Louise Smith death: Shane Mays guilty of murdering teenager in woods – BBC News
‘A man has been found guilty of the “sexually-motivated” murder of a teenager whose body he set on fire.’
BBC News, 8th December 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: news
It was “none of your business”, High Court judge tells council which refused to take part in mediation over EHC Plan because mother wanted to bring her lawyer – Local Government Lawyer
‘A mother was entitled to bring a lawyer to support her at a mediation of her dispute with Hillingdon Council about her son’s Education, Health and Care Plan and the local authority was in breach of its statutory duties by refusing to participate, a High Court judge has ruled.’
Local Government Lawyer, 7th December 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Judges told they should consider previous racial bias before sentencing – The Guardian
‘Judges and magistrates are to be given explicit reminders for the first time in sentencing guidelines of the disparity in punishments being imposed by the courts on white, Asian and black offenders.’
The Guardian, 9th December 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Case Comment: Shagang Shipping Company Ltd (in liquidation) v HNA Group Company Ltd [2020] UKSC 34 – UKSC Blog
‘On 5 August 2020, the UK Supreme Court handed down judgment in Shagang Shipping Company Ltd (in liquidation) v HNA Group Company Ltd [2020] UKSC 34; [2020] 1 W.L.R. 3549. Against the background of a commercial charterparty dispute, this appeal raised important questions about the admissibility of evidence potentially obtained through torture.’
UKSC Blog, 8th December 2020
Source: ukscblog.com
PayPal ‘reward’ email rapped for misleading – BBC News
‘An email sent by payment giant PayPal which promised customers a reward of £10 for using their account did not make it clear enough that not everyone would receive it, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled.’
BBC News, 9th December 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Litigant in person threatened opposing lawyers with violence – Legal Futures
‘A High Court judge has expressed concern that a litigant in person has threatened violence against lawyers for the people he is suing while dismissing a bid to disqualify the solicitors from acting.’
Legal Futures, 8th December 2020
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Under-18s banned from lottery scratchcards in crackdown – BBC News
‘The age limit for playing the National Lottery is set to be raised from 16 to 18 from next October as the government moves to crackdown on gambling.’
BBC News, 8th December 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Encrypted messaging putting children at risk of abuse, says watchdog – The Guardian
‘The children’s commissioner for England has warned that end-to-end encryption is putting children at risk of abuse, as a survey finds that most eight-year-olds are using messaging apps supposedly restricted to those aged 13 or older.’
The Guardian, 8th December 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Augmented lawyering: The challenge of AI is people, not money – Legal Futures
‘The challenge facing traditional law firms from artificial intelligence (AI) is not a lack of finance to invest in technology but having the right “human capital”, a study from Oxford University has argued.’
Legal Futures, 7th December 2020
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Challenge upheld to Covid-19 changes to care regime for children – UK Human Rights Blog
‘The issue before the Court of Appeal was whether the Secretary of State for Education had acted unlawfully in failing to consult certain bodies representing children in care, including the Children’s Commissioner for England, before introducing the Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (“the Amendment Regulations”) following the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 7th December 2020
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
Information commissioner gets busy with fines – Law Society’s Gazette
‘General Data Protection Regulation fines are like a number 65 bus: you wait for a long time and then three arrive at once. In the space of a month the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued three monetary penalty notices. All relate to breaches of GDPR’s security requirements as set out in articles 5 and 32.’
Law Society's Gazette, 7th December 2020
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Keira Bell lawyer warns on internet coverage of transgender issues – The Guardian
‘The promotion of transgender issues on social media should be subject to safeguarding measures, according to the lawyer for a woman who brought last week’s landmark case against England’s only NHS gender identity development service (GIDS).’
The Guardian, 6th December 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Law Commission issues proposals for reforming offence of misconduct in public office – Local Government Lawyer
‘The “outdated and unclear” common law offence of misconduct in public office should be replaced by two new statutory offences of corruption in public office and breach of duty in public office, the Law Commission has said.’
Local Government Lawyer, 7th December 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Former appeal court judge to lead UK review of Human Rights Act – The Guardian
‘A former court of appeal judge has been appointed to lead a review into how the Human Rights Act (HRA) is being interpreted in UK courts.’
The Guardian, 7th December 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Small claims worst hit so far by Covid as trial delays lengthen – Litigation Futures
‘Small claims have been disproportionally impacted by Covid-19 in terms of timeliness, official figures have shown.’
Litigation Futures, 8th December 2020
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
UK should ban use of spit hoods and Tasers on children, says Unicef – The Guardian
‘The use of Tasers and spit hoods on children should be banned in the UK, the global humanitarian organisation for children Unicef has recommended.’
The Guardian, 8th December 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
3,000 law firms “could be forced to close or merge” – Legal Futures
‘As many as 3,000 law firms could be forced to close or merge over the next few years after the conveyancing bubble bursts and the recession really kicks in, a leading law firm consultant has warned.’
Legal Futures, 8th December 2020
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Council defeats legal challenge over decision to rename square called after Elizabethan sailor with slave trade links – Local Government Lawyer
‘A district judge has rejected a legal challenge over a decision by Plymouth City Council to change the name of a square from an Elizabethan sailor associated with the slave trade, Sir John Hawkins, to a black footballer, Jack Leslie.’
Local Government Lawyer, 8th December 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Police bail reforms left crime victims feeling unsafe, finds report – The Guardian
‘Victims have been left unprotected and a suspected paedophile left free to strike after government changes to bail plunged parts of the criminal justice system into chaos, an official report has found.’
The Guardian, 8th December 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
