Mother to bring alleged rapist to justice via crowdfunding after prosecutors refuse to press charges – The Independent

‘A mother who says she was raped by a stranger has now set up a crowdfunding page to bring her alleged attacker to justice.’

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The Independent, 6th November 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Little Plumpton fracking households to share £100,000 – BBC News

Posted November 7th, 2017 in compensation, energy, fracking, news by sally

‘Residents living near a fracking site in Lancashire are to receive up to £2,000 each as part of a shale gas exploration payment from Cuadrilla.’

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BBC News, 6th November 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Law and religion round-up – 5th November – Law & Religion UK

‘A week in which the Westminster sexual exploitation scandal continued to claim scalps, there was an important report on House of Lords reform – and Brexit rumbled on’

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Law & Religion UK, 5th November 2017

Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com

Calls to Lower Voting Age Sidelined – But is There a Human Rights Argument? – Rightsinfo

Posted November 6th, 2017 in bills, elections, enfranchisement, human rights, news, treaties by sally

‘MPs in Westminster today debated proposals to lower the voting age across the UK to 16 – but could there be a human rights argument for this?’

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Rightsinfo, 3rd November 2017

Source: rightsinfo.org

Lawyers aim to “intimidate” clients who complain, says report – Legal Futures

Posted November 6th, 2017 in complaints, legal language, legal ombudsman, legal profession, news by sally

‘Some clients worry being “bamboozled by legal jargon” if they complain to their lawyers, a fear that can be borne out by responses that are “seeming calculated to ‘overwhelm’ or ‘intimidate’ the customer”, according to new research.’

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Legal Futures, 6th November 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Financial claims for children following parental separation: child maintenance and Schedule 1 – Family Law

Posted November 6th, 2017 in child support, judges, legislation, news, statutory interpretation by sally

‘In the recent case of Green v Adams [2017] EWFC 24 Mr Justice Mostyn discussed the constraints of child support and the perceived shortcomings in the latest child maintenance regime (introduced by the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008).’

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Family Law, 3rd Niovember 2017

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

The Bar has confounded critics and doomsayers for decades – The Bar Council

Posted November 6th, 2017 in barristers, diversity, legal profession, news, queen's counsel, speeches by sally

‘The Bar has confounded decades of critics and doomsayers through fearlessness and competition for excellence, Chair of the Bar Andrew Langdon QC told the 32nd Annual Bar and Young Bar Conference today.’

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The Bar Council, 4th November 2017

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

New rules to tackle ‘monster’ of civil disclosure – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 6th, 2017 in civil justice, disclosure, dispute resolution, documents, news, pilot schemes by sally

‘Parties in civil litigation will have to persuade a court if they want disclosure to encompass more than just certain key documents, under plans for reforming ‘monster’ levels of disclosure.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 3rd November 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Regulators can be taken to employment tribunals, Supreme Court rules – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Solicitors claiming wrongful dismissal can potentially hold the Solicitors Regulation Authority to account in the employment tribunal following a Supreme Court judgment which clarifies rules on bringing complaints against qualifications bodies. The long-running case Michalak v General Medical Council and others centred on a discrimination complaint brought against the medical regulator by Dr Ewa Michalak. The SRA intervened in support of the GMC.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 3rd November 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Fraud may justify ‘collateral use’ of documents in multiple sets of civil proceedings, court rules – OUT-LAW.com

‘The “strong public interest” in pursuing claims for fraud, bribery and corruption may justify allowing the use of documents obtained in one set of legal proceedings in a different set of proceedings, the High Court has ruled.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 3rd November 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Judicial review appeal fails in UK diverted profits tax case – OUT-LAW.com

‘Oil and gas distributing company Glencore Energy’s application for judicial review of the issue of a diverted profits tax (DPT) charging notice by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has been rejected for a second time.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 3rd November 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Serious Fraud Office zeros in on large-scale fraud as prosecutions for other offences fall – The Independent

‘As the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) increasingly focuses on large-scale frauds, the overall number of fraud prosecutions in the UK is falling, new figures show.’

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The Independent, 5th November 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Non-custodial sentencing falls sharply in England and Wales – The Guardian

‘Use of non-custodial sentences in England and Wales has fallen sharply but risen significantly in Scotland, according to a report highlighting their effectiveness in preventing re-offending. The comparative study by the Centre for Justice Innovation reveals that over the past decade there has been a 24% decrease in the number of community sentences imposed in England and Wales compared with an 18% increase in Scotland.’

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The Guardian, 3rd November 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Police investigate 17 child sexting cases a day – BBC news

‘Police investigations into children sharing sexual images of themselves and others have more than doubled in two years, figures have shown.’

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BBC News, 6th November 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Court of Appeal confirms meaning of section 111 of Construction Act 1996 – Practical Law: Construction Blog

Posted November 3rd, 2017 in construction industry, contracts, news by sally

‘In Adam Architecture Ltd v Halsbury Homes Ltd [2017] EWCA Civ 1735, the Court of Appeal has confirmed that section 111 of the Construction Act 1996 (and the requirement to serve pay less notices) applies to payments due following completion or termination of a contract, as well as interim payments.’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 2nd November 2017

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

Healthcare provider fined over internal occupational health service failures – OUT-LAW.com

Posted November 3rd, 2017 in fines, hazardous substances, health & safety, hospitals, news by sally

‘A Bedford-based private healthcare provider has been fined after it failed to act on concerns raised about the running of its internal occupational health service.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 2nd November 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

High Court judge rejects appeal by council over dismissal of possession claim – Local Government Lawyer

Posted November 3rd, 2017 in appeals, news, repossession by sally

‘An appeal by the London Borough of Southwark in a possession case has been dismissed as being based on a disagreement about the facts found by the original judge.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 1st November 2017

Source: localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Council loses appeal over after-care services and personal injury damages – Local Government Lawyer

Posted November 3rd, 2017 in appeals, community care, local government, mental health, news by sally

‘Manchester City Council has lost an appeal over whether a person who has been compulsorily detained in a hospital for mental disorder under the Mental Health Act 1983 and has then been released from detention but still requires “after-care services” is entitled to require his local authority to provide such services at any time before he has exhausted the sums received in damages from his personal injury claim.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 3rd November 2017

Source: localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Judiciary signals major culture and rule change to control disclosure – Litigation Futures

Posted November 3rd, 2017 in civil procedure rules, disclosure, news, pilot schemes by sally

‘A “wholesale cultural change” in the approach to disclosure in the Business and Property Courts is needed, a judiciary-led working group has said, which will be brought about by a completely new rule and guidelines applying to the majority of cases.’

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Litigation Futures, 2nd November 2017

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Court allows defendant to ditch settlement reached three days before discount rate change – Litigation Futures

‘The High Court has upheld the right of a defendant in a personal injury claim to resile from a settlement agreement made three days before the discount rate was cut earlier this year.’

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Litigation Futures, 3rd November 2017

Source: www.litigationfutures.com