Ban sale of mini mobile phones, justice secretary says – BBC News

Posted December 18th, 2017 in news, prisons, sale of goods, telecommunications by sally

‘Online retailers should ban the sale of miniature mobile phones designed to be smuggled into prisons, the justice secretary has said.’

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BBC News, 17th November 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Student wrongly accused of rape says he will sue police and CPS as he questions why he was made to stand trial – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 18th, 2017 in Crown Prosecution Service, disclosure, news, police, rape by sally

‘A student wrongly tried for rape after police failed to hand over vital evidence that exonerated him has vowed to sue the police and the CPS as he called for a change to the system.’

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Daily Telegraph, 17th December 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

The ‘completely childish’ man hanged for murder – BBC News

‘He was one of the last two men hanged in Britain. A habitual liar convicted of murdering a man who had been his friend, and perhaps his lover. But according to a leading criminal lawyer, who has viewed documents uncovered by the BBC, he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.’

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BBC News, 18th December 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Cases of child sexual abuse up 31%, says NSPCC – The Guardian

Posted December 18th, 2017 in child abuse, news, reports, sexual offences, statistics by sally

‘Reported cases of child sexual abuse rose by almost a third last year, according to NSPCC figures which the charity described as “deeply worrying” but said showed a greater public willingness to report the problem.’

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The Guardian, 18th December 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Plus ca change? A review of family law in 2017 & a look forward to 2018 – Family Law

Posted December 14th, 2017 in children, cohabitation, divorce, financial provision, news by sally

‘Reform is a now a feature of the family justice system – Geraldine Morris asks whether the underlying issues are being addressed?’

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Family Law, 14th December 2017

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Regional costs judge applies fixed costs to RTA claim that settled for £350k – Litigation Futures

Posted December 14th, 2017 in accidents, civil procedure rules, costs, news, road traffic by sally

‘A road traffic claim that settled pre-issue for £350,000 was subject to fixed recoverable costs (FRC) because it began in the portal, even though it was later removed because of its value, a regional costs judge has ruled.’

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Litigation Futures, 14th December 2017

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Eight jailed over plot to smuggle drugs and phones into UK prisons – The Guardian

Posted December 14th, 2017 in aircraft, conspiracy, drug trafficking, news, prisons, telecommunications by sally

‘Eight people have been jailed for taking part in a plot to smuggle cannabis and mobile phones into prisons in England and Scotland using drones.’

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The Guardian, 13th December 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Supreme court vacancies lead to hopes for greater diversity – The Guardian

Posted December 14th, 2017 in diversity, judiciary, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘The supreme court has advertised for several more justices in a recruitment process that could boost diversity on the UK’s highest court.’

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The Guardian, 14th December 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Upper Tribunal judge refuses to set aside flawed SEN school ruling – Local Government Lawyer

Posted December 14th, 2017 in costs, education, local government, news, setting aside, special educational needs by sally

‘The First Tier Tribunal made a legal error in a case concerning which school a child with special needs should attend, but not one so serious that it required its decision to be set aside, an Upper Tribunal judge has ruled.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 13th December 2017

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

SRA ponders penalties for failure to publish complaints data – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority has indicated that firms are to face disciplinary action if they do not abide by a potential requirement to publish data about complaints they receive – as research reveals that more than 90% of consumers want to see more transparency.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 14th December 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Divorce: valuation of business assets and tracing hidden assets – the key facts – Family Law

Posted December 14th, 2017 in accountants, divorce, financial provision, news, valuation by sally

‘A forensic accountant has a number of functions. If they are the single joint expert (SJE) in the context of divorce proceedings, their job is usually going to be to value one or more of the parties’ business assets.’

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Family Law, 13th December 2017

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Birmingham couple who plotted terrorist knife attack are jailed – The Guardian

Posted December 14th, 2017 in news, offensive weapons, sentencing, terrorism by sally

‘A married couple from Birmingham who practised carrying out Islamic State-inspired knife attacks on a dummy in their home have been jailed for preparing acts of terrorism.’

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The Guardian, 13th December 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Lesbian couple win legal battle after being denied IVF treatment that would have been given to same-sex parents – Daily Telegraph

‘A lesbian couple who wanted a baby were discriminated against over their sexuality after being denied access to funded IVF treatment which would have been given to same-sex partners.’

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Daily Telegraph, 13th December 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Ukip to face tribunal over use of data in EU referendum campaign – The Guardian

Posted December 14th, 2017 in elections, news, political parties, referendums, tribunals by sally

‘Ukip is to face a tribunal over its use of analytics during the EU referendum after refusing to cooperate with an investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office.’

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The Guardian, 13th December 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Bolton couple sentenced for burying baby in shoebox – BBC News

Posted December 14th, 2017 in murder, news, preventing lawful & decent burial, sentencing by sally

‘A couple who buried their newborn baby in a shallow grave days after he was born have been sentenced to 15 months.’

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BBC News, 13th December 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Private probation firms criticised for supervising offenders by phone – The Guardian

Posted December 14th, 2017 in contracting out, news, probation, telecommunications by sally

‘The part-privatisation of the probation service has led to tens of thousands of offenders – up to 40% of the total – being supervised by telephone calls every six weeks instead of face-to-face meetings, the chief inspector of probation has revealed.’

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The Guardian, 14th December 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Employment tribunal cases ‘double’ since Unison judgment – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 13th, 2017 in employment tribunals, fees, news, statistics by sally

‘The number of employment tribunal claims being brought has doubled in some areas since the Supreme Court declared the government’s tribunal fees unlawful, users have reported.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 12th December 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Solicitors, Statements of Truth and CNFS: Liverpool Victoria Insurance Company Limited v Yavuz and Otheres [2017] EWHC 3088 QB – Zenith PI Blog

‘In Liverpool Victoria Insurance Company Ltd v Yavuz and others, Warby J found that the parties to a crash-for-cash conspiracy were guilty of contempt of court.’

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Zenith PI Blog, 12th December 2017

Source: zenithpi.wordpress.com

Exclusive: “The impact has been devastating but I have to stand up to discrimination,” says barrister suing BSB – Legal Futures

‘The barrister who won the first stage of her battle with the Bar Standards Board (BSB) at the Supreme Court last week said the impact of almost five years of litigation had been “completely devastating” for her law firm.’

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Legal Futures, 13th December 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Junior barrister numbers at ‘25-year low’ says new chair – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 13th, 2017 in barristers, news, statistics by sally

‘The number of practising junior barristers is as low as it has been for a quarter of a century with the younger generation increasingly being forced out of a career at the bar, the Bar Council’s 2018 chair has warned.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 12th December 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk