‘Conned trying to get my children back’ – BBC News

Posted February 13th, 2017 in custody, family courts, fees, Law Society, McKenzie friends, news by sally

‘Two parents fighting legal battles for custody of their children paid thousands of pounds to a company providing “McKenzie friends” – people with no legal training who assist in court. But they were badly let down.’

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BBC News, 13th February 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

NHS hasn’t improved enough since Mid Staffs, says inquiry lawyer – The Guardian

Posted February 13th, 2017 in health, news, statistics by sally

‘Current conditions in the NHS ”sound familiar” to those that existed during the Mid Staffordshire scandal, according to the lawyer who chaired the inquiry into the hospital trust.’

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The Guardian, 12th February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Divorced parents who pit children against former partners ‘guilty of abuse’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 13th, 2017 in child abuse, children, divorce, family courts, news by sally

‘Divorced parents who “brainwash” their children against ex-partners are guilty of “abuse”, the head of the agency that looks after youngsters’ interests in family courts has said.’

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Daily Telegraph, 12th February 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Prisons need ‘profound culture change’, charities say – BBC News

Posted February 13th, 2017 in charities, mental health, news, prisons, reports, statistics, suicide by sally

‘Prisons in England and Wales need a “profound culture change” which focuses on inmate safety, a new report says.’

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BBC News, 13th February 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Thieves steal £2m of rare books by abseiling into warehouse – The Guardian

Posted February 13th, 2017 in London, news, theft by sally

‘Antiquarian books worth more than £2m have been stolen by a gang who avoided a security system by abseiling into a west London warehouse.’

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The Guardian, 12th February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Fathers4 (Access2) Justice: Administrative Court ruling on the public’s right to attend court hearings and the Court Service’s limited powers of control – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted February 9th, 2017 in civil justice, courts, families, news, public order, trials by sally

‘On 20 February 2015 Matthew O’Connor, the Claimant in this judicial review and the founder of the campaign group Fathers4Justice, was due to go on trial at Aldershot Magistrates’ Court for a public order offence. He arrived at court with around ten of his supporters, but when they tried to gain entry to the court building they were prevented from doing so by HMCTS staff. Only the Claimant and his Mackenzie Friend were allowed to enter.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 8th February 2017

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Barnet wins best interests vaccine battle in High Court – Local Government Lawyer

Posted February 9th, 2017 in children, local government, medical treatment, news, vaccination by sally

‘A High Court judge has backed the decision of the London Borough of Barnet to vaccinate a looked after baby against the wishes of his mother.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 7th February 2017

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Teacher Misconduct – Education Blog

‘The General Teaching Council for England was abolished by Section 7 of the Education Act 2011 (“the 2011 Act”). Section 8 of that Act enacted a new statutory code for dealing with misconduct by teachers in England. It did so by inserting Sections 141A to 141E and Schedule 11A into the Education Act 2002 (“the 2002 Act”). The new scheme came into force on 1 April 2012.’

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Education Blog, 7th February 2017

Source: www.education11kbw.com

Thank you, Lady Hale, for shifting the supreme court’s view on marriage – The Guardian

Posted February 9th, 2017 in appeals, cohabitation, married persons, news, pensions, women by sally

‘Protecting the financial rights of unmarried parents will matter not just to women but to the one in three children born to parents who aren’t married.’

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The Guardian, 8th February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

UK foreign aid fraud investigations ‘quadruple in last five years’ – The Guardian

Posted February 9th, 2017 in bribery, charities, foreign jurisdictions, fraud, news, reports by sally

‘Fraud investigations involving foreign aid have quadrupled over five years as more public money is given to “fragile” countries, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has found.’

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The Guardian, 9th February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Law Society intervenes in high-stakes appeal over the ‘£400 club’ – Litigation Futures

Posted February 9th, 2017 in appeals, costs, fees, insurance, law firms, Law Society, news, pre-action conduct by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has invited the Law Society to intervene in a highly significant hearing this month in which insurers are trying to recover millions of pounds in RTA claims portal fees from claimant solicitors in the so-called ‘£400 club’.’

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Litigation Futures, 9th February 2017

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Cyril Smith child abuse inquiry finds no evidence of cover-up – The Guardian

Posted February 9th, 2017 in child abuse, complaints, inquiries, news, parliament, police, victims by sally

‘A police inquiry has found no evidence of a cover-up of historical sexual abuse at a residential school linked to the late politician Cyril Smith, prompting criticisms from an MP.’

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The Guardian, February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

First ‘killer clown’ jailed in UK as prankster admits chasing couple with axe as part of craze – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 9th, 2017 in harassment, news, sentencing by sally

‘An axe-wielding “killer clown” prankster has been jailed after he chased a pregnant woman the night before Halloween.’

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Daily Telegraph, 8th February 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Revenge eviction law ‘not working’ – BBC News

Posted February 9th, 2017 in complaints, landlord & tenant, news, repossession by sally

‘A new law designed to help protect people renting homes from rogue landlords isn’t working, say MPs and housing lawyers.’

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BBC News, 9th February 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Serial child sexual abuser Mark Frost jailed for life – The Guardian

Posted February 9th, 2017 in child abuse, news, sentencing, sexual offences by sally

‘A serial child abuser who admitted 45 offences going back more than 25 years, and who is feared to have abused many more victims, has been jailed for life, with a minimum term of 16 years.’

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The Guardian, 8th February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Court of Appeal judges told to stop writing unneccesarily long judgments – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 9th, 2017 in appeals, judges, judgments, judiciary, news by sally

‘Court of Appeal judges have been told to stop unnecessarily long judgments and replace them with more concise rulings.’

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Daily Telegraph, 8th February 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Illegal substances creating ‘violent and volatile’ prisons – BBC News

Posted February 9th, 2017 in drug abuse, news, prison officers, prisons, violence by sally

‘A “violent and volatile prison population” is being fuelled by better access to so-called legal highs, a union has said.’

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BBC News, 9th February 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Remember when legal aid was slashed? The awful effects are taking hold – The Guardian

Posted February 9th, 2017 in citizens advice bureaux, law centres, legal aid, news by sally

‘A new volunteer-run law centre in Manchester is the exception. More commonly, advice services across the country are either closed or struggling’

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The Guardian, 9th February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Government to tweak planning laws to solve housing crisis – The Independent

Posted February 7th, 2017 in housing, local government, news, planning by sally

‘The Government is to outline a series of tweaks to planning laws it says will help solve the housing shortage.’

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The Independent, 7th February 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Paying your fair share: when can an adjudicator decide more than the notified sum must be paid? – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted February 7th, 2017 in arbitration, construction industry, contracts, housing, news by sally

‘Judgment in the case of Kersfield Developments (Bridge Road) Ltd v Bray & Slaughter Ltd, handed down on 19 January 2017, is a new authority in the line of case law providing guidance on the provisions governing interim payments in Construction Contracts in the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, as amended (“the Act”).’

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Hardwicke Chambers, 2nd February 2017

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk