Category: news

Supreme Court deals blow to second medical use patents – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 15th, 2018 in appeals, disclosure, intellectual property, medicines, news, patents, standards, Supreme Court by sally

‘The Supreme Court today dismissed an appeal by pharmaceutical company Pfizer, in a case that should provide clarity on patent law surrounding claims for new medical uses for a protected drug. In judgment handed down this morning the court allowed an appeal by generic drug makers Actavis and Mylan. The decision means Pfizer’s patent covering a second medical use for its product is invalid.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 14th November 2018

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Laura Mitchell loses appeal against Andrew Ayres murder conviction – The Guardian

Posted November 15th, 2018 in appeals, joint enterprise, murder, news by sally

‘A trainee midwife sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, who claimed she was looking for her shoes in a car park when the fatal attack occurred outside a Bradford pub, has failed to overturn her conviction. The court of appeal’s ruling in the test case of Laura Mitchell was greeted with dismay by supporters who have been campaigning for changes to the controversial “joint enterprise” rules.’

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The Guardian, 14th November 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

800 BBC presenters could face tax investigations, says watchdog – BBC News

Posted November 15th, 2018 in BBC, contract of employment, contracting out, HM Revenue & Customs, national insurance, news, ombudsmen, statistics, tax avoidance, taxation by sally

‘About 800 BBC TV and radio presenters could face tax investigations over their employment status after a failure by the broadcaster to clear up its payments system, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has said. The National Audit Office said HM Revenue and Customs had opened approximately 100 investigations into BBC-related personal service companies (PSCs) after concerns were raised that they may have broken tax rules.’

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BBC News, 15th November 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Orkambi: Family of girl with cystic fibrosis launch legal challenge over lack of NHS funding for breakthrough drug – The Independent

Posted November 15th, 2018 in budgets, children, disabled persons, health, judicial review, learning difficulties, medical treatment, medicines, news by sally

‘The family of a six-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis who was denied funding for a breakthrough drug which could extend her life has launched a judicial review against the NHS.’

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The Independent, 14th November 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Council decides to block new cafe from opening in empty shop because it has too many coffee shops – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 15th, 2018 in competition, complaints, local government, news, planning by sally

‘Coffee shop fatigue in a coastal town has resulted in a council blocking a new cafe from opening in a store left empty for a year.’

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Daily Telegraph, 14th November 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Theresa May forced into embarrassing climbdown on fixed-odds betting terminals – The Independent

Posted November 15th, 2018 in bills, gambling, limitations, news by sally

‘Theresa May has been forced into an embarrassing climbdown as ministers announced they would bring forward curbs to tackle highly addictive fixed-odd betting terminals in the face of considerable opposition from MPs and campaigners.’

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The Independent, 14th November 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Iceland Christmas advert ‘ban’ a ‘misunderstanding’, says advisory body – The Independent

Posted November 15th, 2018 in advertising, complaints, environmental protection, news by sally

‘The outcry over the Iceland Christmas advert that was apparently banned is based on a “misunderstanding”, advertising industry advisory body Clearcast has said.’

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The Independent, 14th November 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

SRA urged to tackle mental health problems with ‘fitness to practise’ regime – Legal Futures

Posted November 14th, 2018 in disciplinary procedures, mental health, news, solicitors, Solicitors Regulation Authority by sally

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) needs to activate a dormant power that allows it to introduce ‘fitness to practise’ rules, in the wake of yesterday’s ruling about the role of mental health in solicitors’ misconduct, regulatory experts have argued.’

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Legal Futures, 14th November 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Landmark jail sentence for man who stole client data for CMCs – Legal Futures

Posted November 14th, 2018 in claims management, computer crime, data protection, news, sentencing by sally

‘A man who passed on thousands of an accident repair company’s customer records to claims management companies has been jailed in a landmark prosecution.’

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Legal Futures, 13th November 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

QOCS judgment muddies the waters on costs-shifting – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 14th, 2018 in civil procedure rules, costs, damages, news by sally

‘A defendant who had initiated a counterclaim – and tried to receive the subsequent costs benefits of being a claimant – has lost his argument in the county court.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 12th November 2018

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

High Court agrees to hear challenge over voting device for blind people – Local Government Lawyer

Posted November 14th, 2018 in disability discrimination, disabled persons, elections, news by sally

‘The High Court has granted permission for a legal challenge brought by Rachael Andrews, who is blind, over the Government’s choice of device to enable blind people to vote without assistance.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 14th November 2018

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Mental health problems “do not justify” solicitors’ dishonesty – Legal Futures

Posted November 14th, 2018 in disciplinary procedures, mental health, news, solicitors by sally

‘Pressure of work or extreme working conditions “cannot either alone or in conjunction with stress or depression” justify not striking off dishonest solicitors, the High Court has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 13th November 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Rape victims’ mobile phones will not be seized ‘as a matter of course’, new director of public prosecutions says – The Independent

Posted November 14th, 2018 in evidence, news, prosecutions, rape, search & seizure, victims by sally

‘Rape victims’ mobile phones will not be seized “as a matter of course” in criminal investigations, the new head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.’

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The Independent, 13th November 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

The return of Crown preference – OUT-LAW.com

Posted November 14th, 2018 in budgets, insolvency, news, taxation by sally

‘A Budget measure concerning tax and insolvency effectively puts the UK’s tax authority back among preferential creditors in an insolvency. Is this a failure to learn from history?’

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OUT-LAW.com, 13th November 2018

Source: www.out-law.com

Baby death review into scandal-hit NHS trust widens to 215 cases – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 14th, 2018 in birth, children, hospitals, news, standards by sally

‘A scandal-hit NHS trust where dozens of deaths are being investigated in order to protect mothers and babies has seen the number of cases of alleged poor care more than double to 215.’

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Daily Telegraph, 14th November 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Ministers unveil ‘housing court’ proposals to speed up disputes between landlords and tenants – The Independent

Posted November 14th, 2018 in consultations, courts, housing, landlord & tenant, news by sally

‘Ministers have unveiled plans for a specialist “housing court” to speed up the settlement of property disputes between landlords and tenants.’

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The Independent, 14th November 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Court of Appeal hearing in London Stadium row to be livestreamed – Local Government Lawyer

Posted November 14th, 2018 in appeals, media, news, pilot schemes, reporting restrictions, sport by sally

‘A dispute about seating in the former London 2012 Olympic Stadium will be the first Court of Appeal hearing to be live-streamed in full.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 14th November 2018

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Carl Sargeant’s widow wins high court bid to challenge inquiry into his sacking – The Guardian

Posted November 14th, 2018 in dismissal, harassment, inquiries, judicial review, ministers' powers and duties, news, suicide, Wales by sally

‘The widow of a former Welsh government minister, who was found dead while he was facing sexual misconduct allegations, has won a high court bid to challenge the legality of an inquiry into his sacking.’

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The Guardian, 13th November 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

The challenges facing England’s new prosecution chief – BBC News

Posted November 14th, 2018 in budgets, Crown Prosecution Service, disclosure, evidence, news, prosecutions by sally

‘Max Hill QC takes up his role as head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the chief agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales, at a hugely challenging time.’

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BBC News, 13th November 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Court cannot order costs on account after part 36 acceptance – Litigation Futures

Posted November 14th, 2018 in civil procedure rules, costs, news, part 36 offers by sally

‘The courts have no power to order the payment of costs on account after a part 36 offer is accepted, the High Court has ruled.’

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Litigation Futures, 14th November 2018

Source: www.litigationfutures.com