Britain’s most senior judge takes aim at gender imbalance – The Guardian

Posted March 5th, 2013 in closed material, diversity, evidence, judges, judiciary, news, women by sally

“The stereotypical image of judges as male and white may be so deeply entrenched that there could be an ‘unconscious bias’ against women, the United Kingdom’s most senior judge has suggested.”

Full story

The Guardian, 5th March 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Lettings agents ‘breaking the law’ by not revealing fees – The Independent

Posted March 5th, 2013 in consumer protection, fees, landlord & tenant, news, rent by sally

“Lettings agents have been accused of breaking the law by not revealing their fees to renters.”

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The Independent, 5th March 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Why secret justice is bad for Britain – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted March 5th, 2013 in bills, civil justice, closed material, news, private hearings by sally

“As Parliament prepares to vote on the Justice and Security Bill today, Terry McGuinness outlines why Closed Material Procedures (CMP) are an affront to open justice.”

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Garden Court Chambers Blog, 4th March 2013

Source: www.gclaw.wordpress.com

Prison cuts ‘could lead to more crimes’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 5th, 2013 in crime, news, prisons, recidivists, rehabilitation, reports by sally

“Serial criminals could commit even more crimes, MPs have warned, because cuts to prison services risk rehabilitation programmes being scaled back.”

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Daily Telegraph, 5th March 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Caste discrimination should be outlawed, say Lords – The Guardian

“The House of Lords voted on Monday to outlaw discrimination against people on the basis of their caste.”

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The Guardian, 5th March 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

QB Master warns of “blood on the floor” after 1 April – Litigation Futures

Posted March 5th, 2013 in costs, courts, delay, judges, news by sally

“The Jackson reforms will leave ‘blood on the floor’ and a lack of resources behind the reforms will leave courts and judges ‘overwhelmed’ by the extra workload, Master Cook of the Queen’s Bench Division has predicted.”

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Litigation Futures, 5th March 2013

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

PPI complaints rise ‘unprecedented’, says ombudsman – BBC News

Posted March 5th, 2013 in banking, complaints, financial services ombudsman, insurance, news by sally

“The financial ombudsman service is taking on 2,000 new cases a day following payment protection insurance (PPI) complaints, with numbers rising at “unprecedented” rates.”

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BBC News, 4th March 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Secret court hearing plans pushed through by government – The Guardian

Posted March 5th, 2013 in bills, civil justice, closed material, news, private hearings by sally

“The government pushed through its plans for secret court hearings on Monday night, defeating amendments tabled by the Labour frontbench with significant majorities.”

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The Guardian, 4th March 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Voyeur Reverend Richard Lee walks free from court over indecent pictures of girls and woman – The Independent

“A Church of England vicar has walked free from court after admitting using secret cameras to spy on and film intimate pictures of three girls and a woman.”

Full story

The Independent, 4th March 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Children’s rights cited in legal challenge launched against ‘bedroom tax’ – The Guardian

“A legal challenge has been launched on behalf of 10 disabled and vulnerable children against the government’s so-called ‘spare bedroom tax’, which is expected to lead to a reduction in benefits for hundreds of thousands of people because they have at least one unused room.”

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The Guardian, 5th March 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Gordon Brown’s PCC complaint against Sunday Times rejected – the Guardian

Posted March 4th, 2013 in codes of practice, complaints, expenses, fees, media, misrepresentation, news by sally

“Gordon Brown’s complaint to the Press Complaints Commission over a Sunday Times story about the more than £2m in fees and expenses received since he stepped down as prime minister has been rejected.”

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The Guardian, 4th March 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Nicola Edgington jailed for 37 years for street decapitation, as report blames police blunders for attack – The Independent

Posted March 4th, 2013 in mental health, murder, news, police, sentencing by sally

“A woman who decapitated a stranger in the street was jailed for at least 37 years today.”

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The Independent, 4th March 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

“Can’t We Make the Local Authority Pay for It?” – Family Law Week

“Andrew Pack, care lawyer with Brighton & Hove City Council, considers the court’s powers to compel a local authority to meet the costs of a particular action.”

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Family Law Week, 2nd March 2013

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Revisions to the codes of practice for skilled migrant workers – UK Border Agency

Posted March 4th, 2013 in codes of practice, employment, immigration, news, remuneration by sally

“Today [1 March], the UK Border Agency is publishing a statement of intent, to help employers prepare for changes to the points-based system.

The statement announces changes to the codes of practice for skilled migrant workers from outside the European Economic Area. These will come into effect on 6 April 2013 and will also affect the timing of the applications for restricted certificates of sponsorship in March and April.”

Full story

UK Border Agency, 1st March 2013

Source: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk

Vernon Bogdanor – What Place for the Referendum in the UK? – UCL Constitutional Unit

Posted March 4th, 2013 in news, referendums by sally

“The referendum is an instrument of popular sovereignty, an institutional expression of the doctrine that political sovereignty derives from the people. In Britain, it has been used on a small range of issues, primarily to secure legitimacy. Some matters, especially those which involve a transfer of sovereignty, are so fundamental that the public may not accept a decision made by parliament alone as legitimate. In the 1970s, it has been suggested, Edward Heath took the British establishment into Europe, but it was left to Harold Wilson to bring the British people into Europe. Today, the establishment continues to favour membership, the people do not. That is the basic case for an `in-out’ referendum.”

Video

UCL Constitution Unit, 1st March 2013

Source: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Ending the postcode lottery for inquests – Ministry of Justice

“Supporting bereaved families during an inquest will be at the heart of the new coroner system in England and Wales, Justice Minister Helen Grant said today.”

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Ministry of Justice, 1st March 2013

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Improving inquests – Ministry of Justice

“Supporting bereaved families during an inquest will be at the heart of the new coroner system.”

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Ministry of Justice, 1st March 2013

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Kenny v Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform – WLR Daily

Posted March 4th, 2013 in EC law, equal pay, law reports, news, proportionality, sex discrimination by sally

Kenny v Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Case C-427/11); [2013] WLR (D) 87

“In the light of article 141 EC and Council Directive 75/117/EEC (relating to the application of the principle of equal pay for men and women meant, in relation to indirect pay discrimination), it was for the employer to establish objective justification for the difference in pay between workers who considered that they had been indirectly discriminated against and the comparators. The employer’s justification for the difference in pay had to relate to the comparators. The interests of good industrial relations might be taken into consideration by the national court as one factor among others in its assessment of whether differences between the pay of two groups of workers were due to objective factors unrelated to any discrimination on grounds of sex and are compatible with the principle of proportionality.”

WLR Daily, 28th February 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Regina (Omar and others) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs – WLR Daily

Regina (Omar and others) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs [2013] EWCA Civ 118; [2013] WLR (D) 84

“The court had no power to make an order requiring the disclosure of evidence to be used in overseas criminal proceedings except pursuant to the Crime (International Co-operation) Act 2003.”

WLR Daily, 27th February 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Collective actions and access to justice – Legal Voice

Posted March 4th, 2013 in class actions, competition, damages, news by sally

“The Government recently confirmed its intention to introduce ‘collective actions’ in the UK for competition law. Not only should this enable large numbers of consumers and small businesses to obtain redress against anti-competitive behaviour, but an important by-product is that leftover damages could benefit access to justice more generally.”

Full story

Legal Voice, 1st March 2013

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk