Category: codes of practice

Police fail to respond to psychiatric units amid rise in attacks on staff – The Guardian

Posted March 7th, 2016 in assault, codes of practice, health & safety, hospitals, mental health, news, police, statistics, weapons by sally

‘Police refused to respond to calls for help from staff at psychiatric units covering a large swath of east London and Essex on more than 125 occasions last year. The figures were released in response to a Guardian freedom of information request that sheds new light on how overstretched staff in mental health units are increasingly on the receiving end of violence.’

Full story

The Guardian, 7th March 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Judiciary proposes fee ban and new name for McKenzie Friends – Legal Futures

Posted February 29th, 2016 in codes of practice, consultations, fees, judiciary, legal aid, legal representation, Legal Services Board, litigants in person, McKenzie friends, news, public interest by sally

‘England and Wales should follow the example of Scotland in banning McKenzie Friends from charging fees, the Judicial Executive Board (JEB) has proposed.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 25th February 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

New offences and sentencing – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted February 22nd, 2016 in codes of practice, corporate manslaughter, criminal procedure, drug offences, fines, food, health & safety, news, notification, prisons, proportionality, public interest, sentencing, theft, young offenders by sally

‘Two further significant provisions of the Serious Crime Act 2015 have been brought into force. First, on 10 November 2015, section 79 created section 40CB of the Prison Act 1952, which provides for an offence of throwing any article or substance into a prison without authorisation.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 22nd February 2016

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Here come the new lawyers – CLC sets out plans for probate practitioners and technicians – Legal Futures

Posted February 17th, 2016 in codes of practice, consumer protection, conveyancing, fees, legal education, legal profession, licensing, news, probate by michael

‘Plans to create three new breeds of lawyer – probate practitioners, conveyancing technicians and probate technicians – are being published today by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC).’

Full story

Legal Futures, 15 February 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Outsourcing and use of litigation assistants – Bar Council

Posted February 17th, 2016 in arbitration, barristers, codes of practice, conflict of interest, contracting out, foreign jurisdictions, international law, news, paralegals by michael

‘Purpose: To assist barristers regarding the rules and their ethical obligations relating to outsourcing and the use of litigation assistants.’

Full story

Bar Council, 17 February 2016

Source: http://www.barcouncil.org.uk

New planning guidance emphasises importance of housing evidence to neighbourhood planning – OUT-LAW.com

Posted February 17th, 2016 in codes of practice, evidence, housing, local government, news, planning by michael

‘New paragraphs were added to the UK government’s National Planning Practice Guidance (NPPG) last week clarifying that, in areas with a neighbourhood plan in place but without a five year supply of deliverable housing sites, neighbourhood plan policies relating to housing should not be considered up-to-date.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 16 February 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

Early guilty pleas: Justice for whom? – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted February 15th, 2016 in bail, budgets, codes of practice, consultations, costs, criminal justice, guilty pleas, human rights, jurisdiction, miscarriage of justice, news, plea bargaining, prosecutions, sentencing by sally

‘New guidelines incentivising people accused of criminal offences in England and Wales to plead guilty as early as possible were proposed last week. While existing rules allow for a maximum one-third reduction in the sentence to those who plead guilty at the ‘first reasonable opportunity’, this benefit is now only available to those who plead guilty at their very first court hearing, with the available reduction falling on a steeper sliding scale thereafter.’

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 15th February 2016

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

High Court enforcement continued – Nearly Legal

Posted February 15th, 2016 in appeals, civil procedure rules, codes of practice, enforcement, housing, landlord & tenant, news, notification, practice directions, repossession, Supreme Court, trespass by sally

‘In what has turned into a continuing series, there are further updates on enforcement of possession orders via the High Court, obtaining writs and the scandalous conduct of many High Court Enforcement Officers.’

Full story

Nearly Legal, 13th February 2016

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Regulatory offenders could face lower fine discounts if they wait to plead guilty, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted February 15th, 2016 in codes of practice, corporate manslaughter, criminal justice, environmental health, fines, food, guilty pleas, health & safety, news, plea bargaining, sentencing by sally

‘Companies which face prosecution for health and safety, environmental and other regulatory breaches would have to plead guilty at an earlier stage or risk higher fines under new proposals put forward by the Sentencing Council, an expert has said.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 12th February 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

No 10 faces legal challenge over ministerial code rewrite – The Guardian

Posted February 12th, 2016 in codes of practice, international law, ministers' powers and duties, news by sally

‘Downing Street is facing a legal challenge to restore 13 words deleted from the ministerial code that appeared to remove the government’s obligation to uphold international law.’

Full story

The Guardian, 11th February 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Update to Sexual offences definitive guideline – Sentencing Council

Posted February 8th, 2016 in codes of practice, news, sentencing, sexual offences, young offenders by sally

‘The sentencing guideline on the sentencing of sexual offences has been updated to take account of legislative changes to sections 48, 49, and 50 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. The changes relate to a change in terminology and now use the term “sexual exploitation of a child” to replace references to “child prostitution” and “child pornography”. The changes are on pages 89 to 94 of the guideline.’

Full guideline

Sentencing Council, 5th February 2016

Source: http://sentencingcouncil.judiciary.gov.uk

Who Guards the Guardians? – Family Law Week

Posted February 1st, 2016 in adoption, children, codes of practice, consultations, families, family courts, guardianship, interpretation, legal representation, news by sally

‘The Association of Lawyers for Children and the National Association of Guardians ad Litem and Reporting Officers respond to recent guidance given in the Central Family Court on the need for guardians to justify their attendance at care hearings save in specified circumstances.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 31st January 2016

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Investigatory powers bill: snooper’s charter lacks clarity, MPs warn – The Guardian

Posted February 1st, 2016 in bills, codes of practice, intelligence services, internet, interpretation, investigatory powers, news, police, proportionality, select committees, telecommunications, terrorism by sally

‘The government’s investigatory powers bill lacks clarity and is sowing confusion among tech firms about the extent to which “internet connection records” will be collected, a parliamentary select committee has warned.’

Full story

The Guardian, 1st February 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Toddler dies of leukaemia after medics miss condition 35 times – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 1st, 2016 in cancer, children, codes of practice, coroners, doctors, hospitals, inquests, medical records, news by sally

‘A toddler died of leukaemia after medics repeatedly failed to diagnose the condition despite numerous “red flags” and 35 separate visits to doctors and hospitals.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 1st February 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Crimestoppers ad that used heart ‘ripped out of someone’s chest’ banned – The Guardian

Posted January 28th, 2016 in advertising, codes of practice, complaints, news by sally

‘A Crimestoppers ad with an image of a heart that looked as if it was “ripped out of someone’s chest” has been banned by the advertising watchdog.’

Full story

The Guardian, 27th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Jimmy Carr’s ‘offensive’ dwarf joke broke broadcasting rules, says watchdog – The Guardian

Posted January 26th, 2016 in BBC, codes of practice, complaints, media, news by sally

‘Jimmy Carr’s joke about dwarves on BBC1’s The One Show was offensive and broke broadcasting rules, the media watchdog has said.’

Full story

The Guardian, 25th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Victims are ill-served by the justice system: this bill will change that – The Guardian

Posted January 25th, 2016 in bills, codes of practice, criminal justice, Crown Prosecution Service, news, police, statistics, victims by sally

‘The case of Poppi Worthington is the latest in a lamentable catalogue of misses by police or prosecutors. It demonstrates why the law needs to change.’

Full story

The Guardian, 25th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Legal Professional Privilege for Prisoners – The Bar Council

Posted January 18th, 2016 in barristers, bills, codes of practice, interception, investigatory powers, legal profession, press releases, prisons, privacy, privilege by sally

‘Justice Minister Andrew Selous MP has explained the authorisation process for listening in to communications between lawyers and clients in prisons. The parliamentary written answer, published yesterday, suggests that the prison service effectively self-authorises breaches of legal professional privilege (LPP).’

Full press release

The Bar Council, 13th January 2016

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

BuzzFeed breaks UK ad rules over misleading advertorial – The Guardian

Posted January 13th, 2016 in advertising, codes of practice, complaints, internet, news by sally

‘BuzzFeed has broken the UK advertising rules for failing to make it clear that an article on “14 laundry fails” that promoted Dylon was an online advertorial paid for by the dye brand.’

Full story

The Guardian, 13th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

New guidance for public bodies on FOI requests for information they intend to publish in future – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 11th, 2016 in codes of practice, disclosure, freedom of information, news, public interest by sally

‘Public bodies will find it harder to justify decisions to withhold information requested under freedom of information (FOI) laws on the basis that they intend to publish the material in future where no date has been set for that publication, according to newly issued guidance.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 11th January 2016

Source: out-law.com