London Fire Brigade has only acted on four of 29 recommendations from first stage of Grenfell Inquiry – The Independent

Posted February 12th, 2021 in accidents, codes of practice, delay, emergency services, fire, news by tracey

‘The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has only implemented four of the 29 recommendations suggested to it by the first part of the Grenfell inquiry, a new report has found.’

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The Independent, 12th February 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Alternative Dispute Resolution – Becket Chambers

Posted February 11th, 2021 in chambers articles, coronavirus, delay, family courts, news by sally

‘The family courts were overwhelmed with cases prior to the Pandemic, leading to long delays and, perhaps most distressing to the parties engaged in this type of conflict resolution, last minute adjournments which can incur significant wasted costs, for which there is generally no recourse, together with the distress and anxiety associated with yet further, often prejudicial, delay in ending what is for most participants a highly unpleasant and distressing experience.’

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Becket Chambers, 1st February 2021

Source: becket-chambers.co.uk

Profession claims victory in fight against extended court hours – Legal Futures

Posted February 4th, 2021 in coronavirus, courts, criminal justice, delay, legal profession, news, working time by sally

‘The legal profession claimed victory last night in the fight against extended operating hours (EOH) in the criminal courts.’

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Legal Futures, 4th February 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Consigned to History: Do abuse of process arguments work in historic sex cases? – Carmelite Chambers

Posted February 2nd, 2021 in abuse of process, delay, news, stay of proceedings by sally

‘Ben Hargreaves looks at the case law from R (Ebrahim) v Feltham MC [2001] 2 Cr.App.R. 23 through to R v Hewitt [2020] EWCA Crim 1247 and considers whether there is any prospect of turning the tide on the diminishing scope for successful abuse arguments in historic sex allegations.’

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Carmelite Chambers, 1st February 2021

Source: www.carmelitechambers.co.uk

High Court finds ‘huge delay’ in the Home Office provision of asylum support accommodation – EIN Blog

‘The High Court judgment in R (DMA & Ors) v The Secretary of State for the Home Department [2020] EWHC 3416 (Admin) upheld a significant judicial review challenge against the Secretary of State over systemic delays in the provision of adequate accommodation to destitute, refused asylum seekers.’

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EIN Blog, 1st February 2021

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Coronavirus: Cut jury size to clear courts backlog – Labour – BBC News

Posted January 27th, 2021 in coronavirus, courts, criminal justice, delay, juries, news, political parties by sally

‘Labour is calling for juries to be cut from 12 members to seven, to stem the “gravest crisis” in the justice system since World War Two.’

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BBC News, 26th January 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Limitation Practice in Clinical Negligence Cases After Azam – Ropewalk Chambers

Posted January 22nd, 2021 in appeals, chambers articles, delay, doctors, limitations, medical treatment, negligence, news by sally

‘Clinical negligence cases can be complex enough without the added difficulty of delay in bringing proceedings resulting in a limitation defence. When it is raised by Defendants it is currently common for cases to be managed so that limitation will be tried as a preliminary issue, perhaps because of the possibility of a major costs saving if a full trial can be avoided.’

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Ropewalk Chambers, 18th January 2021

Source: www.ropewalk.co.uk

Principle of finality in litigation – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 19th, 2021 in delay, enforcement, judgments, jurisdiction, news, sanctions by sally

‘A judgment made in open court takes effect when it is made and not when it is subsequently sealed. The lapse of time between the making of an order in open court and sealing it may be taken by the unsuccessful party as an opportunity to rehearse legal arguments or to produce new evidence to persuade the court to revisit and amend its order before it is sealed.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 18th January 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Case backlog threatens UK criminal justice system, say inspectors – The Guardian

Posted January 19th, 2021 in coronavirus, courts, criminal justice, delay, news, prisons, reports, young offenders by sally

‘Urgent action is needed to tackle an “unprecedented backlog” of court cases built up during the pandemic that has “severe implications” for victims, the UK’s four justice chief inspectors have warned.’

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The Guardian, 19th January 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Covid leading to four-year waits for England and Wales court trials – The Guardian

‘Defendants, victims including teenagers, and witnesses are having to wait up to four years from the time of an alleged offence to the case reaching crown court trial because of delays caused mainly by Covid.’

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The Guardian, 10th January 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Small claims worst hit so far by Covid as trial delays lengthen – Litigation Futures

Posted December 8th, 2020 in coronavirus, criminal justice, delay, news, small claims by sally

‘Small claims have been disproportionally impacted by Covid-19 in terms of timeliness, official figures have shown.’

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Litigation Futures, 8th December 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Ministers urged to end delay on law curbing restraint on mental health patients – The Guardian

Posted December 1st, 2020 in bills, delay, hospitals, mental health, minorities, news, restraint by sally

‘Ministers are being urged to finally implement legislation restricting the use of dangerous restraint practices against patients in mental health units two years after it was passed.’

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The Guardian, 30th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Youth court closures in England and Wales due to Covid ‘have almost doubled backlog’ – The Guardian

‘The temporary closure of youth courts due to Covid-19 has almost doubled the backlog of cases in some areas of England and Wales, increasing anguish for traumatised victims and creating more uncertainty for accused children, inspectors have found.’

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The Guardian, 20th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Trans teen in legal action over gender clinic wait – BBC News

‘A 14-year-old transgender boy is starting legal proceedings against NHS England over delays to gender reassignment treatment.’

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BBC News, 23rd November 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Criminal justice system is ‘on its knees’, says top English lawyer – The Guardian

‘Crown court cases are being delayed until 2023, the innocent penalised more than the guilty, and the under-funded, criminal justice system brought “on its knees”, according to the chair of the Criminal Bar Association in England and Wales.’

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The Guardian, 19th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Windrush: two years on, victims describe long waits and ‘abysmal’ payouts – The Guardian

‘Applicants to the Windrush compensation scheme have spoken about the difficulties they have experienced in securing payouts. Some are concerned by the long delays between applying and being awarded damages, others have expressed unhappiness about the amount they have been offered.’

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The Guardian, 19th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Civil court recovery: More in-person hearings and longer hours – Litigation Futures

‘Up to two-thirds of civil hearings will take place face-to-face over the coming months as the caseload increases, with longer operating hours an option for courts if needed.’

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Litigation Futures, 10th November 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Justice delayed might be justice denied… but for which side? A look at Nigeria v Process & Industrial Developments – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted November 11th, 2020 in arbitration, chambers articles, civil justice, delay, energy, fraud, news, time limits by sally

‘Last month, Sir Ross Cranston handed down judgment in The Federal Republic of Nigeria v Process & Industrial Developments [2020] EWHC 2379 (Comm), marking the latest stage in what has proved a notoriously long-running dispute since arbitration between the parties was first commenced in 2012.’

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Hardwicke Chambers, 14th October 2020

Source: hardwicke.co.uk

Virus backlogs must not become “new normal”, says Lord Chief – Legal Futures

‘The Lord Chief Justice told MPs yesterday that he is “extremely concerned” that the backlogs that have grown across the justice system since March should not be “viewed by anybody as the new normal”.’

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Legal Futures, 11th November 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Three for the Price of One: A Case Note on Diriye v Bojaj – Ropewalk Chambers

Posted November 10th, 2020 in delay, news, personal injuries, postal service, sanctions, service by sally

‘Diriye v Bojaj [2020] EWCA Civ 1400, handed down on 4 November 2020, was a procedural appeal in a credit hire case. It raised a point about pleading allegations of impecuniosity in such cases alongside two points of wider application: whether the Royal Mail “Signed For 1st Class” service is covered by the description “First class post (or other service which provides for delivery on the next business day)” in CPR 6.26; and the proper approach to applications for relief from sanctions under CPR 3.9.’

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Ropewalk Chambers, 5th November 2020

Source: www.ropewalk.co.uk