The position on possession – Hardwicke Chambers

‘Andrew Skelly considers the current restrictions on a landlord’s ability to recover possession, and the emergency measures set out in the Coronavirus Act 2020 that will continue to apply after the automatic stay on possession proceedings comes to an end on 23 August 2020.’

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Hardwicke Chambers, 12th August 2020

Source: hardwicke.co.uk

230,000 could lose homes as eviction ban ends in England and Wales – The Guardian

Posted August 19th, 2020 in coronavirus, debts, housing, landlord & tenant, news, rent, repossession, statistics by sally

‘A man whose partner died of coronavirus after they moved into their dream flat is among 230,000 people who face having to leave their homes when the government lifts its ban on evictions in England and Wales this weekend.’

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The Guardian, 19th August 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Man jailed for biting Rochdale PC during attack on officers – BBC News

Posted August 19th, 2020 in assault, coronavirus, criminal damage, imprisonment, news, police, sentencing by sally

‘A man who attacked three police officers during the Covid-19 lockdown, one of whom he bit, has been jailed.’

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BBC News, 18th August 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Four more Nightingale courts open – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted August 18th, 2020 in coronavirus, courts, delay, news, solicitors, working time by sally

‘The Law Society has once again urged the government to avoid extending court hours to reduce the justice backlog after four more Nightingale courts opened this week.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 18th August 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Domestic abuse worsened in lockdown for two-thirds of survivors, BBC investigation finds – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 18th, 2020 in coronavirus, domestic violence, news by sally

‘Data uncovered by Panorama showed there was a call relating to domestic abuse every 30 seconds during the first seven weeks of lockdown.’

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Daily Telegraph, 16th August 2020

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

A-level student launches legal bid against Ofqual – The Guardian

‘An A-level student has launched a legal bid against the exams regulator Ofqual to “force them to come up with a fairer system”.’

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The Guardian, 16th August 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

NHS, solicitors and patients group agree Covid-19 claims protocol – Litigation Futures

‘NHS Resolution, the Society of Clinical Injury Lawyers (SCIL) and patient safety charity Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) have signed up to a new protocol to better manage claims during Covid-19.’

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Litigation Futures, 14th August 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

A-level results: ‘Huge mess’ as exams appeal guidance withdrawn – BBC News

‘The exams regulator is reviewing its guidance on how to appeal against A-level and GCSE grades using mock exam results – hours after publishing it.’

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BBC News, 16th August 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Re Debenhams Retail: do the wages of furloughed employees enjoy super priority in an insolvency? – Hardwicke Chambers

‘The Appellants were the Joint Administrators of Debenhams Retail Ltd (“the Company”), which had entered into administration on 9 April 2020. This had followed decisions in late March to place some 14,000 of its employees on furlough under the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (“the Scheme”).’

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Hardwicke Chambers, 11th August 2020

Source: hardwicke.co.uk

Revisiting Force Majeure – St Ives Chambers

Posted August 14th, 2020 in chambers articles, contracts, coronavirus, news by sally

‘Firstly, it should be made clear that force majeure is a clause which allows a party or parties to an agreement to avoid performing it in some way. However, that is dependent on certain events as specified within the agreement occurring.’

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St Ives Chambers, 3rd August 2020

Source: www.stiveschambers.co.uk

Lord Chancellor accepts unlawfulness of new Legal Aid scheme for immigration and asylum appeals – Garden Court Chambers

‘On 8 June 2020 the Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020 (the Amendment Regulations) came into force. The Amendment Regulations established a new fee regime for the remuneration of legal aid providers for appellants whose asylum and immigration appeals are being dealt with under a new Online Procedure which had previously been in pilot phase, but was rolled out widely by the First-tier Tribunal (FtT) in mid-March 2020.’

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Garden Court Chambers, 12th August 2020

Source: www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk

A-level Students Consider Legal Action Over Downgrade ‘Discrimination’ – Each Other

‘The government could face legal action over the mass downgrading of A-level results in England, with affected students saying they feel discriminated against over their school’s track-record.’

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Each Other, 13th August 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

UK firms face up to threat of domestic abuse as more staff work from home – The Guardian

Posted August 14th, 2020 in coronavirus, domestic violence, employment, families, news, victims by sally

‘Companies offering training for staff and support including paid leave and emergency accommodation.’

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The Guardian, 13th August 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Students lodge formal complaint against BPP alleging City favouritism – Law Society’s Gazette

‘A multifaceted complaint against legal educator BPP from students on its postgraduate solicitor programmes was formally submitted today.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 11th August 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Chambers giving notice on leases in wake of Covid – Legal Futures

Posted August 11th, 2020 in barristers, coronavirus, leases, news, working time by sally

‘Barristers may be keen to get back to work but they are not going back to chambers, and nearly a third of sets have given or are considering giving partial notice on their leases, according to new research.’

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Legal Futures, 11th August 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Boy guilty over Oxford Street ‘coronavirus attack’ – BBC News

Posted August 11th, 2020 in assault, coronavirus, guilty pleas, hate crime, news, racism, young offenders by sally

‘A 15-year-old boy has admitted attacking a student from Singapore who was told “we don’t want your coronavirus in our country”.’

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BBC News, 10th August 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Where to now? End of eviction ban leaves tenants fearing for future – The Guardian

‘Soon landlords will be able to take action against renters again, which many fear could lead to a rise in homelessness.’

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The Guardian, 9th August 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Belly Mujinga: no charges after CPS review of rail worker’s Covid-19 death – The Guardian

‘No charges will be brought over the death of Belly Mujinga, the railway worker who died of Covid-19 after allegedly being spat on while at work, prosecutors have decided after reviewing the evidence.’

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The Guardian, 6th August 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Another recusal refusal – but this time the Court of Appeal steps in – Transparency Project

‘In the second such case in a month, a judge has refused to recuse herself at the request of a litigant, but on this occasion the Court of Appeal has reversed that decision and ordered that she step down from the case and let another judge take over.’

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Transparency Project, 3rd August 2020

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Coronavirus: ‘Institutional racism left minorities exposed’ – BBC News

Posted August 3rd, 2020 in coronavirus, employment, equality, health, inquiries, news, race discrimination, racism, Wales by sally

‘Institutional racism may have contributed to the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on ethnic minorities in Wales, a top judge has claimed.’

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BBC News, 3rd August 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk