more suitably have been brought in the county court. The Judge did accept that the Defendant had breached the PSED but ruled against the claimants on the basis that compliance with the PSED would very likely have made no difference and that, therefore, s31A of the Senior Courts Act 1981 defeated the claim.’

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Equality Law Blog, 22nd March 2021

Source: equalitylawblog.com

Prosecution sees pub and landlord fined for “sewer abuse” – Local Government Lawyer

Posted March 23rd, 2021 in coronavirus, fines, licensed premises, news, sewerage, waste by sally

‘A pub and its landlord have been fined more than £16,000 for allowing cooking fat and oil to enter a town’s sewer network, in a landmark case brought by Thames Water.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 22nd March 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Covid: £5,000 fine for people going on holiday abroad – BBC News

Posted March 23rd, 2021 in coronavirus, fines, holidays, news, regulations by sally

‘A £5,000 fine for anyone in England trying to travel abroad without good reason is due to come into force next week as part of new coronavirus laws.’

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BBC News, 23rd March 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Bar regulator “struggling to keep pace” with rising volume of work – Legal Futures

Posted March 19th, 2021 in barristers, budgets, coronavirus, disciplinary procedures, news, statistics by sally

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has admitted it is struggling to keep pace with a rising volume of incoming reports, authorisations and disciplinary cases.’

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Legal Futures, 19th March 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Fixed universal credit cuts are unlawful, high court in UK rules – The Guardian

Posted March 19th, 2021 in benefits, charities, fines, government departments, homelessness, housing, news, vagrancy by sally

‘A group of former rough sleepers who were left destitute after the Department for Work and Pensions automatically deducted a third of their universal credit allowance to pay off court fines have won a high court victory.’

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The Guardian, 18th March 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

British nationality law reform aims to remove Windrush anomalies – The Guardian

Posted March 19th, 2021 in citizenship, colonies, deportation, government departments, immigration, news by sally

‘British nationality laws are to be reformed to remove a number of anomalies that have recently led to people from the Windrush generation being refused citizenship – despite the Home Office admitting that its own errors led to them being ruled ineligible.’

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The Guardian, 18th March 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Sexual assault: ‘One in 40’ young women experience it each year – BBC News

Posted March 19th, 2021 in news, sexual offences, statistics, victims, women, young persons by sally

‘One in 40 women aged between 16 and 24 in England and Wales experience rape or assault by penetration, including attempts, each year, Office for National Statistics estimates suggest.’

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BBC News, 18th March 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Hendon murder: Drill rapper who blamed identical twin found guilty – BBC News

Posted March 19th, 2021 in DNA, families, forensic science, murder, news by sally

‘A drill rapper who tried to deflect the blame on to his identical twin after a new father was stabbed to death has been convicted of murder.’

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BBC News, 18th March 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Right to challenge government in courts overhauled – BBC News

‘Plans to change how government decisions are challenged in the courts have been announced by the justice secretary.’

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BBC News, 18th March 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Imprisonment for Public Protection jail terms ‘a death sentence’ – BBC News

‘Karl Maroni, 33, has spent all his adult life in jail.’

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BBC News, 19th March 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Key figures and findings in football’s sexual abuse report – The Guardian

Posted March 19th, 2021 in abuse of position of trust, child abuse, children, news, sexual offences, sport by sally

‘The findings of Clive Sheldon QC regarding the FA and eight coaches including Barry Bennell and Bob Higgins.’

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The Guardian, 17th March 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Online court may need only one procedure rule, says Briggs – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted March 19th, 2021 in bills, civil procedure rules, internet, judges, news, remote hearings by sally

‘Legislation this year could introduce radically simplified procedure rules for the proposed online civil court, Supreme Court justice Lord Briggs has revealed. Addressing a Cyprus conference on civil procedure rules, Lord Briggs said the online court – whether for civil, family or tribunal cases – might have only one rule: “Do what it says in the electronic form.”’

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Law Society's Gazette, 17th March 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk