MI6 apologises for court ‘interference’ – BBC News
‘MI6 officers have been accused of attempting to interfere in a major legal battle over crimes linked to intelligence agencies.’
BBC News, 27th July 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Author: sally
Relationships with counsel and chambers – Law Society’s Gazette
‘It is of fundamental importance that judicial decisions should be made free from bias or partiality – it has long been recognised that justice must not only be done but must also be seen to be done (R v Sussex Justices, ex parte McCarthy [1924] 1 KB 256). A judge must, therefore, recuse themselves in circumstances of actual or apparent bias.’
Law Society's Gazette, 27th July 2020
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Cardiff barking dog row attacker guilty of murder – BBC News
‘A man who attacked his neighbour in a row over a barking dog has been convicted of murdering him.’
BBC News, 27th July 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Met uses software that can be deployed to see if ethnic groups ‘specialise’ in areas of crime – The Guardian
‘Origins software produced by Trevor Phillips’s firm allows users to profile suspects, says company.
The Guardian, 27th July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Advocacy shake-up to hit trainees but not youth courts – Legal Futures
‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is to end the practice of allowing trainee solicitors to obtain higher rights of audience (HRA) but has reversed course on its proposed approach to advocacy in the youth courts.’
Legal Futures, 28th July 2020
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Kate Ollerenshaw: Retained EU Case Law: A Fourth Option – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘The Ministry of Justice issued a consultation paper on Retained EU Case Law on 2 July 2020, seeking views on the exercise of the powers contained within Section 6(5A) of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (“the 2018 Act”) that were inserted by Section 26(1) of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 (“the 2020 Act”). These powers allow the Government, inter alia, to designate additional courts and Tribunals (over and above those already given the power via Section 6(4) of the 2018 Act) as having the ability to depart from retained EU case law.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 27th July 2020
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
Mother of boy with toy gun says Met police acted out of all proportion – The Guardian
‘A woman whose house was raided by armed officers after her 12-year-old son was seen with a toy gun has said she supports police action targeting firearm crime but believes they acted out of all proportion.’
The Guardian, 27th July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Upper Tribunal judge suggests review “long overdue” of appellate mechanisms for Data Protection Act rights – Local Government Lawyer
‘A comprehensive strategic review of the various appellate mechanisms for rights exercisable under the Data Protection Act is “arguably long overdue”, an Upper Tribunal judge has said.’
Local Government Lawyer, 27th July 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
The Legal Aid Funding Gap Could ‘Push Millions Into Poverty’. What Can We Do? – Each Other
‘“There is no way on heaven and earth that I would have been able to [fight my case] in the state I was, I would have just fallen through,” says Michael, whose wife Pauline tragically passed away from a progressive degenerative condition in July 2017.’
Each Other, 27th July 2020
Source: eachother.org.uk
‘Monstrous’ X Factor contestant Phillip Blackwell jailed for rape – BBC News
‘A “monstrous” former X Factor contestant who raped women over a 22-year period has been jailed for life.’
BBC News, 27th July 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Judge removed from child welfare case over ‘pejorative’ remarks about mother – The Guardian
‘A high court judge has been taken off a case centred on the care of a child after “pejorative comments” she made about the child’s mother were accidentally broadcast to people taking part in a hearing remotely.’
The Guardian, 25th July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Jack Maxwell and Joe Tomlinson: Model students: why Ofqual has a legal duty to disclose the details of its model for calculating GCSE and A level grades – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘On 18 March 2020, the UK Government cancelled GCSE and A level exams for students in England. The closure of schools and the need to slow the spread of COVID-19 made exams impracticable. But the Prime Minister confirmed that students would still get ‘the qualifications they need and deserve for their academic career.’ This created an obvious headache for public administration: the objective was to create a legitimate system of assessment, which could maintain confidence, without actual assessments.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 28th July 2020
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
No wasted costs order after QC instructed on wrong issue – Litigation Futures
‘The First-tier Tribunal has refused to grant HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) a wasted costs order despite its opponents instructing their QC on the wrong issue.’
Litigation Futures, 23rd July 2020
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
Johnny Depp case: What are the libel laws and how do they work? – BBC News
‘After weeks of revelations and accusations in court about his personal relationships, actor Johnny Depp’s mammoth legal action against The Sun for libel is coming to an end – with a judgement expected at the end of the summer.’
BBC News, 28th July 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘We are the A&E of law’: the first UK law centre for poor people turns 50 – The Guardian
‘Austerity cuts to legal aid may have restricted North Kensington’s resources, but they haven’t crushed its spirit.’
The Guardian, 28th July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Anisha Vidal-Garner death: Man jailed after Brixton police chase – BBC News
‘The son of a barrister who killed a woman in a hit-and-run crash during a police chase, throwing her in the air “like a rag doll”, has been jailed.’
BBC News, 27th July 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Police in England and Wales ‘twice as likely’ to fine young BAME men during lockdown – The Guardian
‘Police were twice as likely to fine young black and Asian men under the lockdown rules than their white counterparts, according to new figures that underline concerns about racial bias in policing.’
The Guardian, 27th July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
The Spotlight Review on domestic abuse – where does it fit in with other court reforms? – Transparency Project
‘The work undertaken by the “spotlight panel” appointed by the Ministry of Justice, reported in what is being referred to as the “harm report”, has already been commented on here and here. Its full title is “Assessing Risk of Harm to Children and Parents in Private Law Cases”. The purpose of this blog post is to try to see how the harm report fits in with the wider reforms discussed by the President’s Private Law Working Party (the PrLWG) in its two reports.’
Transparency Project, 24th July 2020
Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk
Man wrongly detained over murder of PC Harper to sue police – The Guardian
‘An innocent man who spent weeks in prison accused of murdering PC Andrew Harper before proceedings against him were dropped is taking legal action against the police.’
The Guardian, 25th July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
