DPP Alison Saunders announces plan to seize more criminal assets hidden abroad – BBC News

‘The director of public prosecutions for England and Wales has unveiled a new drive to clamp down on criminals hiding their assets abroad.’

Full story

BBC News, 24th February 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Family law in crisis – New Law Journal

‘Cuts to legal aid have thrown family proceedings into chaos, say Kim Beatson, Caroline Bowden & Ellen Lucas.’

Full story

New Law Journal, 10th February 2014

Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk

Regina (Noor Khan) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs – WLR Daily

Regina (Noor Khan) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs [2014] EWCA Civ 24; [2013] WLR (D) 14

‘The English court would not adjudicate, either as a question of justiciability or as a matter of discretion, on a claim which sought to characterise the actions of United Kingdom officials passing on locational intelligence to officials of the United States of America for use in drone strikes as secondary criminal offences either under domestic criminal law or international humanitarian law, because such relief would necessarily entail a condemnation of the activities of a foreign sovereign state.’

WLR Daily, 20th January 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Family judge ‘cannot control foreign media’ – BBC News

Posted January 15th, 2014 in anonymity, children, disclosure, family courts, foreign jurisdictions, judges, media, news by tracey

‘A senior family judge says he cannot stop the foreign media from publishing the story of a Slovakian mother whose son has been placed into care.’

Full story

BBC News, 14th January 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

MLA guidelines for foreign authorities – Home Office

Posted January 10th, 2014 in criminal procedure, foreign jurisdictions, judiciary, news by tracey

‘These guidelines describe mutual legal assistance (MLA) that can be provided by the UK.’

Full text

Home Office, 6th January 2014

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

In the matter of KL (A Child) – Supreme Court

In the matter of KL (A Child) [2013] UKSC 75 | UKSC 2013/0212 (YouTube)

Supreme Court, 4th December 2013

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt

Court of Appeal clarifies “lawsuits pending” in Art 32 of EC Directive 2001/24 on Reorganisation and Winding Up of Credit Institutions – 11 Stone Buildings

Posted December 3rd, 2013 in appeals, EC law, foreign jurisdictions, insolvency, news, winding up by sally

‘In a judgment handed down today (Isis Investments Ltd v Kaupthing Bank h.f. & Elfar Adalsteinsson [2013] EWCA Civ 1493), the Court of Appeal has clarified the meaning and scope of “lawsuits pending” in Article 32 of the EC Directive on the Reorganisation and Winding Up of Credit Institutions (Directive 2001/24/EC). Charles Samek QC who acted for the successful respondent, Mr Adalsteinsson (acting as a representative party on behalf of high net-worth investors) explains the significance of the judgment.’

Full story

11 Stone Buildings, 27th November 2013

Source: www.11sb.com

Bloy and another v Motor Insurers’ Bureau – WLR Daily

Bloy and another v Motor Insurers’ Bureau [2013] EWCA Civ 1543; [2013] WLR (D) 464

‘The law applicable to the assessment of compensation under regulation 13(2)(b) of the Motor Vehicles (Compulsory Insurance) (Information Centre and Compensation Body) Regulations 2003 was to be assessed by reference to the law of the part of Great Britain where the injured party resided. The limitation on the assessment of compensation under Lithuanian law was not, under English principles of private international law, a matter of substantive law governed by Lithuanian law.’

WLR Daily, 29th November 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Abu Qatada: Trial date set for cleric – BBC News

Posted December 3rd, 2013 in foreign jurisdictions, news, terrorism, trials by sally

‘The trial of radical cleric Abu Qatada, deported from the UK in July, is to begin in Jordan next week, his lawyer says.’

Full story

BBC News, 3rd December 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

BSB produces additional clarification in relation to Public Access rules and foreign work – Bar Standards Board

Posted December 2nd, 2013 in barristers, foreign jurisdictions, news, professional conduct by sally

‘The BSB has produced additional guidance for Public Access barristers instructed directly by lay foreign clients or lay clients in England and Wales for whom they are doing foreign work. Under the new Handbook, the Public Access rules will apply in relation to these clients for the first time. The guidance states.’

Full story

Bar Standards Board, 2nd December 2013

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Foreign Office apology for Egypt rape victim – BBC News

‘A British woman who was raped in Egypt has received an apology and £1,000 in compensation from the Foreign Office after it failed to provide proper support to her.’

Full story

BBC News, 27th November 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Are the Alarm Bells Ringing? Identifying a potential Hague Convention case and responding appropriately – Family Law Week

Posted November 25th, 2013 in child abduction, conflict of laws, foreign jurisdictions, news by tracey

‘Mandeep Gill, associate solicitor with The International Family Law Group LLP, considers the recent cautionary reminder given by Mr Justice Bodey that all practitioners must be able to identify whether there are potential Hague Convention implications in any children case with an international element.’

Full story

Family Law week, 22nd November 2013

Source:  www.familylawweek.co.uk

Anti-suit injunctions, arbitrations and cross-border insolvency – 11 Stone Buildings

“Ironically, the recent developments in international law which have encouraged the recognition of foreign insolvency proceedings and assistance in relation to them have in many cases led to disharmony between our domestic law and the law of the foreign proceedings. The applicable principles on when it is appropriate to grant anti-suit injunctions to protect the right of a party not to be sued in a foreign state have not been worked out fully in relation to insolvency. This is nowhere more apparent than where a foreign debtor enters a foreign insolvency process and prior to the insolvency was party to an agreement containing an English arbitration clause.”

Full story

11 Stone Buildings, November 2013

Source: www.11sb.com

Curtains for the French Blocking Statute? – Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers

Posted November 5th, 2013 in appeals, competition, disclosure, foreign jurisdictions, news by sally

“Never the most celebrated actor on the stage of English litigation, the French Blocking Statute nonetheless has its fans, particularly among competition lawyers. The recent decision of the Court of Appeal in Secretary of State for Health v Servier Laboratories [2013] EWCA Civ 1234, however, may prove the Statute’s final curtain call in this jurisdiction.”

Full story

Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers,

Source: www.competitionbulletin.com

Secretary of State for Health and others v Servier Laboratories Ltd and others National Grid Electricity Transmission plc v ABB Ltd and others – WLR Daily

Secretary of State for Health and others v Servier Laboratories Ltd and others
National Grid Electricity Transmission plc v ABB Ltd and others [2013] EWCA Civ 1234 ; [2013] WLR (D) 401

“It was not mandatory for the court to make use of Council Regulation (EC) No 1206/2001 in order to obtain information or disclosure from a party to litigation from another member state, notwithstanding that compliance with an order made by the court under CPR Pt 18 or Pt 31 might expose the party to a risk of criminal prosecution in that member state.”

WLR Daily, 22nd October 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Emrek v Sabranovic – WLR Daily

Emrek v Sabranovic: (Case C-218/12);   [2013] WLR (D)  390

“Article 15(1)(c) of Council Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 of 22 December 2000 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters did not require the existence of a causal link between the means employed to direct the commercial or professional activity to the member state of the consumer’s domicile. However, the existence of such a causal link constituted evidence of the connection between the contract and such activity.”

WLR Daily, 17th October 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Mittal v Mittal – WLR Daily

Mittal v Mittal: [2013] EWCA Civ ;   [2013] WLR (D)  391

“Paragraph 9 of Schedule 1 to the Domicile and Matrimonial Proceedings Act 1973 gave the courts of England and Wales jurisdiction to stay matrimonial proceedings in favour of competing prior proceedings in a non-member state.”

WLR Daily, 18th October 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Salzgitter Mannesmann Handel GmbH v SC Laminorul SA – WLR Daily

Posted October 1st, 2013 in EC law, enforcement, foreign jurisdictions, judgments, law reports by sally

Salzgitter Mannesmann Handel GmbH v SC Laminorul SA (Case C-157/12); [2013] WLR (D) 362

“Article 34(4) of Council Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 of 22 December 2000 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters (OJ 2001 L12, p 1) was of no application to irreconcilable judgments given by courts of the same member states.”

WLR Daily, 26th September 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Foreign suspect accused of double murder delays extradition with human rights appeal – Daily Telegraph

“An alleged double gang murderer wanted for trial in eastern Europe has stalled his extradition for two years over his ‘human rights’, it can be disclosed.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 28th September 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Van Buggenhout and another v Banque Internationale à Luxembourg SA – WLR Daily

Posted September 23rd, 2013 in debts, EC law, foreign companies, foreign jurisdictions, insolvency, law reports by sally

Van Buggenhout and another v Banque Internationale à Luxembourg SA (Case C-251/12); [2013] WLR (D) 353

“A payment made at the behest of debtor subject to insolvency proceedings to one of the latter’s creditors did not fall within the scope of article 24(1) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1346/2000 of 29 May 2000 on insolvency proceedings. That provision enabled a person who honoured an obligation ‘for the benefit of’ a debtor, who was subject to insolvency proceedings opened in another member state , when it should have been honoured for the benefit of the liquidator, to be deemed to have discharged it if he was unaware of the opening of proceedings.”

WLR Daily, 19th September 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk