Remote Hearings and the Future of the Financial Remedy Court: What We Learned from the Farquhar Report – Parts 1 and 2 – Parklane Plowden

Posted November 2nd, 2021 in case management, drafting, family courts, news, remote hearings, reports by sally

‘The Farquhar report, authored by His Honour Judge Stuart Farquhar, was commissioned by Mostyn J (the National Lead of the Financial Remedies Court) to consider the future of the FRC and the role that remote hearings should play.’

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Parklane Plowden Chambers, 1st November 2021

Source: www.parklaneplowden.co.uk

High Court rules out 28 identical divorce petitions – Law & Religion UK

Posted October 14th, 2021 in divorce, drafting, evidence, news by sally

‘On 10 September 2021, Mr Justice Moor handed down the judgment Yorston & Ors, Re (Matrimonial Causes Act 1973: Improper Petitions) [2021] EWFC 80 concerning 28 petitions to the High Court. In each case, the allegations of unreasonable behaviour were absolutely identical.’

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Law & Religion UK, 13th October 2021

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

Not sharing Covid risks would threaten viability of construction projects – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 2nd, 2021 in construction industry, contracts, coronavirus, drafting, news by sally

‘The construction industry faces many challenges related to Covid-19, and if it doesn’t take a co-operative approach and share risks then it could make the situation even worse.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 1st September 2021

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Defensive Advising Strategies 1: What you learn from practising in the field of professional negligence – Wilberforce Chambers

‘Relatively speaking, barristers usually have rather broad practices. Even if (like me) a significant part of their practice is concerned with advisory work and drafting, barristers are often also engaged on various litigious matters relating to their underlying area of expertise, including professional negligence claims. By contrast, despite exposure to a variety of areas of practice whilst training, the organisation of many firms of solicitors can often have the effect that private client solicitors know little of litigation. For example, I once saw a draft witness statement prepared by a private client solicitor, where the parties in the heading were referred to separately in each capacity – as with a deed. And it is particularly problematic that private client lawyers often do not know very much about the field of professional negligence.’

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Wilberforce Chambers, 13th May 2021

Source: www.wilberforce.co.uk

Judge blasts “lamentable” applications and non-compliant skeletons – Litigation Futures

Posted May 4th, 2021 in case management, drafting, news, skeleton arguments by sally

‘A deputy High Court judge has hit out at the “lamentable” way applications before him were prepared, including non-compliant and late skeleton arguments from counsel.’

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Litigation Futures, 4th May 2021

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Firm’s breach over counterparty’s name caused no loss, rules High Court – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 16th, 2021 in compensation, drafting, fees, law firms, negligence, news, solicitors by sally

‘A firm’s drafting mistake in a standstill agreement was a breach of its duty but caused no loss to the client, a judge has ruled.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 15th April 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Budget variation application failed promptness test, master rules – Litigation Futures

Posted April 15th, 2021 in budgets, civil procedure rules, costs, drafting, negligence, news by sally

‘A High Court master has sent out a strong message on the need to seek budget variations promptly after refusing a bid to increase two claimants’ budgets by £1.3m.’

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Litigation Futures, 13th April 2021

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Government agrees to call pregnant ministers ‘mothers’ – The Independent

‘The government has agreed to change the wording in its new maternity leave legislation from referring to “pregnant people” to “mothers” after the phrasing was rejected by the House of Lords – despite gender-neutral language being government convention.’

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The Independent, 26th February 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Drafting an information for breach of an enforcement notice: Ceredigion CC v Robinson & others – 5SAH

‘An allegation of an offence in an information or charge must describe the offence in ordinary language and make it clear what the prosecutor alleges. Amendments to section 179 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (TCPA 1990) mean that it is no longer necessary, when prosecuting a defendant for non-compliance with an enforcement notice, to aver within the information the date upon which the period of compliance expired. The court held that the exact moment at which the compliance period expired was no longer of critical or defining importance. It is a necessary inference within an information that the date upon which the offence is said to have been committed, occurred after the period of compliance had expired. The prosecutor would still need to prove as a fact that the date for compliance had expired, but this fact was not essential to enable the defendant to understand what the prosecutor was alleging.’

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5SAH, 16th February 2021

Source: www.5sah.co.uk

Divisional Court hands down ruling on requirements for charges under s. 179 TCPA – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 7th, 2021 in drafting, enforcement notices, informations, local government, news, planning, Wales by sally

‘A Welsh council has won an appeal to the Divisional Court over a ruling that informations it laid under s.179 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 were defective.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 6th January 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Council loses appeal over £200 confiscation order in housing case when benefit said to be several hundreds of thousands of pounds – Local Government Lawyer

‘The London Borough of Islington has lost “a most unusual” Court of Appeal action in which it argued that a confiscation order in a housing overcrowding case was too lenient.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 27th August 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Costs judge strikes down CFAs worth millions – Litigation Futures

Posted August 27th, 2020 in costs, drafting, fees, news by sally

‘A costs judge has struck down three conditional fee agreements (CFAs) in a big-money commercial case for having the potential to lead to a claim for a success fee exceeding 100%.’

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Litigation Futures, 27th August 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

High Court judge savages unnecessary witness statements – Litigation Futures

Posted July 2nd, 2020 in drafting, news, summary judgments, taxation, witnesses by sally

‘A High Court judge has roundly criticised witness statements prepared for an application for summary judgment in a major piece of tax litigation, saying far too much time and money was spent on them.’

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Litigation Futures, 1st July 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

What Conspiracy? Warnings and lessons for conspiracy cases – 4 King’s Bench Walk

Posted June 23rd, 2020 in conspiracy, drafting, indictments, news by sally

‘This article considers the recent case of R v Johnson [2020] EWCA Crim 482 and its implications for practitioners drafting conspiracy indictments and advising clients in relation to them.’

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4 King's Bench Walk, 17th June 2020

Source: www.4kbw.co.uk

Warning over fall-out from witness statement crackdown – Litigation Futures

‘A judicial crackdown on overlong witness statements puts lawyers at risk of wasted costs orders and professional negligence claims, a barrister has warned.’

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Litigation Futures, 9th April 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Witness Statements: Overlong and Over-lawyered? – Hailsham Chambers

Posted April 1st, 2020 in chambers articles, drafting, evidence, news, witnesses by sally

‘As many legal commentators including the author have noted recently: long, complex and detailed statements served particularly on behalf of lay witnesses, but written by their legal teams, can be more of a hindrance than of assistance. Straightforward cross-examinations of such witnesses will frequently prove effective in at the very least exciting the suspicion of a court as to the reliability of such lay evidence, or worse, in some cases causing questions to be asked as to their credibility when the inevitable rhetorical question is asked in closing as to whether such a person ever really could have had a reasonable belief in the veracity of what the statement contained.’

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Hailsham Chambers, 27th March 2020

Source: www.hailshamchambers.com

The quickly mutating Coronavirus legislation – drafting anomalies and police powers – UK Police Law Blog

‘The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Business Closure) (England) Regulations 2020 at reg 6(1) create a prohibition against leaving one’s home without reasonable excuse rather than being outside one’s home without reasonable excuse. Not only is that narrower than many people had thought, it shapes the powers of a police constable to direct or remove people to their home, which depends upon the constable considering that they have breached reg 6(1). Furthermore, in criminal proceedings for a breach, it may be that the burden of establishing of the defence of reasonable excuse is on a defendant in Scotland but on the prosecution in the other three home nations.’

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UK Police Law Blog, 31st March 2020

Source: ukpolicelawblog.com

Draft in haste… Coronavirus restrictions and homelessness – Nearly Legal

‘Here are emergency regulations, The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020, made today. These, amongst many other things, deal with what commercial premises may open, or must be closed, and – to the point here – restrictions on individual movement.’

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Nearly Legal, 26th March 2020

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Coronavirus – new forms 3 and 6A for s8 and s21 – Nearly Legal

‘Now that the Coronavirus Act is in force (as of today 26 March 2020), the three month notice period applies to assure and assured shorthold tenancies (as well as secure, introductory, etc).’

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Nearly Legal, 26th March 2020

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

High Court judicial approval for joint drafting of family court consent orders – Family Law

Posted January 23rd, 2020 in consent orders, drafting, electronic filing, family courts, news by sally

‘The green light has now been given to lawyers and others to act for both parties in drafting consensual family court documents. In a judgment on 20 January 2020, Mr Justice Mostyn has given a Declaration that there is no conflict-of-interest for a leading online service to act for both parties in the drafting of a financial consent order under the terms of its business model. He has further held that doing so is neither a reserved legal activity nor a reserved instrument activity and therefore not a breach of the Legal Services Act.’

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Family Law, 22nd January 2020

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk