Be good, for goodness’ sake: fraud and adjudication enforcement – Practical Law: Construction Blog

‘Christmas is on the horizon. It’s necessary, therefore, to ask who’s been naughty and who’s been nice – and how better to do that than by reflecting on the courts’ approach to fraud in adjudications?’

Full Story

Practical Law: Construction Blog, 9th December 2020

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

New criminal record disclosure rules take effect – UK Human Rights Blog

‘On the 28th November 2020, The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Record Certificates: Relevant Matters) (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 (“the Order”) came into force, implementing important changes to the criminal records disclosure rules in England and Wales.’

Full Story

UK Human Rights Blog, 1st December 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Guildford pub bomb police took action to keep files closed – BBC News

‘The police force investigating the Guildford pub bombs has been accused of a conflict of interest after it took legal action to keep archives closed. More than 700 files on the 1974 IRA bombs had been due to open this year but were retained by the Home Office. Inquest papers have shown Surrey Police applied for the files to stay closed.’

Full Story

BBC news, 2nd December 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

International community “will see Halliburton ruling as protecting Bar” – Litigation Futures

‘The Supreme Court’s decision not to remove a QC from an arbitration will reinforce the international perception that members of the English Bar are being protected, a solicitor has claimed.’

Full Story

Litigation Futures, 30th November 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

New Judgment: Halliburton Company v Chubb Bermuda Insurance Ltd (Formerly known as Ace Bermuda Insurance Ltd) [2020] UKSC 48 – UKSC Blog

‘The Supreme Court has unanimously dismissed this appeal addressing when an arbitrator should make disclosure of circumstances which may give rise to justifiable doubts as to his impartiality.’

Full Story

UKSC Blog, 27th November 2020

Source: ukscblog.com

Extensions to the Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Regime – Family Law Week

‘Matthew Moore, director of Infolegal, advises family lawyers of their obligations under anti-money laundering regulations following changes [to the] wording of what constitutes taxation advice.’

Full Story

Family Law Week, 24th November 2020

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Helen’s Law receives Royal Assent – Ministry of Justice

‘Killers who withhold information on their victims could spend longer behind bars.’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 4th November 2020

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

New Act – legislation.gov.uk

Posted November 6th, 2020 in criminal justice, disclosure, legislation, prisons, victims by sally

Prisoners (Disclosure of Information About Victims) Act 2020

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

Children: Public Law Update (October) – Family Law Week

“John Tughan QC of 4PB considers the latest judgments that Public law child lawyers need to know about.”

Full Story

Family Law Week, 28th October 2020

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Judge: Disclosure pilot demands co-operation, not unilateral action – Litigation Futures

Posted October 28th, 2020 in disclosure, judges, news, pilot schemes by sally

‘Parties in disagreement over how to proceed with disclosure under the pilot should not stop talking or engage in “point-scoring correspondence”, a judge has warned.’

Full Story

Litigation Futures, 28th October 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Law Society sets out priority areas for reform that would see less need for judicial review challenges – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Law Society has called for four reforms which it says would reduce the need for citizens to resort to judicial review, in its submission to the Independent Review of Administrative Law (IRAL).’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 26th October 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Re B: Judgment or Press Release? – Transparency Project

Posted October 21st, 2020 in appeals, children, disclosure, families, judgments, medical records, news by sally

‘The judgment has generated some coverage in the legal and mainstream press, and some of the below the line comments suggest that at least within the legal community it has had a mixed reception. In this blog post I look at why that might be.’

Full Story

Transparency Project, 19th October 2020

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Woman jailed after forging court order in bid to obtain medical records of relative subject to Court of Protection proceedings – Local Government Lawyer

‘A woman has been sentenced to an immediate term of imprisonment of 12 months after a High Court judge found she had forged a purported court order and sent it to an NHS trust with the intention of obtaining the medical confidential records of a relative, despite the court refusing to direct this.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 5th October 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Changes afoot as litigators lambast disclosure pilot – Litigation Futures

Posted September 28th, 2020 in civil procedure rules, costs, courts, disclosure, news, pilot schemes, solicitors, statistics by sally

‘Commercial litigators have vented their frustration – and in some cases anger – with the disclosure pilot in the Business and Property Courts, and changes to its rules have been put forward as a result of this and other feedback.’

Full Story

Litigation Futures, 24th September 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Defence QC’s accusation against prosecutor was not misconduct – Legal Futures

‘A QC who accused prosecution counsel of bad faith without reasonable grounds was in breach of Bar Standards Board rules but not to the level of professional misconduct, a tribunal has ruled.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 25th September 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Infected blood scandal: Treasury refuses to publish key documents – The Guardian

‘The Treasury is refusing to publish key documents about the treatment of haemophiliacs infected by the NHS with HIV on the grounds that it would be “disruptive” and material might be “distorted” by the media.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 21st September 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Courts must “get a handle” on disclosure pilot costs – Litigation Futures

Posted September 10th, 2020 in costs, disclosure, news, pilot schemes, solicitors by sally

‘The Business and Property Courts must “get a handle” on why most solicitors believe the disclosure pilot is not producing cost savings, the professor monitoring its progress has said.’

Full Story

Litigation Futures, 9th September 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

UK man who murdered wife to be freed despite refusal to reveal location of body – The Guardian

Posted September 9th, 2020 in disclosure, domestic violence, families, murder, news, parole by sally

‘A man who murdered his wife 35 years ago is to be released from prison despite refusing to reveal the whereabouts of her body.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 8th September 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Campaigners start legal challenge to UK’s $1bn grant to Mozambique gas project – The Guardian

‘Environmentalists at Friends of the Earth will mount a legal challenge against the government’s decision to offer $1bn in financial support to a major fossil fuel project in Mozambique that they say is “incompatible” with the Paris climate agreement.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 7th September 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Reforms to UK’s antiquated spying laws published by Law Commission – Law Commission

‘Reform is needed to bring the law into the 21st century and protect the United Kingdom from espionage (spying) and unauthorised disclosures (leaks), according to a report from the Law Commission that has been laid in Parliament today [01 September 2020].’

Press release

Law Commission, 1st September 2020

Source: www.lawcom.gov.uk