Publicly-funded criminal barrister numbers drop by 11% – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 11th, 2022 in barristers, budgets, coronavirus, criminal justice, legal aid, news, statistics by tracey

‘The number of barristers practising full-time in publicly-funded criminal law dropped by 11% last year, according to analysis by the Bar Council. In 2021, only 2,400 barristers reported that their practice was entirely publicly-funded criminal work, down from from 2,670 the previous year.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 8th April 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Adders and slowworms to gain extra protection under new system in England – The Guardian

‘Adders and slowworms will be among animals given extra protection under plans by the government to “streamline” the process for protecting nature-rich areas.’

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The Guardian, 29th March 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Woman in Mike Hill case may sue Commons over compensation – The Guardian

‘A woman who was repeatedly sexually assaulted and harassed by a former Labour MP is considering suing the House of Commons for failing to ringfence money that could cover her compensation.’

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The Guardian, 13th March 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

MPs slate Ministry of Justice over Crown Court backlog and judges – Legal Futures

‘MPs today slated the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) “meagre ambition” to reduce the Crown Court case backlog and warned that efforts to recruit judges will ignore the need to improve diversity.’

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Legal Futures, 9th March 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

LSB warns Bar Council over objections to “unreasonable” PCF rise – Legal Futures

Posted March 2nd, 2022 in barristers, budgets, consultations, fees, Legal Services Board, news, statistics by sally

‘The Legal Services Board (LSB) has approved a 4.5% increase in the practising certificate fee (PCF) for barristers, while warning the Bar Council that the exercise of its regulatory functions, such as setting the fee, “should not be prejudiced” by its representative role.’

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Legal Futures, 2nd March 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Greater Sentencing Power for Magistrates – A Solution to the Backlog? – Pump Court Chambers

‘It was confirmed on 18 January 2020 that Magistrates are to have their sentencing powers increased in the coming months, granting them broader power than ever before. The most significant change is that Magistrates’ will be able to impose a sentence of up to 12 months in custody which is double the previous maximum sentence. Effectively, this means that Magistrates will be able to accept jurisdiction for more serious either way offences, such as for Fraud, Theft or Assault, which would have originally been sent to the Crown Court without giving the Defendant the option to elect to remain in the Magistrates’.’

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Pump Court Chambers, 7th February 2022

Source: www.pumpcourtchambers.com

Raab eyes “drastic action” to keep family disputes out of court – Legal Futures

‘Justice secretary Dominic Raab is “in the market for something quite drastic and bold” to reduce the number of private law family cases in the courts, he said yesterday.’

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Legal Futures, 1st December 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

England’s austerity-hit courts losing days of work to collapsing ceilings, broken lifts and Arctic conditions – The Independent

‘England’s courts are so run-down they are losing days of work to collapsing ceilings, broken lift and Arctic conditions, the Lord Chief Justice has said.’

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The Independent, 16th November 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Legal Ombudsman admits recovery will take longer than expected – Legal Futures

‘Performance at the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) will get worse before it gets better as the complaints-handler has admitted recovery will take longer than it anticipated.’

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Legal Futures, 8th November 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Lord Chief Justice warns government over ‘value of the rule of law’ in courts funding plea – The Independent

“In his annual report, published on Friday [5th November], Lord Burnett of Maldon warned that the only way to cut record waiting times was to run crown courts at full capacity for the ‘foreseeable future’.”

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The Independent, 5th November 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Guest blog: “Perhaps now it is time for more direct action” at the criminal Bar – Bar Council

Posted November 5th, 2021 in barristers, budgets, criminal justice, news, pupillage, statistics by michael

“My Chambers took part in this year’s Bar Council Pupillage Fair, which took place in the wake of reports highlighting the fact that the Criminal Bar is haemorrhaging members, with 11% of juniors reportedly having left criminal practice in the three years leading up to the Covid pandemic. There are, as yet, no statistics for falling retention rates during and as a result of the pandemic itself. No doubt they will represent a clear measure of the worsening state of our Criminal Justice System [CJS].”

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Bar Council, 4th November 2021

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

“A step in the right direction” – legal leaders seek positives from Budget – Legal Futures

‘Legal leaders hailed funding for the justice system announced in yesterday’s Budget as “a step in the right direction”, even though it will not even return the Crown Court backlog to pre-Covid levels.’

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Legal Futures, 28th October 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

England and Wales court backlog crisis ‘to go on for several years’ – The Guardian

‘The backlog of cases in criminal courts in England and Wales is likely to be a pervasive issue for several years, severely affecting victims, witnesses and defendants, the National Audit Office has said.’

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The Guardian, 22nd October 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Long delay for hundreds of rape cases, says report – BBC News

‘The number of rape and sexual assault victims who have waited more than a year for their trial to go through the courts has soared, a report shows.’

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BBC News, 22nd October 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Constitutional amendment that moved council meetings to working hours criticised – Local Government Lawyer

Posted October 14th, 2021 in budgets, local government, news by sally

‘A decision intended to move full council meetings at North Northamptonshire Council from 7pm to 2pm has been criticised as “anti-democratic” by detractors.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 13th October 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Law Society report hits out at “vanishing” civil legal aid – Local Government Lawyer

Posted October 5th, 2021 in budgets, civil justice, legal advice, legal aid, news by sally

‘People living in areas without a major city are particularly badly hit by “vanishing” availability of civil legal aid across housing, welfare, education, community care and immigration, the Law Society has claimed.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 4th October 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Research: “Billions could be saved” by funding more legal advice – Legal Futures

Posted September 28th, 2021 in budgets, debts, health, housing, legal advice, news by sally

‘The Treasury could save billions of pounds a year if more public money is put into specialist legal advice, according to new research.’

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Legal Futures, 28th September 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Noisy neighbours spark 67% rise in police complaints – The Guardian

Posted September 20th, 2021 in budgets, complaints, coronavirus, local government, news, noise, police, statistics by tracey

‘Police forces across England faced a sharp increase in complaints about noisy neighbours during last year’s lockdown, with claims that years of cuts have left councils struggling to deal with antisocial behaviour.’

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The Guardian, 19th September 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Cost of practising as a solicitor set to fall by 6.7% – Legal Futures

‘The cost of practising as a solicitor is to fall by 6.7% in the coming year, although it may have to rise in future once the Law Society sets a new reserves policy.’

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Legal Futures, 20th August 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Supply and Appropriation (Main Estimates) Act 2021 – legislation.gov.uk

Posted July 23rd, 2021 in budgets, government departments, legislation by sally

Supply and Appropriation (Main Estimates) Act 2021

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk