Belly Mujinga: Calls for inquest into alleged ‘virus cough attack’ death – BBC News

Posted October 12th, 2020 in assault, bereavement, coronavirus, families, inquests, news, police, transport by sally

‘There are calls for an inquest into the death of transport worker Belly Mujinga – who died after reportedly being coughed and spat on by a passenger who said he had the virus.’

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BBC News, 12th October 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Government to pay £2m to settle coronavirus testing case – BBC News

Posted October 8th, 2020 in competition, computer programs, contracting out, coronavirus, news by tracey

‘The UK has agreed to settle a lawsuit over how it selected an IT contract for coronavirus testing at its Lighthouse labs.’

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BBC News, 8th October 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Inheritance delays causing financial hardship for the bereaved – The Independent

Posted October 7th, 2020 in bereavement, coronavirus, delay, executors, families, news, probate, wills by tracey

‘With probate applications now taking three times longer to approve, more than 8,000 estates remain unclaimed.’

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The Independent, 6th October 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Insurers’ decision to appeal Covid insurance test case “disgraceful” – Litigation Futures

Posted October 6th, 2020 in coronavirus, financial regulation, insurance, law firms, news by tracey

‘A law firm at the forefront of the business interruption insurance test case has described insurers’ decision to appeal the High Court ruling as “disgraceful”.’

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Litigation Futures, 5th October 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

G-A-Y nightclub owner launches legal action against government over 10pm curfew – The Independent

Posted October 6th, 2020 in clubs, coronavirus, health & safety, judicial review, news, regulations by tracey

‘”Enough is enough” says Jeremy Joseph as he launches judicial review into policy that threatens future of pubs, clubs and restaurants.’

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The Independent, 5th October 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

UK court overturns ruling on $1.8bn of Venezuelan gold – The Guardian

‘A battle for the control of more than $1.8bn worth of Venezuelan gold stored at the Bank of England has swung in favour of the government of Nicolás Maduro after an appeals court in London overturned an earlier high court ruling concerning whom the UK recognised as Venezuela’s president.’

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The Guardian, 5th October 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Government paying junior barristers less than national minimum wage – The Bar Council

‘Some barristers are being paid the equivalent of £6.25 per hour by the government, less than the National Minimum Wage, despite their central role in clearing the 500,000-plus backlog of cases in the criminal courts, says the Bar Council in its Spending Review submission to the Treasury.’

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The Bar Council, 1st October 2020

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Vos: ‘lawyers face steep learning curve on tech’ – Law Society’s Gazette

‘All lawyers will need to become familiar with the concepts and workings of distributed ledger technology, smart legal contracts and cryptoassets, according to the next master of the rolls. In a foreword to a landmark report on the regulation of blockchain technology, Sir Geoffrey Vos says that the pandemic “has only emphasised our need to understand the ways in which technology is affecting our professional lives. Lawyers face a steep learning curve.” ’

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Law Society's Gazette, 5th October 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Lord Sumption: justice faces digital trade-off – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The court system faces a trade-off between the quality of justice and the cost of delivering it, former Supreme Court justice Lord Sumption has said in a biting assessment of virtual hearings. Speaking at the Commercial Litigators’ Forum, Lord Sumption (Jonathan Sumption QC) said if quality of justice was the only concern “we would go back to ordinary oral hearings.” ‘

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Law Society's Gazette, 5th October 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Coronavirus: Students fined £200 over party at university halls – The Independent

‘Two students have been fined £200 each following an illegal party in a university’s halls of residence, West Midlands Police has said.’

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The Independent, 3rd October 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Ilford takeaway fined for serving burger after curfew – BBC News

Posted October 5th, 2020 in coronavirus, emergency powers, enforcement, fines, food, news, police by tracey

‘An east London takeaway has been fined £1,000 for serving a burger four minutes after the 10pm curfew.’

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BBC News, 5th October 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Coronavirus: Amnesty demands immediate inquiry into care home residents ‘abandoned to die’ – The Independent

‘The human rights of older people have been violated in England’s care homes because of a series of “shockingly irresponsible” government decisions in response to the coronavirus pandemic, a report has found.’

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The Independent, 4th October 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Lord Chancellor’s Speech: Opening of the Legal Year Service – Ministry of Justice

‘Speech delivered by the Lord Chancellor at Temple Church for the Opening of the Legal Year Service.’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 2nd October 2020

Data protection challenges of remote working – Local Government Lawyer

‘Samantha Smith looks at how organisations can handle the data protection challenges of remote working.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 2nd October 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Disabled lawyers “benefit from homeworking during pandemic” – Legal Futures

‘The suspension of office working under lockdown has helped improve the mental and physical health of disabled lawyers, research has indicated.’

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Legal Futures, 2nd October 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Society alarmed by Covid-19 exemption for lawyers – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The Law Society has raised concerns about latest coronavirus regulations which allow lawyers to break self-isolation rules.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 2nd October 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Half of coronavirus fines go unpaid in England and Wales – The Guardian

Posted October 1st, 2020 in coronavirus, enforcement, fines, magistrates, news, penalties, police, regulations by sally

‘Half the fines issued by police for breaches of coronavirus rules in England and Wales have not been paid and will be dealt with by the already beleaguered courts, it has been revealed.’

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The Guardian, 30th September 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Review of BSB decision-making will not cover exams furore – Legal Futures

Posted September 30th, 2020 in barristers, coronavirus, examinations, legal education, Legal Services Board, news by sally

‘The Legal Services Board (LSB) has launched its review of the quality of the Bar Standards Board’s (BSB) decision-making – but is not going to look at the controversy around last month’s Bar exams.’

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Legal Futures, 30th September 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Female advocates “to lose instructions” with longer court hours – Legal Futures

Posted September 29th, 2020 in barristers, carers, coronavirus, courts, flexible working, news, solicitors, women, working time by sally

‘Criminal advocates unable to accommodate courts’ extended operating hours (EOH) – who are disproportionately women – are likely to miss out instructions even though they can ask for hearings to be held during regular hours instead, research has warned.’

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Legal Futures, 29th September 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

English universities must consider partial fee refunds, says regulator – The Guardian

Posted September 29th, 2020 in coronavirus, fees, news, repayment, universities by sally

‘Universities in England must consider refunding some tuition fees, their regulator has said as it emerged that lawyers are challenging the legal basis of a two-week lockdown of 1,700 students in Manchester.’

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The Guardian, 28th September 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com