Criminal legal aid “coming apart at the seams”, High Court says – Legal Futures

‘Two High Court judges have described the system of criminal legal aid as “slowly coming apart at the seams” and reliant on solicitors’ goodwill and sense of public duty.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 1st February 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Legal action launched against ‘rip-off’ secret commissions on UK firms’ energy bills – The Guardian

Posted February 1st, 2024 in class actions, energy, fees, news, small businesses, third parties by sally

‘Businesses across the UK have been forced to pay an extra 10% on average for their gas and electricity because suppliers routinely add third-party broker commissions to their bills, according to a leading litigation law firm.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 31st January 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

The wind cries arguable case: Hendrix rights case against Sony will go to trial – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 31st, 2024 in artistic works, copyright, intellectual property, news, striking out by sally

‘Atrial concerning the copyright and performance rights of 1960s guitar legend Jimi Hendrix’s bandmates, bass guitarist Noel Redding and drummer “Mitch” Mitchell, is to go ahead, a judge has ruled.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 30th January 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

The legality of the new minimum income requirement – EIN Blog

‘The recently announced plan to increase the minimum income requirement (MIR) to £38,700 led to widespread criticism, with the government appearing to exclude all but the affluent from establishing family life in the UK. This has led to a partial policy shift, with it now announced that the threshold to sponsor a spouse will not rise to this amount until 2025, with an interim rise to £29,000 taking place in the Spring. Nonetheless, even this lower amount will be unaffordable to many families, raising questions about the compatibility of the rise with Convention rights. In R (MM) Lebanon v SSHD [2017] UKSC 10 the Supreme Court found that the initial MIR, set at £18,600, was lawful. In this post, I will highlight two key problems with the judgment, along with the failure of the MIR to restrict the social security entitlement of many affected families: the MIR’s primary justification.’

Full Story

EIN Blog, 31st January 2024

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Aradhya Sethia: Constitutional Accountability, Intra-party Processes, and Tortoise Media – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted January 31st, 2024 in constitutional law, news, parliament, political parties by sally

‘It is difficult to provide a satisfying account of constitutional accountability in the UK without considering the internal processes of major political parties (especially the governing party and the largest opposition party). Yet, intra-party processes often do not receive the attention of constitutional scholars. Therefore, in this blog, I will discuss the constitutional importance and the legal treatment of intra-party processes. I will start with the constitutional significance of certain intra-party processes. Subsequently, I will discuss the consequences of the existing private law status of parties. I will then comment on the amenability of intra-party processes to judicial review in light of a recent judgment delivered by Fordham J in R (Tortoise Media) v Conservative Party [2023] EWHC 3088 (Admin) (“Tortoise Media”). The blog concludes with a caution against a blanket rejection of judicial review of intra-party processes.’

Full Story

UK Constitutional Law Association, 31st January 2024

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Collapsed SSB “faces up to 1,400 negligence claims” – Legal Futures

Posted January 31st, 2024 in costs, insolvency, insurance, law firms, negligence, news by sally

‘Consumer claims firm SSB Law, which went into administration earlier this month owing six litigation funders £200m, faces up to 1,400 professional negligence claims, it has emerged.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 31st January 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Law firm “let down” client over bid to propound will, master rules – Legal Futures

Posted January 31st, 2024 in delay, law firms, news, probate, wills by sally

‘A daughter seeking to propound a copy of her deceased mother’s will has been “let down” by her solicitors in failing to comply with an unless order to issue proceedings, the High Court has ruled.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 31st January 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Court of Appeal rejects appeal over finding that manifest error in procurement was not “sufficiently serious” for damages award – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 31st, 2024 in appeals, damages, local government, news, public procurement by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has upheld a High Court ruling that an error in the award of an NHS orthodontic contract was not sufficiently serious to entitle the claimant to Francovich damages.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 30th January 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Time to address “silent crisis” of finding safe placements for children with profound needs long overdue, says judge – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 31st, 2024 in children, hospitals, local government, mental health, news, placement orders by sally

‘The High Court has ruled that a vulnerable teenage girl should be moved from hospital to her local authority’s proposed placement in an unregistered placement “as a matter of urgency”, under a high degree of restriction to keep her safe.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 30th January 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Carlisle man jailed for arson attack on wrong house – BBC News

Posted January 31st, 2024 in arson, imprisonment, news, sentencing by sally

‘A man has been jailed after a revenge arson attack on the wrong house.’

Full Story

BBC News, 30th January 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Lucy Letby murder convictions appeal bid rejected – BBC News

Posted January 31st, 2024 in appeals, children, murder, news, nurses by sally

‘Serial child killer Lucy Letby has had an initial bid to challenge her convictions for murdering seven babies and attempting to kill another six refused by the Court of Appeal.’

Full Story

BBC News, 30th January 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Prince Harry pursues 115 further phone hacking claims after Mirror victory – The Independent

Posted January 31st, 2024 in costs, interception, media, news, privacy, royal family, telecommunications by sally

‘A phone hacking case brought by the Duke of Sussex and other celebrities against Mirror Group was “overwhelmingly successful” with demands made for the publisher to pay out nearly £2m in costs, a court heard. Prince Harry’s case against Mirror newspapers remains ongoing as he presses ahead with a further 115 articles that he claims were sourced unlawfully, with decisions on costs reserved until this is determined.’

Full Story

The Independent, 30th January 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Valdo Calocane: CPS to be investigated over handling of Nottingham killer case – The Guardian

‘Prosecutors are to be investigated for their handling of the Valdo Calocane case, including their decision to accept his manslaughter pleas, the attorney general has announced.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 30th January 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Top Cases of 2023: the good, the bad and the legally complicated – UK Human Rights Blog

‘As the dust settles on another year, it is (just about still) time to look back over the year gone to review some of the most dramatic, legally interesting or impactful cases of the year gone by. As ever, this is only a selection of the top cases of the year, but as a whole they reveal yet another year in which the courts have been drawn into the centre of the most important social and political debates of the society in which they find themselves.’

Full Story

UK Human Rights Blog, 29th January 2024

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Hillside in practice – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 30th, 2024 in housing, local government, news, planning, Supreme Court, Wales by sally

‘Megan Forbes analyses a recent High Court case that has provided guidance on the practical implications of the Supreme Court’s Hillside decision.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 26th January 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Children’s wellbeing at the heart of family court reforms – Ministry of Justice

Posted January 30th, 2024 in children, dispute resolution, family courts, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘Children will be better protected from the impact of lengthy courtroom battles thanks to pioneering measures to help families resolve disputes as swiftly as easily possible.’

Full Story

Ministry of Justice, 26th January 2024

Source: www.gov.uk

People smuggler jailed for fake passport scheme – Home Office

Posted January 30th, 2024 in conspiracy, identity fraud, immigration, news, passports, sentencing by sally

‘A people smuggler has been jailed for conspiring to bring 16 Albanian migrants to the UK with fake EU passports and fraudulent airline bookings.’

Full Story

Home Office, 26th January 2024

Source: www.gov.uk

More to do to tackle rape misconceptions and lack of understanding of consent, CPS survey finds – Crown Prosecution Service

Posted January 30th, 2024 in consent, Crown Prosecution Service, news, rape, young persons by sally

‘More still needs to be done to tackle common false beliefs about rape and understanding of consent, especially among young people, according to the largest survey of its kind in five years.’

Full Story

Crown Prosecution Service, 26th January 2024

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

New guidance on generative AI for the Bar – The Bar Council

Posted January 30th, 2024 in artificial intelligence, barristers, news by sally

‘The Bar Council has issued new guidance for barristers navigating the growing use of ChatGPT, and other generative artificial intelligence (AI) large language model systems (LLMs).’

Full Story

The Bar Council, 30th January 2024

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Narrowing degree evidence for foreign qualified lawyers exempt from SQE ‘overly restrictive’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 30th, 2024 in examinations, news, solicitors by sally

‘Requiring foreign qualified lawyers exempt from the Solicitors Qualifying Examination to prove they are proficient in the English language could be “overly restrictive”, the Law Society has said.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 29th January 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk