Revealed: surge in domestic violence during Covid-19 crisis – The Guardian

‘Shocking statistics revealed that domestic violence has surged since the start of the coronavirus lockdown, as the home secretary, Priti Patel, insisted that help for all victims of abuse was available.’

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The Guardian, 12th April 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Coronavirus: Ofcom assesses Eamonn Holmes 5G comments after complaints – BBC News

‘TV regulator Ofcom has said it is assessing comments made by presenter Eamonn Holmes about 5G technology and coronavirus “as a priority”.’

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BBC News, 14th April 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Changing the locks during lockdown:The Coronavirus Act 2020, Commercial Property and Forfeiture – 3PB

Posted April 14th, 2020 in chambers articles, coronavirus, forfeiture, landlord & tenant, news by sally

‘In recent years the rise of e-commerce has challenged the traditional High Street model as we know it. The high attrition rates on the High Street have been widely reported. For those retailers who have sought to avoid closing their businesses, Company Voluntary Agreements (“CVA’s”) have become popular in order to allow shops to keep trading.’

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3PB, 9th April 2020

Source: www.3pb.co.uk

New Act – legislation.gov.uk

Posted April 14th, 2020 in coronavirus, emergency powers, legislation by tracey

Coronavirus Act 2020

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

“Release QC money” to support Bar during Covid-19 – Legal Futures

‘The Public Access Bar Association (PABA) has urged the Bar Council to call in its share of the surplus held by QC Appointments (QCA) to support barristers struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.’

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Legal Futures, 14th April 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Coronavirus: How Will Exam Cancellations Affect Students? – Each Other

Posted April 14th, 2020 in coronavirus, education, examinations, news, school children by sally

‘With the cancellation of all GCSE and A level summer exams amid the coronavirus pandemic, the system for awarding student grades been transformed beyond recognition.’

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Each Other, 9th April 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

Judge orders mental health patient to vacate bed for Covid-19 cases – The Guardian

Posted April 14th, 2020 in coronavirus, hospitals, mental health, news by sally

‘A high court judge has ruled a woman can be discharged from the hospital bed she has occupied for more than a year to relieve pressure during the Covid-19 pandemic.’

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The Guardian, 10th April 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Coronavirus: Ofcom formally probes David Icke TV interview – BBC News

‘The UK’s media watchdog has launched a formal investigation into a TV network’s broadcast of an interview with conspiracy theorist David Icke about coronavirus.’

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BBC News, 9th April 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UK insurers face legal action from small firms over Covid-19 claims – The Guardian

Posted April 14th, 2020 in coronavirus, insurance, news by sally

‘Some of Britain’s biggest insurance companies are facing legal action from small business owners who say their legitimate business interruption claims have been unfairly turned down.’

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The Guardian, 12th April 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Legal realities of an ‘extension’ to the football season – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 9th, 2020 in contract of employment, contracts, coronavirus, delay, news, sport by sally

‘The football world, like almost every other sector of the economy, is grappling with the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In English football, the official position remains as set out in the joint statement issued by the main professional stakeholders on 20 March 2020: football is currently suspended but ‘all options’ are being explored ‘to find ways of resuming the season when conditions allow’.’

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7th April 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

The Values of Collaboration and Solidarity: Running a Chambers Through the Coronavirus Crisis – Coronavirus: Guidance for Lawyers and Businesses

Posted April 9th, 2020 in barristers, coronavirus, news by sally

‘Lawyers are nothing if not adaptable. On 27 February my chambers purchased additional hand sanitisers and issued advice about travel abroad. By Monday 23 March all barristers and staff had moved entirely to home working and we had adapted our management systems to cope with that massive change. That very evening the Prime Minister made his dramatic announcement of a complete lock down. And now we have to adapt again.’

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Coronavirus: Guidance for Lawyers and Businesses, 7th April 2020

Source: lawinthetimeofcorona.wordpress.com

Sean Molloy: Covid-19, Emergency Legislation and Sunset Clauses – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘On 25 March, the UK passed the Coronavirus Act 2020 as part of its attempt to manage the coronavirus outbreak. The Act introduces a wave of temporary measures designed to either amend existing legislative provisions or introduce new statutory powers in order to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 (See Nicholas Clapham’s Conversation post here on the content of Bill). As countries around the world enact similar laws, there are notable concerns regarding not only the impact of emergency provisions on human rights, but also the potential of emergency powers to become normalised. One response is to utilise sunset clauses. This piece argues that while sunset clauses are both welcome and necessary, they should nevertheless be approached with a degree of caution.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 8th April 2020

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

UK domestic abuse helplines report surge in calls during lockdown – The Guardian

‘A helpline for perpetrators of domestic abuse who are seeking help to change their behaviour has received 25% more calls as the Covid-19 lockdown continues, fresh figures show.’

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The Guardian, 9th April 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Too scared to speak out’: young legal aid lawyers highlight Covid-19 pressures – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 9th, 2020 in coronavirus, legal aid, legal profession, news, solicitors, standards by sally

‘Furloughed but asked to work, starting work at 5am, prevented from working from home despite living with vulnerable parents – these are some of the shocking stories to emerge from a survey of junior legal aid lawyers.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 9th April 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Remote Justice : A Judge’s perspective – Transparency Project

‘There is no question that remote hearings are a good means of ensuring the continued delivery of the decision-making element of the family justice system. It is amazing that we can do it at all and it is great that we can. But doing so in this way is at the cost of our ability properly to connect to one another, and judges like me are compromised in their ability to conduct hearings with the empathy, fairness, understanding and compassion that is rightly valued as an essential element of the Family Court. I appreciate that in order to deliver justice in the time of Covid-19 we must accept compromise. I wanted to share my experiences however, as there have been times that the extent to which I have felt constrained has been uncomfortable, and I worry about the impact on the parties, and the wider goal of delivering justice fairly. Even though huge progress has and will continue to be made in improving remote hearings, we will be working under the effects of Covid-19 for many months yet to come. I am concerned about the responsibility that will continue to fall on judges for deciding what cases are to be heard or not, and for setting the terms of reference for what constitutes a fair hearing in the time of Covid-19.’

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Transparency Project, 7th April 2020

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Coronavirus: Walsall dad fined for son flouting lockdown – BBC News

‘A father has been fined by police after his son persistently flouted the coronavirus lockdown rules.’

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BBC News, 7th April 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Gethin Thomas: Back to the Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘On 24 March 2020, the Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill 2020 was introduced into the House of Commons, for its first reading, by Caroline Lucas MP. The Bill had been introduced into the House of Lords on 21 October 2019, by Baroness Jenny Jones, on behalf of Lord John Bird (who is best known as the founder of Big Issue). Whilst the Bill is not supported by the Government, it has garnered cross party support, and the Bill’s co-sponsors are drawn from all of the major UK political parties.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 7th April 2020

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

UK lawyers inundated by divorced parents arguing over lockdown custody – The Guardian

Posted April 8th, 2020 in children, coronavirus, custody, divorce, families, news by sally

‘Lawyers have been inundated with inquiries from divorced parents arguing about where their children should stay during the lockdown, with some trying to get their former partners sent to jail for breaking existing custody arrangements.’

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The Guardian, 7th April 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Inquests into deaths in custody during the COVID-19 pandemic – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Following the sad news of the first death in custody from COVID-19, a question arises: what are likely to be the issues at inquests into the deaths in custody from COVID-19?’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 6th April 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Lockdown: A Response to Professor King — Robert Craig – UK Human Rights Blog

‘This post analyses the legal provisions that accompany some of the restrictions on movement of individuals announced by the Government. The movement restrictions themselves are vital to the protection of life in the current crisis and must be adhered to by all persons. The current Government guidance setting out these and other restrictions can be found here. Legal scrutiny of the associated regulations is warranted but should not be taken to question the undeniable imperative to follow that guidance.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 6th April 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com