Man who imprisoned his wife at home is forbidden from seeing his daughters – The Guardian

Posted December 12th, 2014 in children, contact orders, families, news by sally

‘A man who imprisoned his wife in their home and expected her to be a servant cannot be allowed to see his two daughters, senior judges have ruled.’

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The Guardian, 11th December 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Legal aid slashed with no thought for consequences, MoJ chief admits – The Independent

Posted December 8th, 2014 in budgets, debts, employment, families, housing, legal aid, news by sally

‘The legal aid bill is being slashed by £300m without research into the potential effect of the cuts, the most senior civil servant at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has admitted.’

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The Independent, 5th Decemeber 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Speech to the Bar Conference – Nicholas Lavender QC, Chairman of the Bar Council

Speech to the Bar Conference (PDF)

Nicholas Lavender QC, Chairman of the Bar Council

The Bar Council, 8th November 2014

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Family Mediation – Boom or Bust? – Family Law Week

Posted November 24th, 2014 in dispute resolution, divorce, families, news by sally

‘Amina Somers, Head of Family Mediation at Goodman Ray, asks what can be done to increase the take-up of family mediation.’

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Family Law Week, 22nd November 2014

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Family pressure group “had no business” in applying for habeas corpus on behalf of mother – UK Human Rights Blog

‘An application for habeas corpus by a pressure group was completely “hopeless” and “entirely misconceived”. The appellant’s challenge to the decision of the judge below was equally devoid of merit. Third party applications are only appropriate where the prisoner is incommunicado or where the impediment preventing the prisoner from acting is ignorance or disability. It was entirely inappropriate in these circumstances, where the prisoner had been represented by counsel throughout the proceedings which resulted in her imprisonment, or where her detention had already ended before the application for habeas corpus was made.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 18th November 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

The jail that has reduced violence by helping inmates escape from the gang – The Guardian

Posted November 19th, 2014 in crime, families, gangs, murder, news, prisons, rehabilitation, young offenders by sally

‘Gang rivalries are driving up assaults in custody, but one prison has cut violent incidents by 75%.’

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The Guardian, 19th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Tania Clarence sentenced: Husband of depressed New Malden mother who killed children criticises medics for ‘pressuring family to submit to operations’ – The Independent

Posted November 19th, 2014 in disabled persons, families, homicide, mental health, news, sentencing by sally

‘The husband of a depressed mother who killed her three young disabled children has criticised medical professionals for the “constant pressure” placed on the family to “submit the children to operations and other interventions”.’

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The Independent, 18th November 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Judge hits out at system that encourages solicitors to charge barristers referral fees – Legal Futures

‘Mr Justice Green, chairman of the Advocacy Training Council, has condemned the lack of a “level playing field” for publicly funded advocates, which is leading to the practice of “selling litigation rights”.’

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Legal Futures, 13th November 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Post-Adoption Contact: All Change or More of the Same? – Family Law Week

Posted November 12th, 2014 in adoption, contact orders, families, news, parental responsibility, placement orders by tracey

‘Lance Dodgson, barrister of Bank House Chambers, considers the changes concerning post-adoption contact made by the Children and Families Act 2014 and asks what effect they will have in practice.’

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Family Law Week, 11th November 2014

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Unhappy father must stop ‘snide remarks’ about ex-partner’s lesbian lover, judge rules – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 6th, 2014 in contact orders, families, news by sally

‘Mrs Justice Pauffley suggested the man and his ex-partner should talk about the ‘distress, unhappiness, mistrust and bitterness’ rather than sniping at each other.’

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Daily Telegraph, 5th November 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Sperm deal children ‘irredeemably marred’ by four-parent feud – Daily Telegraph

‘Judge warns of trauma ‘unleashed’ by fallout from ‘known-donor fertilisation’ arrangement between former friends.’

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Daily Telegraph, 3rd November 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Single mother-of-five made homeless by benefits cap turns to Supreme Court over Westminster Council’s attempts at ‘social cleansing’ – The Independent

Posted October 29th, 2014 in appeals, benefits, families, homelessness, housing, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘A single mother-of-five who was made homeless after resisting Westminster Council’s attempt to move the family 50 miles from the capital is applying to the Supreme Court to review her case.’

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The Independent, 29th October 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Judge defends media blackout over death of Poppi Worthington – The Guardian

Posted October 28th, 2014 in children, families, homicide, media, news, police, reporting restrictions, sexual offences by sally

‘A high court judge has justified a controversial media blackout around the death of a baby in Cumbria by saying possible criminal proceedings could be prejudiced by any reporting of the case.’

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The Guardian, 27th October 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Grayling shelves plan to double the fee for getting a divorce – The Independent

Posted October 27th, 2014 in budgets, costs, divorce, families, fees, news by sally

‘The Secretary of State for Justice, Chris Grayling, has quietly shelved plans to nearly double the fee for filing a divorce petition.’

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The Independent, 26th October 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Separated families and bedroom tax – NearlyLegal

Posted October 24th, 2014 in benefits, children, families, housing, human rights, news by sally

‘This was the Liberty backed judicial review of the bedroom tax regulations on the basis that the regulations amounted to an article 8 breach, or an article 14 breach read with article 8, or that the regulations were irrational. At issue was the status of separated families where there was shared care.’

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NearlyLegal, 23rd October 2014

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Robert Cerqua guilty of murdering twin Christopher – BBC News

Posted October 21st, 2014 in alcohol abuse, families, murder, news by sally

‘A man has been found guilty of murdering his identical twin brother in a drunken argument on New Year’s Eve.’

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BBC News, 20th October 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Court refuses to say if killer was allowed to stay in UK – Daily Telegraph

‘Bernard Finlay was found guilty of stabbing a mother of two to death with three kitchen knives and a cleaver in 1997.’

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Daily Telegraph, 18th October 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

To litigate or not to litigate in claims involving wills: practical points for charities – New Square Chambers

Posted October 15th, 2014 in animals, appeals, charities, families, gifts, news, wills by sally

My purpose in this article is to highlight the sort of issues facing charities in deciding whether or not to litigate over a legacy, or residuary gift, contained in a Will. In particular, I shall be looking at a number of cases where charities have faced such difficult decisions, some of which they have got wrong.

Full story (PDF)

New Square Chambers, 2nd October 2014

Source: www.newsquarechambers.co.uk

Will it be enough? – Zenith Chambers

Posted October 15th, 2014 in families, intestacy, married persons, news, trusts, wills by sally

‘The 1st October 2014 sees the implementation of long awaited changes to the way in which intestacy and claims for reasonable financial provision are approached. The Inheritance and Trustees’ Powers Act 2014 is the result of a six year Law Commission review of the intestacy rules and claims for reasonable financial provision. The review was prompted by research that suggested 58% of the adult population does not have a will and the intestacy rules did not properly provide for modern relationships.’

Full story (PDF)

Zenith Chambers, 1st October 2014

Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk

Save the date! – New Square Chambers

Posted October 15th, 2014 in families, intestacy, married persons, news, trusts, wills by sally

‘‘Save the Date!’ The Inheritance and Trustees’ Powers Act 2014 comes into force on 1 October 2014. Alexander Learmonth summarises the important changes being brought in by the new Act.’

Full story (PDF)

New Square Chambers, October 2014

Source: www.newsquarechambers.co.uk