Prisoners’ legal letters opened by prison staff, admits ombudsman – The Guardian

Posted September 29th, 2015 in confidentiality, news, ombudsmen, postal service, prisons, privacy, privilege by sally

‘Prisoners’ confidential legal letters to and from their lawyers and the courts have been wrongly opened by prison staff in half of cases investigated by the prisons ombudsman in the past year.’

Full story

The Guardian, 29th September 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Dawson-Damer and others v Taylor Wessing LLP and others – WLR Daily

Dawson-Damer and others v Taylor Wessing LLP and others [2015] EWHC 2366 (Ch); [2015] WLR (D) 361

‘The purpose of section 7 of the Data Protection Act 1998 entitling an individual to have access to information in the form of his “personal data” was to enable him to check whether the data controller’s processing of it unlawfully infringed his privacy and, if so, to take such steps as the Act provided, to protect it. It was no part of its purpose to enable the individual to obtain discovery of documents that might assist him in litigation or complaints against third parties.’

WLR Daily, 6th August 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

High court to rule on MPs’ claim that data retention act damages privacy – The Guardian

‘High court judges will give their decision on Friday on an accusation that the government has imposed laws which allow the police and security services to “spy on citizens” without proper safeguards.’

Full story

The Guardian, 17th July 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Tribunal rejects request for correspondence between solicitor and planning officers – Local Government Lawyer

‘The First-Tier Tribunal has ruled that a district council was entitled to refuse to disclose correspondence passing between one of its solicitors and various members of its planning department.’
Full story

Local Government Lawyer, 30th June 2015

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Sun crime reporter found guilty of paying police officer for stories – The Guardian

‘A Sun crime reporter has been found guilty of paying an anti-terrorism police officer more than £22,000 for story tips relating to Heathrow airport.’

Full story

The Guardian, 22nd May 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

UK intelligence tribunal to rule on surveillance case – The Guardian

‘A tribunal that hears complaints against the UK intelligence services is due to rule in a major state surveillance case on the confidentiality of conversations between lawyers and their clients.’

Full story

The Guardian, 29th April 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

News focus: law and justice pledges – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The general election manifestos are in – here’s our quick-fire summary of their headline pledges on law and justice.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 20th April 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Journalists should not always be prosecuted for paying public officials, says former CPS head – The Indpendent

‘The former head of the Crown Prosecution Service has said it can be “appropriate” for journalists to pay officials for information and that Operation Elveden had overlooked the public interest.’

Full story

The Independent, 18th April 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Family Arbitration – The Inner Temple

Posted April 8th, 2015 in arbitration, children, confidentiality, courts, dispute resolution, families, news by sally

Family Arbitration (PDF)

Sir Hugh Bennett

The Inner Temple, 30th March 2015

Source: www.innertemple.org.uk

Vidal-Hall v Google Inc (Information Commissioner intervening) – WLR Daily

Vidal-Hall v Google Inc (Information Commissioner intervening) [2015] EWCA Civ 311; [2015] WLR (D) 156

‘A claim for misuse of private information should be categorised as a tort for the purposes of service of proceedings out of the jurisdiction.’

WLR Daily, 18th March 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

The Cat’s Out of the Bag: legal advice privilege and the risks of being caught with a divorce lawyer – Family Law Week

‘Samuel Littlejohns, pupil at 1 Hare Court, examines whether the very fact that a party consulted a lawyer at a given time is privileged information, and the practical consequences of this for practitioners.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 27th March 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Jail for thief who tried to sell secret nuclear submarine documents – The Guardian

Posted March 26th, 2015 in burglary, confidentiality, documents, intelligence services, news, sentencing, theft by sally

‘A factory worker who stole restricted documents about British nuclear submarines and tried to sell them to an eastern European government has been jailed for four and a half years.’

Full story

The Guardian, 25th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Gagging clauses are lawful and enforceable – Hardwicke Chambers

‘Periodically the topic of gagging clauses resurfaces in the press. In 2013 the revelation of large numbers of NHS employees entering into such agreements produced a mass of publicity. Interest in the topic duly stimulated, it led to recommendations by the Public Accounts Committee in the House of Commons that revised guidance from the Cabinet Office should require public sector organisations to secure approval from the Cabinet Office for special severance payments and associated compromise agreements where they relate to cases of whistleblowing.’

Full story

Hardwicke Chambers, 8th January 2015

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Regina (Ingenious Media Holdings Ltd) v Revenue and Customs Commissioners – WLR Daily

Regina (Ingenious Media Holdings Ltd) v Revenue and Customs Commissioners: [2015] EWCA Civ 173; [2015] WLR (D) 104

‘In the particular circumstances of the case limited disclosures made by a Revenue and Customs official in an “off the record” briefing with journalists concerning tax avoidance schemes had been made “for the purposes” of a function of the Revenue and Customs, within section 18(2)(a)(i). Therefore there had been no breach of article 18(1) of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005, which required the commissioners to maintain confidentiality of information about a taxpayer’s affairs.’

WLR Daily, 4th March 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Access all areas? – New Law Journal

‘Overriding lawyer-client & confidential communications is incompatible with the rule of law, as Nicholas Griffin QC, Robert O’Sullivan QC & Gordon Nardell QC explain.’

Full story

New Law Journal, 27th February 2015

Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk

Smoking ban in prisons: Inmate wants access to enforcement hotline – BBC News

Posted February 18th, 2015 in confidentiality, health, news, prisons, smoking, telecommunications by sally

‘A prisoner has launched a legal challenge to give inmates the right to report unauthorised smoking in jail.’

Full story

BBC News, 12th February 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Theresa May’s plans to stop students being drawn to terrorism are in conflict with law, says QC – The Independent

Posted February 2nd, 2015 in bills, confidentiality, freedom of expression, news, terrorism, universities by sally

‘Plans by Home Secretary Theresa May to place a legal duty on universities to prevent students from being drawn into terrorism are in conflict with existing law, a leading QC will warn tomorrow.’

Full story

The Independent, 1st February 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Stop in the Name of Love! The New EU Regulation 606/2013 on Protection Measures – Family Law Week

Posted January 16th, 2015 in children, confidentiality, EC law, families, harassment, injunctions, news by sally

‘Sarah Lucy Cooper, barrister of Thomas More Chambers, explains the details and effect of this recently implemented EU personal protection law.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 15th January 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

MI6 forced to show how it may snoop on privileged lawyer-client exchanges – The Guardian

‘MI6 has been forced to reveal documents detailing how it may access legally privileged communications between solicitors and their clients, even if the lawyers are suing the government.’

Full story

The Guardian, 13th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Declaration 2014: Legal Professional Privilege is vital to a fair trial – The Bar Council

‘Legal chiefs and academics today demanded new laws to stop police and security services from spying on meetings between lawyers and their clients.’

Full press release

The Bar Council, 9th December 2014

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk