‘Dilapidated’ courts need millions for repairs, says top judge – The Guardian

‘Courts in England and Wales are suffering from decades of neglect and need an injection of hundreds of millions of pounds for repairs, the lord chief justice has told MPs.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 20th November 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Courts to pilot more flexible hours for the benefit of the public – Ministry of Justice

Posted November 16th, 2018 in courts, flexible working, pilot schemes, press releases by tracey

‘Early and late sittings will be piloted in civil and family courts, giving people greater access to hearings that can fit around their busy lives.’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 16th November 2018

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Ministers unveil ‘housing court’ proposals to speed up disputes between landlords and tenants – The Independent

Posted November 14th, 2018 in consultations, courts, housing, landlord & tenant, news by sally

‘Ministers have unveiled plans for a specialist “housing court” to speed up the settlement of property disputes between landlords and tenants.’

Full Story

The Independent, 14th November 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Barristers becoming as vulnerable to cyber-attacks as solicitors – Legal Futures

‘Increased use of technology at the Bar and in the court system has left barristers as vulnerable to cyber-attacks as solicitors, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) has warned.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 1st November 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Guidance issued to court staff on supporting media access – Transparency Project

Posted October 31st, 2018 in courts, media, news, reporting restrictions by sally

‘This week the Ministry of Justice issued Guidance to staff on supporting media access to courts and tribunals as “part of a wider effort to build stronger working relationships between courts and the press and maintain the principle of open justice as we increasingly digitise court services.”’

Full Story

Transparency Project, 28th October 2018

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Government agrees to limit delegation of judicial powers – Litigation Futures

Posted October 30th, 2018 in bills, courts, judiciary, limitations, news by sally

‘The government has introduced restrictions on what judicial tasks can be delegated to court staff under legislation currently going through Parliament.’

Full Story

Litigation Futures, 29th October 2018

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

The Financial Remedies Court: Latest Developments – Family Law Week

Posted October 15th, 2018 in courts, families, financial dispute resolution, news, pilot schemes by tracey

‘Matthew Richardson, family barrister at Coram Chambers, provides an update on the progress of the Financial Remedies Court and highlights that rollout dates are soon to be announced.’

Full Story

Family Law Week, 14th October 2018

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

What does the Proposal to Introduce Trial-by-Video Link Mean for Justice? – Rights Info

‘The government’s plans for court modernisation, under Her Majesty’s Courts, Tribunals Service Reform Programme (HMCTS), include the development of fully-video hearings, where all parties join via electronic links and no one is in a courtroom.’

Full Story

Rights Info, 9th October 2018

Source: rightsinfo.org

Video hearings pilot: Technical flaws but some positive signs – Litigation Futures

Posted September 18th, 2018 in courts, news, pilot schemes, video recordings by sally

‘An independent evaluation of an online video hearing pilot run by HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) has found it was beset by technical failures, ended up much smaller than envisaged, and warned that the participants could be “self-selecting”.’

Full Story

Litigation Futures, 18th September 2018

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

GCHQ data collection violated human rights, Strasbourg court rules – The Guardian

Posted September 13th, 2018 in courts, data protection, human rights, intelligence services, news, privacy by tracey

‘GCHQ’s methods in carrying out bulk interception of online communications violated privacy and failed to provide sufficient surveillance safeguards, the European court of human rights has ruled in a test case judgment. But the Strasbourg court found that GCHQ’s regime for sharing sensitive digital intelligence with foreign governments was not illegal.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 13th September 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Authority urges Justice Minister to reverse Magistrate’s Court re-organisation – Local Government Lawyer

Posted September 4th, 2018 in courts, local government, magistrates, news by sally

‘A second council has objected to the Ministry of Justice’s changes to court locations in the West Midlands.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 30th August 2018

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

New pilot scheme announced for easier court entrance for legal professionals – Family Law

Posted August 13th, 2018 in courts, identification, legal profession, news, pilot schemes by sally

‘The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced a new pilot scheme for practising legal professionals which will allow for them to get direct entrance to courts without the need to be searched. The scheme aims to reduce queues and grant legal professionals easier court access. In preparation of the schemes launch the MoJ is encouraging legal professionals to register with their local courts prior to the start of the pilot.’

Full Story

Family Law, 10th August 2018

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Unified Patent Court: UK to be a member during Brexit transition – OUT-LAW.com

Posted August 10th, 2018 in courts, international courts, news, patents by sally

‘The UK government has revealed that a deal was struck earlier this year to enable the UK to participate in the new Unified Patent Court (UPC) system during any Brexit implementation period that might apply.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 8th August 2018

Source: www.out-law.com

‘Speech by Sir Ernest Ryder, Senior President of Tribunals: Justice in a Modern Way’ – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted August 8th, 2018 in courts, judiciary, speeches, tribunals by tracey

‘Speech by Sir Ernest Ryder, Senior President of Tribunals: Justice in a Modern Way.’

Full speech

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 7th August 2018

Source: www.judiciary.gov

Hayley Gascoigne, Died of a Broken Heart? – Laura Addy summarises Inquest – Park Square Barristers

Posted August 7th, 2018 in courts, inquests, news, paramedics by sally

‘On the 28th and 29th June 2018 Laura Addy represented Gary Long in the recent inquest into the tragic death of Hayley Gascoigne that was held at Hull Coroner’s Court before Professor Marks.’

Full Story

Park Square Barristers, 6th July 2018

Source: www.parksquarebarristers.co.uk

Video hearings “will not supplant” face-to-face, says HMCTS – Legal Futures

Posted July 31st, 2018 in courts, dispute resolution, news, tribunals, video recordings by sally

‘Video hearings will not supplant face-to-face hearings in the majority of cases before the courts, even after their use is expanded, the deputy director of HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has predicted.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 31st July 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Government accused of ‘undermining access to justice’ with closure of seven more courts in England – The Independent

Posted July 25th, 2018 in budgets, civil justice, courts, criminal justice, news by tracey

‘The government is closing seven more courts in England to save money, despite warnings that the move will “undermine local access to justice”.’

Full Story

The Independent, 24th July 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

MPs cast severe doubt on court modernisation – Legal Futures

Posted July 20th, 2018 in civil justice, courts, criminal justice, HM Courts Service, news by tracey

‘MPs on the public accounts committee (PAC) said today that they have “little confidence” that the court modernisation programme can be delivered.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 20th July 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Plans to close courts across the UK could see suspects failing to turn up for hearings, report warns – Daily Telegraph

‘Plans to close courts across the UK could see suspects failing to turn up for hearings, the public accounts committee has warned.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 20th July 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Judicial Protocol update: Expedition of Cases Involving Witnesses Under 10 Years – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted July 17th, 2018 in children, courts, press releases, reports, witnesses by tracey

‘A Protocol between The National Police Chiefs’ Council, The Crown Prosecution Service and Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service to Expedite Cases Involving Witnesses Under 10 Years.’

Full text

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 13th July 2018

Source: www.judiciary.uk