BSB probes contracts between chambers and solicitors – Legal Futures

Posted October 14th, 2014 in barristers, codes of practice, complaints, contracts, news, solicitors by sally

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is investigating the extent to which barristers have been accepting work from solicitors without entering into contracts, or accepting terms “contrary to their regulatory obligations”.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 14th October 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Call for evidence: review of standard contractual terms and cab rank rule – Bar Standards Board

Posted October 13th, 2014 in barristers, codes of practice, contracts, news by sally

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has today [10 October] issued a call for evidence as part of a new review of the standard contractual terms and the cab rank rule. This is to establish the contractual basis on which barristers are being instructed, and to gather evidence about the frequency with which the cab rank rule is being invoked.’

Full story

Bar Standards Board, 10th October 2014

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Ripa: Curbs on police hacking journalist phones to find story sources – Daily Telegraph

‘Police will be banned from accessing reporter phone logs under the powers of Ripa unless they can show it is for serious crime.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 12th October 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Revised transparency code for local government in England in force next month – Local Government Lawyer

Posted October 6th, 2014 in budgets, codes of practice, disclosure, local government, news, parking by sally

‘A revised Local Government Transparency Code is to come into force in England next month, the Department for Communities and Local Government has announced.’

Full story

Local Government, 3rd October 2014

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

DPP publishes final standards for all prosecutors – Crown Prosecution Service

‘Alison Saunders, the Director of Public Prosecutions, has today published the final version of new standards for all CPS prosecutors. This follows a consultation with the public, which demonstrated that draft interim standards published in April 2014 were largely in the right place.’

Full text

Crown Prosecution Service, 1st October 2014

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Applications to the Biometrics Commissioner under PACE – Home Office

Posted September 29th, 2014 in codes of practice, data protection, DNA, evidence, fingerprints, news, police by sally

‘Guidance for chief police officers when considering whether to make an application to the Commissioner for the retention and use of biometric material.’

Full text

Home Office, 26th September 2014

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

MP refers Sunday Mirror to police and press regulator over sex sting – The Guardian

‘One of the Conservative MPs who was contacted by a Sunday Mirror reporter posing as a woman interested in sex is to write to the Metropolitan police over the tabloid sting. Mark Pritchard said he would contact Scotland Yard and make a formal complaint to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) over accusations of entrapment.’

Full story

The Guardian, 29th September 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Supreme Court clarifies continuing police disclosure obligations – RPC Privacy Law

‘The recent Supreme Court judgment in the case of R (on the application of Nunn) v Chief Constable of Suffolk Constabulary and another sheds further light on the continuing duty of the police and the Crown Prosecution Service to disclose information in criminal cases post-conviction.’

Full story

RPC Privacy Law, 19th September 2014

Source: www.rpc.co.uk

ICO needs to rethink how to tackle mobile apps privacy failings, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

‘The UK’s data protection authority needs to rethink its strategy for combatting failings in mobile apps privacy, an expert has said.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 12th September 2014

Source: www.out-law.com

Former Times lawyer loses appeal against SDT – Law Society’s Gazette

‘A former legal director of Times Newspapers Ltd was guilty of “recklessly” rather than “knowingly” misleading the court in relation to litigation over revelations about the “NightJack” blogger, the High Court has ruled.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 12th September 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

LCJ uses Nightjack case to warn lawyers who mislead court of “exemplary punishments” – Legalfutures

‘Lawyers who mislead the court will end up with “exemplary and deterrent” punishments, the Lord Chief Justice has warned.’

Full story

Legalfutures, 12th September 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

New stalking legislation helps to bring thousands more prosecutions as CPS and ACPO launch protocol to improve service to stalking victims – Crown Prosecution Service

‘As stalking-related prosecutions rise, prosecutors and police are being reminded to focus on the devastating impact these crimes have on victims. After the first full year of operation, new stalking legislation has seen 743 cases brought to court – cases which may not have been charged under previous law.’

Full press release

Crown Prosecution Service, 11th September 2014

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Data protection and journalism – ICO publishes guidance – Panopticon

‘The Information Commissioner has today published his keenly anticipated guidance on ‘Data Protection and Journalism: A Guide for the Media’. The guidance has been published following a lengthy consultative process and in response to a recommendation made in the Leveson report.’

Full story

Panopticon, 4th September 2014

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Right to rent: landlords’ code of practice – Home Office

Posted September 5th, 2014 in codes of practice, landlord & tenant by sally

‘Guidance for landlords affected by the introduction of right to rent checks.’

Full code of practice

Home Office, 3rd September 2014

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Landlord Immigration Checks from 1 December – NearlyLegal

Posted September 4th, 2014 in codes of practice, immigration, landlord & tenant, news, pilot schemes, vetting by sally

‘The Home Office has (finally) announced the ‘pilot’ areas for the landlord immigration check requirement under Immigration Act 2014.’

Full story

NearlyLegal, 3rd September 2014

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Home Secretary launches Best Use of Stop and Search scheme – Home Office

Posted August 28th, 2014 in codes of practice, news, police, stop and search by sally

‘Home Secretary Theresa May today [26 August] officially launched a new scheme to reform police use of stop and search powers.’

Full story

Home Office, 26th August 2014

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Open consultation – Revised PACE code A – Home Office

Posted August 26th, 2014 in codes of practice, consultations, police, stop and search by sally

‘This consultation runs until Monday 20 October 2014. The draft code has a covering note and detailed table outlining the changes and their purpose with links to the paragraphs concerned.’

Full press release

Home Office, 26th August 2014

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Best use of stop and search scheme – Home Office

Posted August 26th, 2014 in codes of practice, news, police, stop and search by sally

‘Guidance for police forces on the implementation of the best use of stop and search scheme.’

Full guidance

Home Office, 26th August 2014

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Stop and search: Police code of conduct launched – BBC News

Posted August 26th, 2014 in codes of practice, news, police, race discrimination, stop and search by sally

‘All 43 police forces in England and Wales have agreed to adopt a new government code of conduct on the use of their powers to stop and search members of the public.’

Full story

BBC News, 26th August 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Failure to cooperate’ case prompts ombudsman review – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) is to review its internal investigations guidance after a barrister was cleared of misconduct due to its own “failure to cooperate” with the disciplinary process.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 19th August 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk