Poorest priced out of justice by legal aid rules, says Law Society – The Guardian

Posted March 20th, 2018 in civil justice, criminal justice, legal aid, news, reports by sally

‘Some of the poorest families in England and Wales are being denied legal aid because they cannot afford the financial contributions they are required to make, according to the Law Society.’

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The Guardian, 20th March 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

City watchdog: Civil justice ‘out of reach’ for most British citizens – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted March 15th, 2018 in civil justice, financial regulation, news, speeches by tracey

‘Civil justice is readily available to the international super-rich but out of reach of most British citizens, according to a top City watchdog. But John Griffith-Jones, chairman of the Financial Conduct Authority, believes it is the job of parliament to boost consumer redress by changing the law, rather than simply tinkering with the regulator’s rulebook.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 14th March 2018

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

CPRC backs rule changes to ensure courts sit in public – Litigation Futures

Posted February 15th, 2018 in civil justice, civil procedure rules, news, private hearings by sally

‘The Civil Procedure Rules Committee (CPRC) has backed rule changes to ensure that courts sit in public “irrespective of the parties’ consent” unless certain strict conditions are met.’

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Litigation Futures, 13th February 2018

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Speech by Sir Ernest Ryder, Senior President of Tribunals: Securing Open Justice – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted February 6th, 2018 in civil justice, judges, judiciary, rule of law, speeches by tracey

‘Speech by Sir Ernest Ryder, Senior President of Tribunals: Securing Open Justice.’

Full speech

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 1st February 2018

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

One in three people with legal problems in UK develop health issues – report – The Guardian

Posted January 29th, 2018 in civil justice, criminal justice, health, legal aid, mental health, news, reports by sally

‘Almost one-third of those with legal problems in the UK report developing a stress-related or physical illness as a result of their experience, according to a new international survey comparing people’s perceptions of justice around the world.’

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The Guardian, 29th January 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Bar Council response to HMCTS consultation – The Bar Council

Posted January 24th, 2018 in budgets, civil justice, courts, criminal justice, press releases by tracey

‘The surprise announcement of plans for yet more court closures has prompted concerns from the Bar over how much harder it may become for vulnerable people to access their local court, and whether the drive to cut costs will impact the quality of our system of justice.’

Full press release

The Bar council, 19th January 2018

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Take blame out of personal injury law, Supreme Court judge says – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 22nd, 2018 in civil justice, compensation, judges, news, personal injuries, speeches by sally

‘”Ambulance chasing” lawyers are not to blame for compensation culture as it is the way the system is set up that encourages claims, a Supreme Court judge has suggested.’

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Daily Telegraph, 22nd January 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Crowdsourcing “can accurately predict court decisions 80% of time” says study – Legal Futures

Posted January 8th, 2018 in civil justice, judgments, legal aid, news by sally

‘Crowdsourcing is an accurate predictor of court judgments, at best proving accurate in over eight out of ten cases, according to a rigorous analysis.’

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Legal Futures, 8th January 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Put constitutional right of access to justice at heart of LASPO review, MPs say – Legal Futures

‘The government review of its legal aid reforms should reflect this summer’s Supreme Court ruling on access to justice as a constitutional right, the justice select committee said.’

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Legal Futures, 21st December 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

An end to private hearing deals and unilateral emails to court: CPRC to strengthen open justice – Litigation Futures

Posted November 7th, 2017 in civil justice, civil procedure rules, consultations, news, private hearings by tracey

‘A default position that all court hearings should be conducted in public, and parties and witnesses named, is under consideration by the Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) as part of a push to emphasise the importance of open justice, it has emerged.’

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Litigation Futures, 7th November 2017

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

New rules to tackle ‘monster’ of civil disclosure – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 6th, 2017 in civil justice, disclosure, dispute resolution, documents, news, pilot schemes by tracey

‘Parties in civil litigation will have to persuade a court if they want disclosure to encompass more than just certain key documents, under plans for reforming ‘monster’ levels of disclosure.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 3rd November 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Fraud may justify ‘collateral use’ of documents in multiple sets of civil proceedings, court rules – OUT-LAW.com

‘The “strong public interest” in pursuing claims for fraud, bribery and corruption may justify allowing the use of documents obtained in one set of legal proceedings in a different set of proceedings, the High Court has ruled.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 3rd November 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Impact of cuts to legal aid to come under review – The Guardian

Posted October 31st, 2017 in civil justice, consultations, legal aid, litigants in person, news by sally

‘The justice secretary, David Liddington, has committed his department to review the deep cuts imposed on legal aid by the coalition government in 2012.’

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The Guardian, 31st October 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Public Law Podcast Seminar on Radicalisation Part 1: Civil Law and Closed Hearing – UK Human Rights Blog

The first episode from the Public Law Seminar given by members of 1 Crown Office Row is now available for podcast download here or from iTunes under Law Pod UK. Look for Episode 13: Tackling radicalisation through the civil courts.

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UK Human Rights Blog, 26th October 2017

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Law Pod UK Ep. 13: Tackling radicalisation through the civil courts – 1 COR

Posted October 27th, 2017 in civil justice, news, private hearings, terrorism by sally

‘Martin Downs and Shaheen Rahman QC talk about their experiences of tackling radicalisation in the civil courts, and the use of closed hearings. Recorded at the 2017 Public Law event at King’s College London.’

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Law Pod UK, 26th October 2017

Source: audioboom.com

Fee change: all change? – New Law Journal

‘Alex Hawley reflects on the rise in anti-austerity sentiment & the possible impact of the Unison judgment on civil court fees.’

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New Law Journal, 15th September 2017

Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk

The Lord Chief Justice’s Report 2017 – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted September 7th, 2017 in civil justice, courts, criminal justice, judiciary, reports by tracey

‘The Lord Chief Justice has today laid his 2017 annual report before Parliament.’

Full report

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 7th September 2017

Source: www.judciary.gov.uk

Jackson’s scorn for ‘artificial claims stirred up by advertisements’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 5th, 2017 in advertising, civil justice, judges, law firms, miners, news, personal injuries by sally

‘Lord Justice Jackson has expressed his contempt for a firm that recruited a claimant and ‘turned his head’ to bring negligence proceedings. In the Court of Appeal Jackson said it was ‘regrettable’ that north west firm Mellor Hargreaves had persuaded a former miner to bring an action against his previous solicitors to ‘top up’ a damages award.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 5th September 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Bar Council responds to Lord Justice Jackson’s FRC proposals – The Bar council

Posted August 2nd, 2017 in civil justice, costs, judges, news, press releases, reports by tracey

‘Responding to the publication today of the Review of Civil Litigation Costs: Supplemental Report – Fixed Recoverable Costs by Lord Justice Jackson,Chair of the Bar, Andrew Langdon QC, said: “Today’s review by Jackson LJ indicates that he has listened carefully to the views of the legal profession and accepted proposals from the Bar Council and others that multi track cases are so varied in character that they do not lend themselves to any rigid costs matrix, and that cost management is working better than had been supposed.”

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The Bar Council, 31st July 2017

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Binding agreements in TOLATA claims – Family Law Week

‘Alexander Chandler, barrister, 1 King’s Bench Walk, considers the law and practice of agreements to settle TOLATA claims.’

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Family Law Week, 28th July 2017

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk