Chilcot inquiry into Iraq War ‘unlikely to be published this year’ – The Independent

Posted April 21st, 2015 in delay, inquiries, Iraq, news, publishing, reports by sally

‘The British inquiry into the 2003 Iraq war and its aftermath, which completed its last hearing in February 2011 with the promise to report back in “some months”, is unlikely to be published this year.’

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The Independent, 21st April 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

The cab-rank rule – are its days numbered? – Legal Futures

Posted April 16th, 2015 in barristers, consultations, news, reports by sally

‘‘The cab-rank rule is dead, long live the cab-rank principle’, or words to that effect, may be heard before too long..’

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Legal Futures, 16th April 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Child pornography cases double as paedophiles pursue vile profit from abuse – Daily Telegraph

‘Internet Watch Foundation report warns of increasing commercialisation of online child abuse images, with some even being traded for the digital ‘bitcoin’ currency ‘

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Daily Telegraph, 14th April 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

The Rivlin Report – the Bar talking to itself? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted April 7th, 2015 in barristers, case management, fees, guilty pleas, legal education, news, reports, trials by sally

‘The last of the three “state of the Bar” reports, the “Criminal Justice, Advocacy and the Bar” Report by the Criminal Justice Reform Group (generally known as the Rivlin Report) was released shortly before Easter. Unlike Leveson and Jeffrey’s, the MoJ did not commit to consider this report before deciding on the future of legal aid provision. As this was a report commissioned by the Bar Council (the report itself acknowledges “we should stress that the substance of this Report, and the recommendations which accompany it, are independent and made on behalf of the Bar”), this may not have been a bad call by the MoJ.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 7th April 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Warning over Islamic radicalisation in England’s prisons

Posted April 7th, 2015 in gangs, Islam, news, prisons, reports, terrorism by sally

‘Staff shortages are making it harder to tackle Islamic radicalisation in England’s prisons, the former head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office has warned.’

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BBC News, 7th April 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Streamlined forensic reporting – Park Square Barristers

Posted April 2nd, 2015 in evidence, forensic science, news, reports by sally

‘With ever-increasing cutbacks to our legal system, it’s of little surprise that the expensive area of forensic science has been targeted for cost reduction. As such, the introduction of streamlined forensic reporting (SFR) tries to introduce a more cost-effective response to the discovery of forensic material which might link a person to a crime scene.’

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Park Square Barristers, 26th March 2015

Source: www.parksquarebarristers.co.uk

McKenzie friends could drive ‘bulldozer’ through Legal Services Act – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 2nd, 2015 in criminal justice, fees, legal services, McKenzie friends, news, reports by sally

‘Giving McKenzie friends permission to speak in court would drive a bulldozer through the Legal Services Act, which was intended to regulate reserved activities, criminal barristers have said.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 1st April 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Criminal Justice, Advocacy and the Bar – The Bar Council

Posted March 31st, 2015 in barristers, criminal justice, news, reports by sally

‘A new report by His Honour Geoffrey Rivlin QC, chair of the Criminal Justice Reform Group, commissioned by the Bar Council, sets out key recommendations for sustaining the criminal justice system in England & Wales.’

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The Bar Council, 31st March 2015

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

FCA focus on personal accountability driving increase in financial firm whistleblowing, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted March 31st, 2015 in financial regulation, news, reports, whistleblowers by sally

‘A significant increase in the number of whistleblowing cases opened by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) over the course of the last year shows that the regulator’s increased focus on personal accountability is changing employee behaviour in the financial services industry, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 30th March 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Legal services to be “future boom area” as councils become entrepreneurial: report

Posted March 31st, 2015 in legal services, local government, news, reports by sally

‘Legal services look likely to be a “future boom area” for local authorities as they seek to operate more entrepreneurially, a think tank has claimed.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 30th March 2015

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Save Legal Aid, Save Lives – Family Law Week

Posted March 26th, 2015 in domestic violence, evidence, legal aid, news, reports, select committees by sally

‘Ruth Tweedale, a law lecturer at the University of Roehampton and former solicitor at Rights of Women, describes recent developments in the campaign to preserve family law legal aid for victims of domestic violence.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 24th March 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Too little progress on stop and search, says police watchdog – The Guardian

Posted March 26th, 2015 in news, police, race discrimination, reports, stop and search by sally

‘Police forces have made too little progress on improving their use of stop and search powers, with too many officers lacking any understanding of their impact on the lives of young black people, an official watchdog has said.’

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The Guardian, 24th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Support for death penalty drops below 50% for the first time – BBC News

Posted March 26th, 2015 in death penalty, news, reports, statistics by sally

‘Support for the death penalty in Britain has dropped below 50% for the first time on record, an annual opinion survey says.’

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BBC News, 26th March 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Mark Duggan shooting: armed officers cleared of wrongdoing – The Guardian

Posted March 25th, 2015 in complaints, crime, firearms, freedom of expression, gangs, news, police, reports by sally

‘The police watchdog has cleared armed officers of any wrongdoing in the killing of Mark Duggan, saying it was likely that he was in the process of throwing away a handgun when he was shot.’

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The Guardian, 25th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Finance & Divorce Update – Family Law Week

Posted March 24th, 2015 in courts, divorce, family courts, financial provision, internet, news, reports, statistics by sally

‘Jessica Craigs, senior solicitor of Mills & Reeve LLP analyses the financial remedies and divorce news and cases from February 2015.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 22nd March 2014

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

‘Arrange family court open days’ – judiciary – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted March 24th, 2015 in children, courts, family courts, legal education, news, reports, witnesses by sally

‘Family courts should have annual open days for children, a report from the judiciary recommends.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 23rd March 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘Catastrophic failure’ allowed convicted killer to murder on day release – The Guardian

Posted March 24th, 2015 in murder, news, release on licence, reports by sally

‘A convicted killer was allowed out on day release, leaving him free to murder a good samaritan in a decision described as a “catastrophic failure” by the chief inspector of prisons.’

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The Guardian, 23rd March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Final Report of the Vulnerable Witnesses and Children Working Group – Judiciary of England & Wales

‘Final Report of the Vulnerable Witnesses and Children Working Group.’

Full texts

Judiciary of England and Wales, 17th March 2015

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Amina Agboola murder: Death ‘not preventable’, review concludes – BBC News

Posted March 20th, 2015 in child cruelty, domestic violence, murder, news, reports, social services by tracey

‘The death of a toddler killed by a violent kick to her stomach by her mother’s boyfriend could not have been foreseen, a report has concluded.’

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BBC News, 19th March 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Some CPS barristers ‘lack flair’, says inspection report – BBC News

Posted March 20th, 2015 in advocacy, barristers, Crown Prosecution Service, quality assurance, reports by tracey

‘Too many Crown Prosecution Service barristers lack “presence, self-confidence and flair” in Crown Court trials, a report has said. The CPS Inspectorate found that CPS barristers in England and Wales were in danger of “losing” the jury because of how they presented cases. Standards of CPS advocacy had taken a “step backwards” over the past three years, the report said.’

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Full report

BBC News, 19th March 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk