Privacy law: what’s the way ahead? – The Guardian

Posted April 26th, 2011 in freedom of expression, human rights, news, privacy, public interest by sally

“David Cameron says he is ‘uneasy’ about the development of a privacy law by judges based on the European Convention. How can we balance the right to publication with the right to privacy?”

Full story

The Guardian, 26th April 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Prosecution of Philip Woolas not in public interest – Crown Prosecution Service

Posted March 22nd, 2011 in Crown Prosecution Service, elections, news, public interest by sally

“Former MP Philip Woolas will not be prosecuted in relation to statements he made about an opponent during the 2010 General Election in Oldham East and Saddleworth.”

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Crown Prosecution Service, 21st March 2011

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Public interest defence against libel proposed, but campaigners call for more radical action – OUT-LAW.com

Posted March 17th, 2011 in bills, defamation, defences, news, public interest by sally

“Journalists will be able to rely on the defence that they published responsibly and in the public interest in defamation cases, according to reforms proposed by the Government. A defence of ‘honest opinion’ will replace that of ‘fair comment’.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 16th March 2011

Source: www.out-law.com

Libel reform: government’s proposals – The Guardian

Read the draft defamation bill and consultation in full

The Guardian, 15th March 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Libel law reform announced – Ministry of Justice

“New measures to support free speech, enable people to protect their reputation and help stop the use of unreasonable threats of being sued for libel were announced today.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 15th March 2011

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Court allows journalists into care hearing – The Guardian

“The Guardian and other news organisations have won a court ruling that could open up the care system for people with learning difficulties to public scrutiny.”

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The Guardian, 28th February 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Bar Council on Jackson Reforms: Cost Reduction Welcome but Must Be Targeted to Safeguard Access to Justice – The Bar Council

Posted February 15th, 2011 in civil justice, costs, news, public interest by sally

“The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, will today respond to the Government’s proposals for the reform of the costs of civil litigation. It will say that cost reduction is in the public interest but will warn that whilst cost reduction is welcome significant threats to access to justice must be addressed and that one size cannot fit all in litigation.”

Full story

The Bar Council, 14th February 2011

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

We defend the public interest in our response to MOJ proposals for Legal Aid Reform – Bar Standards Board

Posted February 15th, 2011 in legal aid, news, public interest by sally

“Our response to the MOJ’s proposals for Legal Aid Reform states that the cuts to Legal Aid will have no discernible positive regulatory impact and do little to protect and promote the public interest.”

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Bar Standards Board, 14th February 2011

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

JIH v News Group Newspapers Ltd – WLR Daily

JIH v News Group Newspapers Ltd [2011] EWCA Civ 42; [2011] WLR (D) 27

“Where a claimant applied for an injunction restraining publication of private information and sought reporting restrictions, in balancing the rights of the individual to confidentiality against the public interest in freedom of expression, generally the court would either direct that the claimant’s name be anonymised but disclosure of the nature of the information was permitted, or direct that the claimant could be named but the nature of the information was not to be identified.”

WLR Daily, 1st February 2011

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

DPP’s power to block war crimes arrests is in the public interest – The Guardian

Posted January 27th, 2011 in Crown Prosecution Service, news, prosecutions, public interest, war crimes by sally

“The director of public prosecutions has disclosed how he proposes to use unique new powers enabling him to block the arrest of visiting foreigners accused of war crimes abroad.”

Full story

The Guardian, 26th January 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ex-Guantánamo inmates take on MI5 and MI6 over courtoom secrecy – The Guardian

Posted January 25th, 2011 in disclosure, news, private hearings, public interest, terrorism by sally

“An attempt by MI5 and MI6 to extend courtroom secrecy has led to a legal battle at the supreme court, with lawyers representing former Guantánamo inmates and the media denouncing the proposal as ‘unconstitutional and excessive’.”

Full story

The Guardian, 24th January 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Why lawyers who fall foul of the legal watchdog should be named – The Guardian

Posted January 25th, 2011 in complaints, legal ombudsman, legal profession, news, public interest by sally

“Complaints are the legal profession’s achilles heel. It was the Law Society’s failure to deal properly with complaints against solicitors in the late 1990s that helped trigger the reform process that led to the Legal Services Act 2007 – and a key element of the act is the new, independent Legal Ombudsman (LEO) service.”

Full story

The Guardian, 24th January 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Regina (Coke-Wallis) v Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales – WLR Daily

Posted January 20th, 2011 in disciplinary procedures, estoppel, law reports, public interest by sally

Regina (Coke-Wallis) v Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales [2011] UKSC 1 ; [2011] WLR (D) 3

“The principles of cause of action estoppel applied to successive complaints before a professional disciplinary body. Whether, and in what circumstances, a public interest exception should be recognised to the strict application of those principles in the disciplinary context was a matter for Parliament not the courts.”

WLR Daily, 19th January 2011

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Government creates data publishing body

Posted January 18th, 2011 in freedom of information, news, public interest by sally

“A single body will be put in charge of how data generated by publicly owned bodies is used, the Government has said. It has outlined plans for a Public Data Corporation (PDC) to manage data and license it to others.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 17th January 2011

Source: www.out-law.com

Paponette and others v Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago – WLR Daily

Posted December 14th, 2010 in burden of proof, law reports, public interest, Trinidad & Tobago by sally

Paponette and others v Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago [2010] UKPC 32; [2010] WLR (D) 323

“A court could not infer from the bare fact that a public body had acted in breach of a legitimate expectation that it must have done so to further some overriding public interest.”

WLR Daily, 13th December 2010

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Should justice be televised? – Legal Week

Posted December 7th, 2010 in criminal justice, media, news, public interest by sally

“The head of Sky News has argued in a new Guardian article that justice must be televised as allowing TV cameras in court would help restore public faith in criminal proceedings.”

Full story

Legal Week, 6th December 2010

Source: www.legalweek.com

Regina (Secretary of State for the Home Department) v Assistant Deputy Coroner for Inner West London – WLR Daily

Posted December 2nd, 2010 in evidence, inquests, law reports, legal representation, public interest by sally

Regina (Secretary of State for the Home Department) v Assistant Deputy Coroner for Inner West London
[2010] EWHC 3098 (Admin); [2010] WLR (D) 305

“A coroner did not have power to receive sensitive evidence relating to the security service in a closed hearing in the absence of properly interested persons and their legal representatives.”

WLR Daily, 1st December 2010

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Regina v M(L) and Others; Regina v Tabot; Regina v Tijani – WLR Daily

Posted October 26th, 2010 in law reports, prosecutions, public interest, trafficking in human beings by sally

Regina v M(L) and Others; Regina v Tabot; Regina v Tijani [2010] EWCA Crim 2327 ; [2010] WLR(D) 266

“Where a person was a victim of human trafficking, for the purposes of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (CETS No 197), and whilst retaining some nexus with the trafficking committed an offence which arguably called, in the public interest, for prosecution, the decision whether to prosecute depended on whether the offence committed was serious enough to call for prosecution, which in turn depended on all the circumstances of the case, the gravity of the offence alleged, the degree of continuing compulsion, and the alternatives reasonably available to the defendant. The prosecution was not obliged by art 10 of the Convention to advise a defendant’s solicitors of the availability of human trafficking referral agencies or to refer a represented defendant to those agencies, unless there were something unusual about the defendant’s case, but were obliged to remind the defendant’s solicitors of the existence of those agencies.”

WLR Daily, 25th October 2010

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

No prosecutions in Caroline Loder MS death probe – BBC news

Posted August 18th, 2010 in assisted suicide, Crown Prosecution Service, news, public interest, suicide by sally

“Three people arrested over the suicide of a multiple sclerosis sufferer will not face prosecution, it has emerged.”

Full story

BBC News, 16th August 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Times libel ruling shows Reynolds privilege is of little practical use – The Guardian

Posted July 21st, 2010 in appeals, defamation, defences, media, news, public interest by sally

“News this week that veteran media lawyer Alastair Brett has parted company with the Times so soon after the court of appeal ruled against the newspaper in the Flood case comes just as I am mulling over the impact of this significant libel judgment.”

Full story

The Guardian, 21st July 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk