UK counter-terror laws most Orwellian in Europe, says Amnesty – The Guardian

Posted January 18th, 2017 in investigatory powers, news, privacy, proportionality, terrorism by sally

‘The UK is leading a Europe-wide “race to the bottom” with Orwellian counter-terrorism measures that seriously threaten human rights, according to a comparative survey of security laws by Amnesty International.’

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The Guardian, 17th January 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Law Society warns solicitors may be damaged by Brexit – Legal Futures

Posted January 18th, 2017 in brexit, EC law, law firms, legal services, news, referendums, solicitors, treaties by sally

‘US law firms will have less incentive to employ UK-qualified lawyers as a way to access European markets and the UK solicitor title could become less desirable as a result of Brexit, the Law Society has warned.’

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Legal Futures, 16th January 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Ofcom fines EE £2.7m for overcharging customers – The Independent

Posted January 18th, 2017 in consumer protection, fines, news, repayment, telecommunications by sally

‘The communications regulator found that the company broke a “fundamental billing rule” on two separate occasions, resulting in nearly 40,000 customers being overcharged around £250,000.’

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The Independent, 18th January 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

The Mental Capacity Act 2005: an opportune time to reflect – OUP Blog

‘More than a decade has passed since the Mental Capacity Act (‘MCA’) received royal assent. Described as a ‘visionary piece of legislation’, the MCA was a significant landmark on the legal landscape. It represented a triumph of autonomy by recognising that, as far as possible, people should play an active role in decisions about their welfare. At the core of the MCA is the fundamental principle that a person must be assumed to have decision making capacity unless it is established that he lacks it. The law therefore assumes that everyone has the ability to act and take decisions in accordance with their own interests, and affords primacy to individual priorities over paternalistic imperatives. Where a person lacks capacity – whether for reasons of learning disability, dementia, brain injury, or some other impairment of or disturbance in the functioning of the mind or brain – the MCA permits decision-makers to act on behalf of the person in accordance with his ‘best interests’. This means that, amongst other things, decision-makers must take into account the person’s past and present wishes and feelings, his beliefs and values, and any other factors that the person would be likely to consider, in order to act in a way which would likely give expression to the person’s autonomy. In this way, the MCA sought to empower people to make decisions for themselves, protect the vulnerable from the excesses of paternalism, and engineer a cultural shift in attitudes to mental impairment and incapacity.’

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OUP Blog, 17th January 2017

Source: www.blog.oup.com

Farmer dumps muck outside court in protest at justice system – Daily Telegraph,

Posted January 18th, 2017 in criminal damage, demonstrations, news, Solicitors Regulation Authority by sally

‘A wealthy farmer dumped a lorry load of muck outside a crown court on Tuesday in protest at the “severely flawed” justice system which he claimed left him thousands of pounds out of pocket.’

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Daily Telegraph, 17th January 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

European court rejects whole-life murder term challenge – BBC News

Posted January 18th, 2017 in appeals, human rights, murder, news, sentencing by sally

‘A British triple-killer has lost a challenge at the European Court of Human Rights against his whole-life prison term.’

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BBC News, 17th January 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Daniel Morgan murder suspects named in court 30 years after killing – The Guardian

Posted January 18th, 2017 in conspiracy, corruption, malicious prosecution, media, murder, news, police by sally

‘The alleged conspirators in the unsolved murder of Daniel Morgan have been named in court, nearly 30 years after the private detective was found dead with an axe embedded in his head in a pub car park.’

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The Guardian, 17th January 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Lawyers divided on new white-collar crime offences – Law Society’s Gazette

‘US-style ‘vicarious liability’ and new ‘failure to prevent’ offences are under consideration in long-awaited government proposals to reform the law on corporate criminal liability published today. Initial reaction from corporate crime specialists was divided, with some lawyers seeing the proposals as a climb-down while others described them as a new burden on business.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 13th January 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Lawyer warns male students to think twice before having sex with drunken women – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 16th, 2017 in alcohol abuse, barristers, consent, Crown Prosecution Service, news, rape by sally

‘Male students should not risk having sex with girls who have been drinking heavily for fear they could end up being accused of rape, a leading female barrister has warned.’

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Daily Telegraph, 13th January 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Disciplinary round-up: fine for firm which failed to make client’s visa application and then lost his passport – Legal Futures

‘A north London law firm has been rebuked for misleading its client into thinking that it had made a visa application on his behalf.’

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Legal Futures, 13th January 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Paying the Incorrect Court Fee – Some Relief for Claimants – Zenith PI Blog

Posted January 16th, 2017 in courts, fees, limitations, news by sally

‘This is another case in which the court considered a Defendant’s application that a claim was statute barred following the payment of an incorrect court fee on issue. Zenith Chamber’s Gordon Exall acted for the successful Claimant.’

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Zenith PI Blog, 12th January 2017

Source: www.zenithpi.wordpress.com

‘I should have been a tenant’ – more on Bristol property guardians – Nearly Legal

Posted January 16th, 2017 in housing, landlord & tenant, licensing, news by sally

‘As far as property guardians go, all the action seems to be taking place in Bristol. As well as the issues (and possession claim) noted here, there is a separate possession claim going on, with Camelot seeking possession against Greg Roynon, who was also living in one of the former nursing homes.’

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Nearly Legal, 15th January 2017

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Local government: cuts to library provision – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 16th, 2017 in budgets, children, documents, equality, libraries, local government, news, volunteers by sally

‘When local authorities plan to reduce, restructure or rationalise library services, litigation often results.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 16th January 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

To me – To you – Nearly Legal

Posted January 16th, 2017 in homelessness, housing, judicial review, landlord & tenant, local government, news by sally

‘A judicial review in which two local authorities fought over which of them was gong to have to owe a housing duty to a homeless applicant. The central issue was whether, in the circumstances, Ealing could refuse a referral under the local connection provisions by RBK&C. However, the finding on ‘same facts’ second homeless applications has much broader application and should be taken note of by everyone.’

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Nearly Legal, 15th January 2017

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Two guilty of Luton IS terror support plot – BBC News

Posted January 16th, 2017 in news, retrials, sentencing, terrorism by sally

‘Two men have been convicted of organising terrorist speeches and encouraging support for so-called Islamic State (IS).’

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BBC News, 13th January 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

City council wrongly decided child was not in need, High Court judge rules – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 16th, 2017 in children, housing, judges, judicial review, local government, news by sally

‘Birmingham City Council acted wrongly when it decided that a child was not in need of accommodation in its area because his mother had recently left the London Borough of Bromley.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 13th January 2017

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

MPs to scrutinise cost of parliament restoration works – BBC News

Posted January 16th, 2017 in inquiries, listed buildings, news, parliament, repairs, reports, select committees by sally

‘MPs have launched an inquiry into the planned renovation of the Palace of Westminster amid concerns it may not provide value for money.’

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BBC News, 15th January 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Justice denied: the damning results of the latest report on the impact of legal aid cut – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

‘Secretary of State for Justice, Liz Truss, recently announced that the government would soon confirm the time-table for the post legislative review of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO). There has been growing pressure on ministers for some time to announce this (see “Back to the drawing board”, 166 NLJ 7698 13 May 2016, p 6). The Legal Action Group (LAG) hopes that the review will be used as an opportunity by the still relatively new team at the top of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to look at funding the provision of early advice in civil legal cases.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 11th January 2017

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Bookmakers face losing their licence and huge fines over problem gambling The Guardian

Posted January 16th, 2017 in fines, gambling, licensing, money laundering, news, regulations, sanctions by sally

‘Gambling firms that fail to tackle problem gambling and money laundering face heftier fines and a higher risk of losing their operating licence under a tougher regime to be unveiled by the industry’s regulator.’

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The Guardian, 15th January 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Actor who played The Omen’s Damien sentenced on Friday 13th for road rage – The Guardian

‘The actor who played Damien Thorn in the 1970s horror film The Omen punched two cyclists in a road-rage attack and has been given a suspended prison sentence – on Friday the 13th.’

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The Guardian, 13th January 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk