England voter ID trial ‘a solution in search of a problem’ – The Guardian
‘Minister says new requirements counter ‘perception’ of electoral fraud as data shows problem is minimal.’
The Guardian, 29th April 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
Category: news
Coroner ordered to change ‘cab-rank’ burial release policy – BBC News
‘A London coroner has been ordered by the High Court to change her “cab-rank” queuing policy for handling burials after it was ruled “unlawful”.’
BBC News, 27th April 2018
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Casper and Corey Platt-May deaths: Driver high on cocaine is jailed – BBC News
‘A driver who killed two young brothers in a hit-and-run crash while high on cocaine has been jailed for nine years.’
BBC News, 27th April 2018
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Bribery conviction could indicate hard line on new tax evasion offence – OUT-LAW.com
‘The conviction of a company and the jailing of two former company directors for offences under the UK Bribery Act should serve as a warning to businesses over a new tax evasion corporate offence, according to a tax law expert.’
OUT-LAW.com, 27th April 2018
Source: www.out-law.com
Final UK network and information security laws published – OUT-LAW.com
‘UK laws which will implement the EU’s Network and Information Security (NIS) Directive have been finalised and published.’
OUT-LAW.com, 27th April 2018
Source: www.out-law.com
Throttling Environmental Information – Panopticon
‘As is so often the way in information rights, the Upper Tribunal reaches a perfectly sensible decision and gives practical guidance which others can actually apply, only for the Court of Appeal to insist on saying mostly the same thing but less clearly and less helpfully. As a result, the Upper Tribunal then has to reconsider the area and steer the law back to a productive course. So it was in Department for Transport & Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency & Porsche Cars GB Ltd v Information Commissioner & Cieslik [2018] UKUT 127 (AAC) (Cieslik), on the – to put it politely – potential interpretative difficulties on the issue of the meaning of “environmental information” under the EIR following the ‘guidance’ of the Court of Appeal in Department for Business, Enterprise and Industrial Strategy v Information Commissioner & Henney [2017] EWCA Civ 844 (see here). And the judgment of Judge Markus QC in Cieslik is a genuinely important and valuable exercise in course correction.’
Panopticon, 27th April 2018
Source: panopticonblog.com
Cash flow tensions in adjudication enforcement – Practical Law: Construction Blog
‘Much has been written about Fraser J’s judgment in Gosvenor London Ltd v Aygun Aluminium UK Ltd, with both Tim Sampson and Abdul Jinadu discussing various issues on this blog. What I thought was interesting about the judgment was how it illustrates the tension between adjudication and the principle embodied within it of keeping cash flowing, and how a successful challenge on enforcement may stop it. Ironically, this is often at a time when a party most needs cash to keep flowing.’
Practical Law: Construction Blog, 24th April 2018
Jessica van der Meer: Paws for Thought: The High Court tackles PSPOs in a Landmark Judgment – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘The end of April 2018 was a big week for local government governance. In the same week that Ealing Council enacted a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to ban pro-life vigils from taking place outside a Marie Stopes clinic, the High Court handed down a landmark judgment dealing with PSPOs. The judgment is the first example of PSPOs being successfully challenged in the High Court.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 26th April 2018
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
Case Comment: Morris-Garner v One Step (Support) Ltd [2018] UKSC 20 – UK Supreme Court Blog
‘PAUL NICHOLLS QC, MATRIX Case Comments: It is often very difficult in cases involving breaches of restrictive covenants and misuse of confidential information to recover damages. It can be hard to prove loss. Employees may adduce evidence to show, for example, that customers would have ceased to deal with the claimant employer as a result of the mere fact of the employee’s departure such that the employee’s breach of a non-solicitation covenant has not caused loss. In cases about misuse of confidential information, the employee may be able to show that information wrongly removed could easily have been obtained from legitimate sources such that no loss flows from the misuse.’
UK Supreme Court Blog, 24th April 2018
Source: ukscblog.com
Can you run in school? – The duty of care owed to school children after Pook v Rossall – Zenith PI
‘The shouts from teachers of “don’t run”, “slow down” and “keep to the left” echo around the corridors of schools up and down the country. Whilst chalk boards have given way to SMART boards these commands have stood the test of time but are they still applicable today? What standards are expected of schools to protect students especially in the giddy excitement of a PE lesson? The High Court appeal in Pook v Rossall School [2018] All ER (D) 113 (Mar) considers the issue.’
Zenith PI, 27th April 2018
Source: zenithpi.wordpress.com
Fundamental Dishonesty or Fundamental Miscommunication? – Zenith PI
‘In Wright v Satellite Information Services Limited [2018] EWHC 812 (QB) the Defendant appealed against the decision of the trial judge, HHJ Pearce, who refused to make a finding of fundamental dishonesty within the meaning of section 57 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015.
Zenith PI, 27th April 2018
Source: zenithpi.wordpress.com
Chairman’s letter to sentencers on imposition of community and custodial sentences – Sentencing Council
‘Earlier this month, the Chairman of the Sentencing Council, Lord Justice Treacy, wrote to all sentencers to remind them of the requirement to follow the Council’s Imposition of Community and Custodial Sentences Definitive Guideline, which has been in force since February 2017. Courts are statutorily bound to follow sentencing guidelines unless it is in the interests of justice not to do so.’
Sentencing Council, 24th April 2018
Media watchdog upholds complaint by council over “distorted” coverage of foster case – Local Government Lawyer
‘The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) has upheld a complaint by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets against a national newspaper’s coverage of a fostering case.
IPSO concluded that The Times had breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) in an article headlined ‘Judge rules child must leave Muslim foster home’, which was published on 30 August 2017.’
Local Government Lawyer, 25th April 2018
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Legal profession facing talent drain as mental health problems surge – Law Society’s Gazette
‘The proportion of trainees who have experienced mental health problems has more than doubled in the last year, a survey has found, as junior lawyers continue to report severe levels of stress. In its 2018 resilience and wellbeing survey, the Law Society’s Junior Lawyers Division (JLD) found that 39% of trainees reported suffering from mental health problems, up from 19% last year. Among the division’s members as a whole, 38% of respondents said they had experienced mental health problems in the past year, up from 26% last time.’
Law Society's Gazette, 27th April 2018
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Judicial shortages pose threat to court system, top judge warns – The Guardian
‘The effective operation of the courts in England and Wales is under threat due to problems of judicial recruitment, increasingly heavy workloads and deteriorating working conditions, according to the lord chief justice. In his first appearance before the Lords constitution select committee in his new post on Wednesday, Lord Burnett of Maldon also highlighted the growing problem of death threats being made against judges on social media and the need to provide protection.’
The Guardian, 25th April 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
Immigration lawyers using delaying tactics to keep illegal immigrants in Britain, High Court says – Daily Telegraph
‘Immigration lawyers are using delaying tactics to keep illegal immigrants in Britain, High Court judges have said. Law firms are “buying time” by filing endless “hopeless” appeals and applications “with a view to generating new Home Office decisions” and keeping the process going for longer, two senior judges said.’
Daily Telegraph, 26th April 2018
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Self-harm and violent attacks hit record high in prisons across England and Wales – The Independent
‘Self-harm and violent attacks have hit record levels in prisons across England and Wales as campaigners warn of a “system in crisis”. More than 11,600 prisoners harmed themselves in 2017 – a record high – and the number of separate incidents rose by 11 per cent to 44,600.’
The Independent, 26th April 2018
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Guidance on Financial Needs on Divorce: Edition 2 – April 2018 – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
‘The FJC has now published the second edition of this useful guide for the family judiciary, courts and legal advisers. Since the publication of the first edition in June 2016, the guidance has established itself as an invaluable tool in relation to the making of orders to meet financial needs following divorce and the dissolution of civil partnerships.’
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 26th April 2018
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
Senior partner who bungled hearing loss claims and lied to the court is struck off – Litigation Futures
‘The senior partner of a personal injury firm who bungled 37 noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) claims and lied to the court has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT).’
Litigation Futures, 25th April 2018
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
