#killallwhitemen row: charges dropped against student diversity officer – The Guardian

‘Bahar Mustafa, the Goldsmiths student diversity officer who was due to appear in court after allegedly tweeting the hashtag #killallwhitemen, has had charges against her dropped.’

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The Guardian, 3rd November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Speech by the Lord Chief Justice – Temple Women’s Forum

Speech by the Lord Chief Justice (PDF)

Temple Women’s Forum, 19th October 2015

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

The Sun’s ‘cleavage week’ ads escape ban – The Guardian

Posted October 21st, 2015 in advertising, complaints, jurisdiction, media, news, ombudsmen, photography, women by sally

‘A competition in the Sun inviting readers to submit a photo of their cleavage for the chance to win £1,000 has escaped a ban from the advertising watchdog.’

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The Guardian, 21st October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Quotas ‘demeaning’ to women and minority groups – Leveson – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 13th, 2015 in diversity, judiciary, law firms, quotas, reports, speeches, women by tracey

‘The president of the Queen’s Bench Division has branded quotas as “demeaning” to women and minority ethnic groups.
Sir Brian Leveson (pictured) waded into the controversial debate over quotas ahead of the publication of a government-backed report that could put law firms under new pressure to promote women in senior posts.’

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Full speech

Law Society’s Gazette, 12th October 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Number of female judges in UK ‘snowballing’ despite equality row – The Guardian

Posted October 2nd, 2015 in equality, judicial appointments commission, judiciary, news, statistics, women by tracey

‘The rate at which women are being appointed judges is gathering momentum in a “snowball effect”, ensuring gender equality on the bench is not that far away despite remarks by supreme court justice Jonathan Sumption – so says a female judge involved in judicial selection.’

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The Guardian, 1st October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Sexual harassment and universities’ legal obligations – the government’s new taskforce – Education Law Blog

‘Many of you will have heard about the government’s recent decision to set up a taskforce to tackle violence against women on campus. (See the government press release here.) This move is timeous or long overdue (depending on your viewpoint) in the light of the accumulating momentum of campaigns by various individuals and organisations to highlight the high incidence of sexual violence/harassment on campus.’

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Education Law Blog, 23rd September 2015

Source: www.education11kbw.com

Diversity and the profession: a reply to Lord Sumption – The Lawyer

Posted September 23rd, 2015 in barristers, diversity, judiciary, news, solicitors, women by sally

‘Last night, Lord Sumption, a Justice of the Supreme Court, was trending on Twitter. This, I think, was a first. The furore was linked to an interview given by Lord Sumption to the Evening Standard.’

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The Lawyer, 22nd September 2015

Source: www.thelawyer.com

No rush for more women at the top of the legal profession, says senior judge – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 22nd, 2015 in costs, diversity, equality, human rights, judges, judiciary, legal profession, news, women by sally

‘Lord Sumption claims rushing to achieve equality could damage the judiciary.’
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Daily Telegraph, 21st September 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Crime would fall if jail population was halved, says penal reform charity – The Independent

Posted September 7th, 2015 in charities, news, parole, prisons, sentencing, statistics, women by sally

‘Billions of pounds would be saved and crime would fall if the prison population were slashed by more than half, a penal reform charity claims.’

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The Independent, 7th September 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Hate crimes against Muslims in London ‘up by 70%’, police figures show – The Independent

Posted September 7th, 2015 in hate crime, Islam, London, news, racism, religious discrimination, statistics, women by sally

‘London’s Muslims have faced a 70% increase in Islamophobic attacks over the past year, according to figures from the Metropolitan Police.’

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The Independent, 7th September 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Law firms need to work on giving female barristers equal “crack of the whip” on instructions – Legal Futures

Posted September 3rd, 2015 in barristers, equality, law firms, news, women by sally

‘Male solicitors must be alert to their “unconscious assumptions” and ensure female barristers get an “equal crack of the whip in winning work on their merits”, the vice-chair of the Bar Standards Board (BSB) has said.’

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Legal Futures, 2nd September 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

The Lingering Gender Pay Gap – No. 5 Chambers

Posted August 28th, 2015 in equal pay, equality, news, women by sally

‘Jessica Smeaton looks at the government’s new consultation paper and the impact on large employers.’
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No. 5 Chambers, 25th August 2015

Source: www.no5.com

Slavery: How women’s key role in abolition has yet to receive the attention it deserves – The Independent

‘The journey of Mary Prince from the salt ponds of Bermuda to a cause célèbre in early 19th-century Britain came at unbearable personal cost. Torn from her family in a slave auction and routinely beaten while naked, she was brought to England by her owners after years of brutality on Caribbean plantations.’

Full story

The Independent, 23rd August 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Sex offences on trains and stations reach record level – BBC News

Posted August 19th, 2015 in news, sexual offences, statistics, transport, women by sally

‘The number of recorded sexual offences on trains and at stations has risen 25% to a record level, British Transport Police figures suggest.’

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BBC News, 19th August 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Woman serving eight-week prison sentence found dead in her cell – The Guardian

Posted August 17th, 2015 in death in custody, news, women by sally

‘A woman who was serving an eight-week prison sentence for shoplifting has been found dead in her cell.’

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The Guardian, 14th August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Yarl’s Wood conditions deteriorated so much women are being treated like ‘animals’ – The Independent

‘Conditions at a privately run immigration removal centre have “deteriorated” over the past year to the extent that almost half of the women held there fear for their safety, according to a damning report published by the Chief Inspector of Prisons.’

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The Independent, 12th August 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

UK prisons inspector seeks time limits on detention of migrants without trial – The Guardian

‘The chief prisons inspector has called for time limits on the detention of migrants without trial after fresh warnings of a significant deterioration in conditions at an immigration removal centre for women.’

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The Guardian, 12th August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Mothers Confined (part 3) | Lead by example: transforming rehabilitation – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted August 6th, 2015 in news, rehabilitation, Scotland, supervision orders, women by sally

‘Transforming Reahabilitation (TR) has been offered as a way in which women in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) “will have increased access to support services”. Prior to the many women who were incarcerated pre-TR and would be released from prison without supervision, will now – regardless of whether they have served one day or 12 months – be required to have some form of supervision. Previously, all people leaving custody serving less than 12 months were released without supervision.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 6th August 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Smashing stereotypes, childcare and class snobbery: My life as a female judge – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 6th, 2015 in equality, judiciary, news, women by sally

‘New figures show there are more judges under 40 than ever in Britain – and more than half of them are women. Here, Marilyn Mornington, who became a judge at 40, explains what it’s like being a woman at the top of the law.’

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Daily Telegraph, 4th August 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Why doesn’t our judiciary reflect the diverse society it serves? – The Guardian

Posted August 6th, 2015 in equality, judiciary, news, women by sally

‘What percentage of court of appeal and high court judges would you guess are women? What about the proportion of black and minority ethnic (BME) members of the judiciary?’

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The Guardian, 5th August 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk