Category: news

‘The government is reportedly considering new changes to criminal justice which would restrict the right to jury trial by giving judges the power to decide which cases go before a jury. The Times reported that a panel of judges would decide on a case-by-case basis which ‘either-way’ offences trials would take place before a jury and which would be before a judge. Currently a defendant can opt for their case to be heard in either a magistrates’ court or Crown Court. The Bar Council reiterated that the Bar stands firm in its objection to any restriction of jury trials.’

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Bar Council, 11th September 2026

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

‘More on mandatory reporting […] Tackling antisemitism […] Supreme Court […] And finally…’

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Law & Religion UK, 13th September 2026

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

‘In this guest post, Simon Hunter, of 3 Stone Chambers considers church ownership, trustees, and church membership.’

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Law & Religion UK, 14th September 2026

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

‘The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has upheld a decision by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to ban a police station representative convicted of a harassment offence from working for law firms.’

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Legal Futures, 14th September 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘A man has admitted using an online sexual abuse network to commit a host of sexual crimes, along with another man, against the latter’s unconscious wife.’

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The Guardian, 11th September 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘MPs have voted against proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales, bringing the latest effort to change the law to an end.’

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BBC News, 11th September 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘A cross-party group of MPs and peers has identified human rights risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) which existing laws, they argue, are ill-equipped to cover.’

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BBC News, 14th September 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘In this article, Neil Hext KC considers Siem v Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP [2026] EWHC 1168 (Ch), and its wider implications for causation and solicitors’ duties to third parties.’

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4 New Square, 8th September 2026

Source: www.4newsquare.com

• ‘Data shows the highest number of stalking offences charged by prosecutors in one year.
• Government, police and prosecutors come together with academics, survivors and stakeholders for the first multi-agency stalking conference.
• Joint initiatives show progress in tackling stalking or harassment for victims.’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 10th September 2026

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

‘A judge has ordered a group of Travellers to leave a site in Aldermaston as they lack planning permission from West Berkshire District Council to live there and it is dangerously near a nuclear warhead manufacturing plant.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 10th September 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘A barrister who made improper and inaccurate submissions during his closing speech in the Crown Court has been suspended for his “alarmingly incompetent” behaviour.’

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Legal Futures, 11th September 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘The scale of the growing divergence between English and Welsh law is starkly illustrated in a document published by the Law Society today. A practice note on Differences in English and Welsh law runs to 38 pages – a statistic likely to be used by those lobbying for a formal separation of jurisdictions.’

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Law Society Gazette, 10th September 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘The staggering rise in employment tribunal backlogs reached new heights this week, with the open caseload for single claims surging past 70,000 and lawyers saying hearings are being allocated for 2029.’

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Law Society Gazette, 11th September 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘Four in 10 low-level offenders subject to supervision orders would have been locked up immediately if problem-solving courts had not been introduced for criminal behaviour, according to new Ministry of Justice data.’

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Law Society Gazette, 11th September 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘A chaplain who used a sermon to tell pupils they did not have to believe in “LGBT stuff” has reached a legal agreement with the school that dismissed him.’

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BBC News, 10th September 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘A 75-year-old man who strangled a woman after she started to sing along at a West End show has been jailed for two years.’

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BBC News, 10th September 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘The legalisation of assisted dying in England and Wales could move a step closer on Friday when MPs vote on a proposal to introduce it. The bill would allow adults with fewer than six months to live to apply to be given help to end their own life, subject to certain safeguards.’

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BBC News, 11th September 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘A teacher has been found guilty of sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy after previously admitting offences against two teenage girls.’

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BBC News, 10th September 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘It’s been one year since the Harman Report was published, so where are we on tackling harassment and bullying at the Bar? Nadia Motraghi KC meets Dame Maria Miller, the Bar’s first Commissioner for Conduct, to find out.’

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Counsel, 9th September 2026

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

‘The Law Commission has today published its final report following a review of the Friendly Societies Acts of 1974 and 1992.’

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Law Commission, 10th September 2026

Source: lawcom.gov.uk