“Extending secret hearings into civil courts will undermine effective scrutiny of government operations in the ‘war on terror’, according to prominent civil liberties activists and lawyers.”
The Guardian, 6th March 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Introducing secret hearings into civil courts could backfire, leading to more claimants accessing sensitive information, according to the government’s own impact assessment of its justice and security green paper. Expanding the use of so-called ‘closed material proceedings’ (CMPs) may also result in jurors finding the vetting procedure intrusive, and in ‘resentment of the judicial process and unwillingness to participate in jury service’, the Ministry of Justice’s study warns.”
The Guardian, 4th March 2012
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
“The Crown Prosecution Service, the Met and the Home Office have all recently been forced to pay out compensation to children. In one case, a teenage witness was put at risk; in the other 40 asylum seekers were locked up in adult units. All three organisations have sought to reassure the public that policy and procedures have changed as a result. But what would have happened to these cases had the legal aid bill (Laspo), now approaching report stage in the Lords, already become law?”
The Guardian, 27th February 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“‘The single biggest attack on access to justice since the legal aid system was introduced’. That’s the view of the Law Society on the government’s controversial proposals to reform the civil justice system in England and Wales. But the government argue that the legal aid system has become unaffordable and along with no win no fee has helped create a litigious society. They say the current system is a boon for lawyers, while draining resources from organisations like the NHS and leaving many small businesses in fear of legal action. The Government are planning to scrap legal aid in some areas and make fundamental changes to no-win no fee. The aim is to bring down costs and encourage alternatives to going to court. But the bill to introduce these changes has been having a rocky ride in Parliament and there is widespread opposition to the reforms. Advice centres, lawyers and even some from the government’s own benches say the changes will deny justice for vulnerable people, and will ultimately end up costing the government more money. In the first programme of a new series of Law in Action, Joshua Rozenberg examines the arguments and the likely impact of the contentious changes.”
BBC Law in Action, 21st February 2012
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“The UK’s reputation as a ‘free and fair democracy’ could be damaged by excessive use of secret court procedures that the government aims to introduce, Northamptonshire police has warned.”
The Guardian, 16th February 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“The government has come under fire from all sides of the civil litigation spectrum over its plans to reform the county court system.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 13th February 2012
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
“Individuals and businesses will find it cheaper, quicker and less daunting to resolve their disputes in civil courts, through new measures announced today.”
Ministry of Justice, 9th February 2012
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
“Proposed changes to ‘no win, no fee’ agreements will not be introduced until April 2013 at the earliest, the Government has said. The changes will prevent losing parties having to pay certain elements of an injured party’s successful damages claim.”
OUT-LAW.com, 1st February 2012
Source: www.out-law.com
“A child learns early that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it. Thankfully that principle does not apply to Government consultations and this is aptly demonstrated by the responses to the consultation into whether ‘closed material’ (secret evidence) procedures should be extended to civil trials.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 31st January 2012
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Assessment of costs in the brave new world: Eighth lecture in the implementation programme (PDF)
Speech by Lord Justice Jackson
KPMG Forensic’s Leeds Law Lecture, 2012
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
“Lord Justice Jackson yesterday urged caution over setting limits on the percentage of damages that lawyers will be able to take in commercial cases under his reforms.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 20th January 2012
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
“A new set of court statistics published today supports the case for a comprehensive reform programme across the justice system.”
Ministry of Justice, 12th January 2012
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
“The supreme court judge’s speech to the Law Centres Federation’s conference on the effects of the government’s proposed legal aid bill.”
The Guardian, 28th November 2011
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“The foreign secretary is to endorse plans that will undermine a fundamental constitutional right: the right to open justice. As the Labour party is broadly supportive of the government’s proposals, we can expect them to be approved by parliament next year.”
The Guardian, 16th November 2011
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“The new Civil Justice Council paper on the plight of litigants in person pulls no punches. The number of people unfortunate enough to come before the courts without a lawyer ‘will increase and with considerable scale’.”
The Guardian, 14th November 2011
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Civil Justice Council says planned £350m reduction in legal aid budget will also result in courts struggling to manage caseloads.”
The Guardian, 11th November 2011
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“A CJC working party has looked at how access to justice can be improved for individuals, known as litigants-in-person, who either choose not to have or cannot afford legal representation. Its report sets out a range of short and longer term practical recommendations aimed at addressing the problems faced by unrepresented litigants to help them resolve their disputes.”
Civil Justice Council, 11th November 2011
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk/about-the-judiciary/advisory-bodies/cjc
“As Stephen Levinson’s recent post has reminded us, we are not living in a golden age of legislative drafting. In the field of criminal law, some particularly ghastly examples of bamboozling legislation can be found in various provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 – described by no less an authority than Rose LJ as ‘at best, obscure and, at worst, impenetrable’ (R v Campell [2006] EWCA Crim 726, [2006] 2 Cr App R (S) 626 at [1]).”
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 2nd November 2011
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
Third Lecture in the Implementation Programme (PDF)
Speech by Lord Justice Jackson
Judiciary of England and Wales, 31st October 2011
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
“‘Lawyers leave no stone unturned when it comes to arguing about costs,’ the architect of the civil justice reforms being introduced by government said this week.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 1st November 2011
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
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