‘Litigants in person (LiPs) who “do little to promote their cases until they are absolutely forced to” and do not “understand, let alone research” their obligations can still be regarded as acting reasonably, the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) has ruled.’
Litigation Futures, 27th November 2019
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘The number of unrepresented defendants in crown courts is rising sharply, the head of the Criminal Bar Association has warned, as cuts to legal aid increasingly affect the criminal justice system.’
The Guardian, 24th November 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Despite there being a variety of reasons why someone may choose to represent themselves in the family courts – this decision isn’t an anomaly. Now only 20% of family court cases have both parties represented. It’s a trend we’ve seen grow in recent years.’
Family Law, 19th November 2019
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
‘Litigants in person and solicitors should go through the Legal Aid Agency, not the High Court, for public funding in civil contempt proceedings, a judge has said in a bid to clear up confusion over who has the power to grant legal aid.’
Law Society's Gazette, 15th November 2019
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Employers paying for an employee to speak to a lawyer about settling a dismissal dispute need to stump up significantly more than £500 for proper legal advice, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled.’
Litigation Futures, 12th November 2019
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘Court users with limited access to computers, poor literacy or limited understanding of how the law works could be disadvantaged and potentially left going through a case with no legal advice as a result of the courts and tribunals modernisation programme, MPs have said.’
Local Government Lawyer, 1st November 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Lawyers have become used to running the gauntlet of the Denton test for relief from sanctions – but now the yardstick for out-of-time applications has resulted in a litigant staying behind bars.’
Law Society's Gazette, 22nd October 2019
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘A deputy master hearing a probate dispute in the High Court said the way litigants in person ran their defence justified a decision not to adjourn the case so they could instruct new lawyers.’
Litigation Futures, 20th September 2019
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘Four leading legal charities have urged the government to delay next year’s whiplash reforms over fears that litigants in person and the organisations supporting them will be overwhelmed by the new regime.’
Legal Futures, 13th August 2019
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘In the early stages of a difficult second pregnancy, Charlotte Loubser had been sick, nauseous and found herself unable get out of bed.’
BBC News, 23rd July 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Family courts are having to “run up a down escalator” to keep pace with unprecedented increases in childcare cases, the most senior family judge in England and Wales has said.’
The Guardian, 3rd July 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The whiplash portal for litigants in person will cover claims for property damage, in addition to personal injury and uninsured losses, the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) has confirmed.’
Legal Futures, 2nd July 2019
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Victims of discrimination in England and Wales are being denied justice due to soaring legal aid cuts, the equalities watchdog has warned. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said people who had been discriminated against for reasons such as their race, gender or disability were being left to represent themselves in court, creating a “David vs Goliath” scenario or letting perpetrators to go entirely unchallenged.’
The Independent, 19th June 2019
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘A free advice clinic provided by law students has a six-month waiting list because people on low incomes struggle to get a solicitor, its director says.’
BBC News, 13th June 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The first High Court judge to give guidance on applying the proportionality test has overturned a costs master’s ruling and slashed the costs he allowed by more than two-thirds.’
Litigation Futures, June 2019
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘Family courts in England and Wales are not properly accommodating children’s voices and needs because the government has suggested “it would all cost too much”, their former head has said.’
BBC News, 16th May 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A failure to pay a trial fee can result in qualified one-way costs shifting (QOCS) being disapplied on strike-out, a judge has ruled.’
Litigation Futures, 29th April 2019
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
© Inner Temple Library 2019