Final Report of the Vulnerable Witnesses and Children Working Group – Judiciary of England & Wales

‘Final Report of the Vulnerable Witnesses and Children Working Group.’

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Judiciary of England and Wales, 17th March 2015

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Kandola v Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Frankfurt, Germany; Droma v State Prosecutor Nurnberg-Furth, Bavaria, Germany; Ijaz v The Court of Milan (An Italian Judicial Authority) – WLR Daily

Posted March 20th, 2015 in appeals, extradition, law reports by sally

Kandola v Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Frankfurt, Germany: Droma v State Prosecutor Nurnberg-Furth, Bavaria, Germany; Ijaz v The Court of Milan (An Italian Judicial Authority); [2015] EWHC 619 (Admin); [2015] WLR (D) 126

‘In the context of an extradition appeal the court set out the approach to be taken in applying section 12A of the Extradition Act 2003.’

WLR Daily, 13th March 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Last minute adjournment in criminal legal aid appeal – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted March 20th, 2015 in adjournment, appeals, criminal justice, judicial review, legal aid, news by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has adjourned delivering judgment on the lord chancellor’s criminal legal aid reforms until Wednesday. The case had originally been listed for this morning.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 19th March 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

All proportionality defences are equal, but some are more equal than others – Zenith Chambers

‘The Supreme Court, in the case of Akerman-Livingstone v Aster Communities Ltd [2015] UKSC 15, have provided some much needed and helpful clarification of the practicalities of raising and potentially defeating a defence based on discrimination on a summary basis. In the event, events overtook the appeal, and Mr Akerman-Livingstone’s appeal was dismissed, but had it not been for a suitable offer of accommodation and the superior landlord serving notice to quit on the Housing Association and requiring vacant possession from them, the result would have been different.’

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Zenith Chambers, 12th March 2015

Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk

Top 10 Planning and Environmental Cases of 2014-2015 – Thirty Nine Essex Street

Posted March 19th, 2015 in appeals, enforcement, environmental protection, housing, news, planning by sally

‘This paper is intended to provide a focused update in relation to the most significant cases within the last twelve months of interest to those practicing in the area of environmental and planning law. In relation to each of the cases, the paper sets out asummary of the pertinent facts, the key issues decided by the case, together with some reflections on the legal and practical implications of the decisions.’

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Thirty Nine Essex Street, February 2015

Source: www.39essex.com

Credit hire rates. Are they basically the same? – Park Square Barristers

Posted March 19th, 2015 in appeals, insurance, news, rent, road traffic by sally

‘A recent decision from the Court of Appeal has caused a sea-change in the ways in which courts will assess the likely cost of basic hire rates (BHRs) when assessing the recoverable damages to be paid under a credit-hire agreement. From now on, the courts will be entitled to calculate BHRs with reference to the lowest reasonable rate charged by a local (to the claimant) main hire company.’

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Park Square Barristers, 6th March 2015

Source: www.parksquarebarristers.co.uk

Council loses Supreme Court appeal in rights of way battle with trail riders – Local Government Lawyer

Posted March 19th, 2015 in appeals, local government, motorcycles, news, rights of way, Supreme Court by sally

‘The Supreme Court has rejected – by a 3-2 majority – a county council’s appeal over whether an application by motorcyclists to upgrade rights of way complied with relevant statutory requirements.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 18th March 2015

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Tribunal finds in favour of property developer who was not trading – RPC Tax Take

Posted March 19th, 2015 in appeals, HM Revenue & Customs, news, rent, tribunals by sally

‘In Terrace Hill (Berkeley) Ltd v HMRC[1], the First-tier Tribunal (“the FTT”) rejected HMRC’s arguments and concluded that a property developer’s activity in relation to the development of an office property was an investment rather than a trading activity and allowed its appeal.’

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RPC Tax Take, 11th March 2015

Source: www.rpc.co.uk

Can Employment Tribunals Conduct Their Own Internet Research? – No. 5 Chambers

Posted March 19th, 2015 in appeals, civil procedure rules, employment tribunals, internet, news by sally

‘A vexed question: Where is the boundary between assistance and being in the arena? And how does the internet impact on that. The latest attempt to give guidance is the curious case of East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust v Sanders UKEAT/0217/14/RN before Langstaff P and 2 lay members.’

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No. 5 Chambers, 12th January 2015

Source: www.no5.com

Fire safety – a hot topic! – Park Square Barristers

Posted March 19th, 2015 in appeals, fire, health & safety, news, regulations by sally

‘A recent case on the issue of fire safety — or, more exactly, the provisions of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 — has proved both interesting and instructive on the desirability and necessity of precision when drafting an indictment for proceedings brought before the Crown Court.’

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Park Square Barristers, 4th MArch 2015

Source: www.parksquarebarristers.co.uk

Judge hits out at Court of Appeal over consent order in deprivation of liberty case – Local Government Lawyer

‘A High Court judge has accused the Court of Appeal of apparently taking a “procedurally impermissible route” and making a consent order that was ultra vires, in legal proceedings over whether a woman looked after at home had been deprived of her liberty.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 18th March 2015

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

The Equality Act 2010: The interplay of the employment and educational protections – No. 5 Chambers

Posted March 18th, 2015 in appeals, education, employment, equality, news, sex discrimination, tribunals by sally

‘In this case the legislative framework at play was the interplay between the education and employment protections in the Equality Act 2010 (‘the Act’). S56(5) was the particular provision under the microscope, which provides that training or guidance covered by s91(within the education provisions of the Act) falls outside the employment services protection afforded by s55; it provides that s56 ‘does not apply in relation to training or guidance for students of an institution to which s91 applies in so far as it is training or guidance to which the governing body of the institution has power to afford access’.’

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No. 5 Chambers, 12th January 2015

Source: www.no5.com

Ryanair says it will fight on after Court of Appeal defeat – Zenith Chambers

Posted March 18th, 2015 in airlines, appeals, competition, mergers, news, tribunals by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has rejected Ryanair’s contention that the Competition Appeal Tribunal was incorrect to uphold the Competition Commission’s order that Ryanair should reduce its stake in Aer Lingus from 28.5 to 5 per cent.’

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Zenith Chambers, 16th February 2015

Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk

Supreme court to decide whether UK benefits cap is unlawful – The Guardian

‘The Supreme court will decide on Wednesday if a cornerstone of the coalition government’s benefits policy is unlawful.’

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The Guardian, 18th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

High Court confirms finality of tobacco settlement in failed OFT case – Zenith Chambers

Posted March 18th, 2015 in appeals, competition, news, penalties, smoking, time limits, tribunals by sally

‘A party that had paid reduced penalties through the UK’s early resolution procedure could not appeal the penalties after the competition authority’s case had collapsed and following successful appeals by other parties to the investigation.’

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Zenith Chambers, 2nd February 2015

Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk

End of the line for Eurotunnel ferry service as CAT scuppers appeal – Zenith Chambers

Posted March 18th, 2015 in appeals, competition, mergers, news, ships, transport, tribunals by sally

‘Eurotunnel began its cross-Channel ferry service in August 2012 using assets acquired from Sea France after its liquidation in 2011. The transaction was blocked by the Competition Commission in 2013 because it gave Eurotunnel too strong a presence in the cross-channel transportation market. In its 9 January 2015 judgment the Competition Appeal Tribunal dismissed Eurotunnel’s appeal against the decision by the CMA to prohibit the deal for a second time. The judgment is significant when viewed against a background of trades in distressed assets in Europe and internationally. It merits a careful reading for parties seeking to realise value from company liquidations.’

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Zenith Chambers, 13th January 2015

Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk

Assignments and anti-avoidance: the Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995 – New Square Chambers

Posted March 17th, 2015 in appeals, covenants, landlord & tenant, news by sally

‘The Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995, applies to “new tenancies” – tenancies granted on or after 1 January 1996. It reformed privity of contract in this area, giving a clean break to tenants on assignment of a new tenancy, except for excluded assignments and authorised guarantee agreements(AGAs). A guarantor is released to the same extent as a tenant upon a lawful assignment. s.25(1)(a) makes void agreements which have effective to frustrate the provisions of the 1995 Act. Below is a look at recent decisions concerning the application of the anti-avoidance provision and of other provisions against that background.’

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New Square Chambers, February 2015

Source: www.newsquarechambers.co.uk

The Costs of Complexity (Revisited): A Practical View From the Bar – Littleton Chambers

Posted March 17th, 2015 in appeals, civil procedure rules, courts, fees, human rights, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘In his monthly column, originally published by PLC, James Bickford Smith considers again the Supreme Court’s judgment in Coventry v Lawrence (No 2) [2014] UKSC 46, the adjourned hearing of which has been listed for 9-11 February 2015. James assesses some of the key issues which have been debated since his initial analysis of the decision in October 2014, including the potential uncertainty for current funding arrangements that are not dependent on the Access to Justice Act 1999.’

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Littleton Chambers, 5th February 2015

Source: www.littletonchambers.com

Credit Hire Update: Stevens v Equity Syndicate Management Limited – Henderson Chambers

Posted March 17th, 2015 in appeals, insurance, news, rent, road traffic by sally

‘In the most important credit hire decision since Bent, the Court of Appeal rules that judges evaluating credit hire claims involving pecunious claimants should adopt the “lowest reasonable rate”.’

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Henderson Chambers, March 2015

Source: www.hendersonchambers.co.uk

Getting to Grips with the Holiday Pay Conundrum – Littleton Chambers

Posted March 17th, 2015 in appeals, EC law, employment tribunals, holiday pay, news, working time by sally

‘The Employment Appeal Tribunal’s (EAT’s) judgment in the Bear Scotland case is the latest in a series of cases considering what must be included in the calculation of holiday pay under the UK’s Working Time Regulations (WTR). The ruling sent shockwaves through the business community, with some commentators estimating that around five million workers in the UK could be entitled to more holiday pay at a potential cost to companies of billions of pounds. Business Secretary Vince Cable even set up a taskforce to assess the possible impact of the EAT’s decision. Adam Solomon and Sophia Berry throw the spotlight on the Bear Scotland litigation in the context of other decisions on holiday pay and consider its implications. This article first appeared in the March 2015 edition of Tolley’s Employment Law Newsletter.’

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Littleton Chambers, 17th March 2015

Source: www.littleton.com