‘Children subject to public law cases are usually represented by both a publicly-funded legal representative and a Cafcass guardian, known as the ‘tandem model’ of representation. This research explored how this model is working in practice during public law proceedings, and whether any reforms to the model are feasible or appropriate to ensure the rights of the child are safeguarded, efficient judicial case management is supported and public resources are effectively allocated.’
Ministry of Justice, 17th May 2018
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
‘Criminal defence lawyers in England and Wales could become “extinct”, the Law Society has warned on the back of data showing that this is an increasingly ageing part of the profession.’
Legal Futures, 17th April 2018
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘On 21 February 2018 judgment was given in the case of Barton -v- Wright Hassall LLP [2018] UKSC 12.’
Zenith Chambers, 26th February 2018
Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk
‘Two families bereaved by state-related deaths told MPs about their experiences at inquests last week. The House of Commons’ joint committee on human rights heard evidence from the parents of Connor Sparrowhawk, who drowned in a bath in a residential unit for people with learning disabilities, and Joseph Phuong who died following restraint by police during a mental health crisis. Jon Robins reports’
Legal Voice, 13th March 2018
Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk
‘Paralegals should be given rights of audience to enable them to do more legal aid work, an academic has argued.’
Legal Futures, 4th January 2018
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has rejected the idea of diversity targets for the judiciary and magistracy in its response to the Lammy review of the treatment of black and minority ethnic (BAME) people in the criminal justice system.’
Legal Futures, 19th December 2017
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The rise in the number of litigants-in-person in the family courts since the 2013 legal aid reforms has topped a poll of the causes of discontent among family law practitioners for the fifth year running.’
Legal Futures, 15th December 2017
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘When the police investigate a criminal offence, it may not be necessary to formally arrest a suspect. In the past, it would be common practice that those being questioned by the police were arrested. Now, with the introduction of the 28-day bail limit, it is becoming a more accepted method for the police to question suspects by way of a ‘voluntary interview’.’
Legal Voice, 8th December 2017
Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk
‘The number of immigration detainees with no access to legal representation while in detention has tripled in the past few months, a new survey published by the immigration detention charity BID has indicated.’
Legal Voice, 6th December 2017
Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk
‘Migrants held in detention for too long with inadequate access to the courts or to legal help are among a catalogue of problems highlighted by ‘Injustice in Immigration Detention’, an independent report by Dr Anna Lindley of SOAS, published today.’
The Bar Council, 30th November 2017
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
‘Asylum seekers are facing a “lottery” depending on where their appeal is heard, research by the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme has found.’
BBC News, 29th November 2017
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A campaign group is seeking funds to pay for a judicial review challenging the terms of reference of an inquest into the deaths of the Birmingham Pub Bombings victims after a request for legal aid was denied. Justice4the21 is asking legal professionals to donate what they can to fund a challenge to a coroner’s decision earlier this year to exclude the issue of who was responsible for the 1974 bombings.’
Law Society's Gazette, 15th November 2017
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘An official review of the Hillsborough families’ 27-year ordeal since the 1989 disaster has recommended that bereaved families must have funding for full legal representation at inquests where public authorities are represented.’
The Guardian, 1st November 2017
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Hundreds of thousands of people have not been able to get legal aid since the introduction of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) in 2013.’
Legal Voice, 26th October 2017
Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk
‘One of the most senior family court judges has warned about the impact of legal aid cuts and said it was “shaming” to preside over cases in which individuals are forced to represent themselves.’
The Guardian, 13th October 2017
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Coroners have no power to award costs of legal advice or representation at inquests. Where a successful civil claim follows, parties will naturally wish to recover the costs of the inquests as well as the costs of the civil proceedings from the losing party. The starting point is Section 51 of the Supreme Court Act 1981 which enables the court to award costs “of and incidental to” civil proceedings.’
Park Square Barristers, 10th August 2017
Source: www.parksquarebarristers.co.uk
‘Victims of NHS blunders face spending all their compensation on lawyers fees, following a proposed Government shake-down of legal costs, experts have warned.’
Daily Telegraph, 31st July 2017
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘Who pays the costs of Special Advocates where closed material procedures are required to consider sensitive police documents in family proceedings? The police, according to Cobb J in Re R (Closed Material Procedure: Special Advocates: Funding) [2017] EWHC 1793 (Fam).’
UK Police Law Blog, 30th July 2017
Source: ukpolicelawblog.com
‘ New research undertaken by the Universities of Cardiff and Bristol shows that the bulk of work undertaken by paid McKenzie Friends is delivered outside court, with very few seeking actively to represent their litigant in person clients in the court room.’
The Bar council, 12th June 2017
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
© Inner Temple Library 2018