UK citizens and businesses to be spared time and money on cross-border legal disputes – Ministry of Justice

‘Firms caught up in endless international legal disputes will be spared time and money thanks to Ministers signing up to the 2019 Hague Convention today (12 January 2024).’

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Ministry of Justice, 12th January 2024

Source: www.gov.uk

‘Significant step forward’ as Hague Convention signed – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The UK’s appeal to businesses as a centre for dispute resolution will be boosted by the signing of the 2019 Hague Convention on private international law, the government said today. The treaty, signed in the Netherlands by justice minister Lord Bellamy this week, creates international framework of rules for recognition and enforcement of judgments in cross-border civil disputes.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 12th January 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Applications for deprivation of liberty under MCA up by less than 1% compared to same quarter in 2022, but orders nearly double – Local Government Lawyer

‘There were 1,655 applications relating to deprivation of liberty under the Mental Capacity Act made in the most recent quarter (July to September 2023), an increase of less than 1% on the number made in the same quarter in 2022, government data has revealed.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 4th January 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Brand new guide to help public easily access court hearings – Ministry of Justice

Posted January 2nd, 2024 in civil justice, courts, criminal justice, Ministry of Justice, news, tribunals by sally

‘People are being encouraged to see how justice is done in courtrooms with the publication of a new and simple “how to” guide for attending court hearings today.’

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Ministry of Justice, 30th December 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

Easier access to historic wills under new government plans – Ministry of Justice

Posted December 19th, 2023 in archives, consultations, Ministry of Justice, news, wills by sally

‘The ambitious digitisation programme could see millions of wills dating back more than 150 years moved online and more easily accessible to the public in a bid to improve the current storage system.’

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Ministry of Justice, 15th December 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

Ministry of Justice plan to destroy historical wills is ‘insane’, say experts – The Guardian

Posted December 19th, 2023 in archives, consultations, Ministry of Justice, news, wills by sally

‘“Sheer vandalism” and “insane”. This is how leading historians on Monday described government plans to destroy millions of historical wills to save on storage costs. The Ministry of Justice is consulting on digitising and then throwing away about 100m paper originals of the last wills and testaments of British people dating back more than 150 years in an effort to save £4.5m a year.’

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The Guardian, 18th December 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Qualified legal representatives will now get expenses but Law Soc says fees ‘still too low’ – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The Law Society has welcomed the announcement that expenses will be added to the qualified legal representative (QLR) scheme in domestic abuse cases, but says fees are still too low.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 11th December 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Reforms bring hope to rehabilitated people still serving abolished indefinite sentences – Ministry of Justice

‘Thousands of rehabilitated ex-prisoners serving long-since abolished indefinite sentences will become eligible to have their licence period terminated earlier as part of new reforms.’

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Ministry of Justice, 28th December 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

MoJ identifies where, but not why, OIC cases are being delayed – Legal Futures

Posted November 30th, 2023 in delay, electronic filing, insurance, Ministry of Justice, news, personal injuries by sally

‘The period between a liability decision and the insurer making a first offer is where the ever-lengthening delays in the Official Injury Claim (OIC) portal are occurring, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said yesterday.’

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Legal Futures, 30th November 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Over 1,800 offenders to have indefinite jail sentences terminated, says MoJ – The Guardian

Posted November 28th, 2023 in early release, Ministry of Justice, news, sentencing by sally

‘More than 1,800 offenders in England and Wales who have been released on licence but remain under indefinite threat of recall to jail are to have their sentences terminated.’

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The Guardian, 28th November 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

MoJ says it is working on making court records more accessible following MP’s outrage at £7,500 bill – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 27th, 2023 in bills, criminal justice, judgments, Ministry of Justice, news, victims by sally

‘Ministry of Justice officials are working on ways to make transcripts of court proceedings available to victims of crime, a minister has revealed. But, speaking in parliament last week, Mike Freer MP did not respond to calls for immediate legislation to make this possible.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 26th November 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Women in mental health crisis still being jailed in prisons deemed ‘unfit for purpose’, major review warns – The Independent

Posted November 24th, 2023 in bills, imprisonment, mental health, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, statistics, women by sally

‘Women dealing with severe mental illness are still being jailed despite prisons being “ill-equipped” to offer suitable care, a major review has warned.’

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The Independent, 23rd November 2023

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Revealed: 16 years in prison for stealing a bike and no hope of release – as 7 trapped in jail kill themselves – The Independent

‘Seven inmates trapped in prison under indefinite jail terms have taken their own lives since the government refused to resentence them, The Independent can reveal. The prisons watchdog has launched investigations into a string of self-inflicted deaths amid a “worrying rise” in incidents among imprisonment for public protection (IPP) prisoners – with campaigners warning the “hopelessness” associated with the controversial sentences is having tragic consequences.’

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The Independent, 19th November 2023

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Victims to be protected through Sentencing Reforms – Ministry of Defence

‘Cowardly domestic abusers will continue to face time behind bars under legislation laid in Parliament today which will also see the most horrific murderers face life behind bars and rapists locked up for longer.’

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Ministry of Defence, 14th November 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

Government blames data error for figures showing suspects trapped five years in prison without trial – The Independent

Posted November 15th, 2023 in imprisonment, Ministry of Justice, news, remand, statistics by sally

‘The Ministry of Justice has blamed a data error after it published figures showing that 150 suspects had been trapped in jail for more than five years while awaiting trial.’

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The Independent, 14th November 2023

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Magistrates in England not following law on remand decisions, charity finds – The Guardian

‘Magistrates are not following the law when sending thousands of people to jail on remand, exacerbating the prison overcrowding crisis in England, a report suggests.’

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The Guardian, 9th November 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Barrister fee increase to help vulnerable victims bring attackers to justice – Ministry of Justice

‘Fees for barristers who help vulnerable witnesses and victims to pre-record a cross examination will rise to £1,000, the government announced today (25 October 2023).’

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Ministry of Justice, 25th October 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

Barrier to employment lifted for thousands of ex-offenders – Ministry of Justice

‘Over 120,000 former offenders will find it easier to get work and turn their lives away from crime following a change in the law.’

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Ministry of Justice, 30th October 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

Court transcript costs are exploitative – BBC News

‘Victims of violent and sexual crimes are calling for court transcript costs to be cut after they were quoted “unaffordable” sums for them.’

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BBC News, 24th October 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Prison reforms will cut reoffending and put worst offenders behind bars for longer – Ministry of Justice

‘A fundamental shake-up of the justice system that takes dangerous offenders off the streets for longer while rehabilitating lower risk offenders has been outlined today by Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk.’

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Ministry of Justice, 16th October 2023

Source: www.gov.uk