‘In the first of a series of updates, Dan Jacklin has compiled an update on Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence cases which have been in the courts this year.’
St Philips Barristers, 15th May 2025
Source: st-philips.com
‘On 14 June 2017 a fire broke out in Grenfell Tower on the Lancaster West Estate, social housing in North Kensington, London. In just a few hours, the fire spread rapidly through the tower block resulting in 72 deaths. Described as ‘one of the most deadly preventable disasters in recent British history’, the fire, which began in a fridge-freezer, spread rapidly to the external walls and consumed almost the entire building within a short time due to the Tower’s construction from wholly inappropriate materials: highly flammable combustible polyethylene cladding boards which had been installed on its exterior. Today the skeleton of what is left of the Tower is shrouded in a protective wrap. The Government has recently announced that it will demolish the Tower gradually, a decision which has been met with a mixed response from the local community: some see the Tower as a living memorial or ‘burial ground’ for those who were lost, but others argue that it is a painful reminder of tragedy and an ongoing safety risk.’
Law and Humanities, 13th May 2025
Source: www.tandfonline.com
‘A childminder who was jailed for 31 months after calling for hotels housing asylum seekers to be set on fire after the Southport attacks has lost an appeal against her sentence at the court of appeal.’
The Guardian, 20th May 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Court of Appeal (Underhill LJ, with whom Peter Jackson and Elisabeth Laing LJJ agreed) has handed down an important judgment delineating the proper scope of the “natural justice exception” in s.11A(4)(c)(ii) of the Tribunal, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 (“TCEA 2007”). Section 11A contains what is widely known as the Cart ouster clause. The natural justice exception provides that the stipulation in s.11A(2) and (3), that decisions by the Upper Tribunal about permission to appeal are final, will not apply where the Upper Tribunal “is acting or has acted in such a procedurally defective way as amounts to a fundamental breach of the principles of natural justice”.’
Administrative Court Blog, 20th May 2025
‘The High Court has granted leading firm Clyde & Co an injunction banning a man from its Birmingham office after his repeated visits made staff feel “vulnerable and anxious”.’
Legal Futures, 21st May 2025
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘A UK-based people smuggler who helped exploit migrants as part of a £12 million illegal boat crossing operation has been jailed for 25 years.’
The Independent, 20th May 2025
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘A woman who used “an array of wigs” while completing UK citizenship tests for other people has been sentenced to more than four years in jail.’
BBC News, 20th May 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Judges and magistrates in England and Wales will be told to move away from handing out short custodial sentences in favour of community-based alternatives in a long-awaited sentencing review to be announced on Thursday.’
The Guardian, 20th May 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
Court of Appeal (Civil Division)
Connexus Homes Ltd v Weaver & Anor [2025] EWCA Civ 655 (20 May 2025)
Augustine v Data Cars Ltd [2025] EWCA Civ 658 (20 May 2025)
Great Jackson St Estates Ltd v Council of the City of Manchester [2025] EWCA Civ 652 (19 May 2025)
Awolowo v Awolowo & Anor [2025] EWCA Civ 641 (16 May 2025)
Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)
Connolly v R. [2025] EWCA Crim 657 (20 May 2025)
Hurley,R. v [2025] EWCA Crim 642 (16 May 2025)
High Court (Administrative Court)
Hinkel v Simmons & Simmons LLP & Anor [2025] EWHC 1242 (Admin) (20 May 2025)
Karicka v Slovakian Judicial Authority [2025] EWHC 1234 (Admin) (19 May 2025)
London Borough of Enfield v Beckford [2025] EWHC 1218 (Admin) (19 May 2025)
High Court (Admiralty Division)
High Court (Chancery Division)
Petrofac Ltd, In the Matter Of [2025] EWHC 1250 (Ch) (20 May 2025)
Seymour v Ragley Trust Company Ltd & Ors [2025] EWHC 1099 (Ch) (19 May 2025)
High Court (Family Division)
G v B [2025] EWHC 1222 (Fam) (16 May 2025)
High Court (King’s Bench Division)
Foggoa v J Murphy & Sons Ltd & Ors [2025] EWHC 1246 (KB) (20 May 2025)
HM Solicitor General v Yaxley-Lennon [2025] EWHC 1237 (KB) (20 May 2025)
Clyde & Co LLP & Anor v Kennedy [2025] EWHC 1186 (KB) (19 May 2025)
High Court (Technology & Construction Court)
Lloyds Developments Ltd v Accor HotelServices UK Ltd [2025] EWHC 1238 (TCC) (20 May 2025)
Source: www.bailii.org
‘A growing critique regards judicial review as inhibiting infrastructure delivery on the basis of what I term “litigant power”, which may come to represent the dominant political critique of judicial review under the Labour administration. This differs from classic concerns of judicial power, focusing on how legal challenges by project opponents—notwithstanding their doctrinal outcome—can produce delay and embed a chilling overcaution among industry and policy makers. Having articulated the litigant power critique alongside judicial power, the article explores judicial review’s impacts on infrastructure delivery through a case study of the legal challenges to England’s High-Speed 2 railway project. I argue this litigation presents little evidence of judicial overreach, but in some ways supports litigant power concerns. Nevertheless, I suggest the litigant power critique risks oversimplification, especially in view of the radical reform often proposed, and it also downplays chilling effects associated with the constitution’s centralisation of government decision-making power.’
Legal Studies, 19th May 2025
Source: academic.oup.com
‘On 13 May 2025, the CMA handed down its first determination in an appeal under section 207A of the Water Industry Act against a decision by Ofwat not to modify the Wholesale Retail Code (which governs the supply of water supply and sewerage services by retailers to non-household customers).’
Blackstone Chambers, 19th May 2025
Source: www.blackstonechambers.com
‘A family who went to court to protect a young girl from her paedophile father have criticised government legislation intended to help others in a similar position.’
BBC News, 20th May 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘This study evaluates the effectiveness of an experiential learning assignment designed for criminology and forensic psychology students, requiring them to attend a Crown Court trial in the public gallery or to engage with a virtual mock trial. 48 students were surveyed to measure the impact of experiential assignments in helping students better understand the module content, the criminal justice system and if the experience increased their motivation to continue with their course. Findings indicate strong student support for the assignment, with 81.3% stating it as valuable and 79.2% wanting more experiential learning opportunities in their criminal justice related courses. We found that in-person experiences received slightly higher student ratings, however, both in-person and virtual contributed positively to learning outcomes. We highlight the importance of experiential learning in improving student engagement, and real-world application of their degree.’
Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 8th May 2025
Source: www.tandfonline.com
‘Two drug smugglers who tried to move tens of millions of pounds of cocaine into the UK using an inflatable boat have been jailed.’
The Independent, 17th May 2025
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘The substantial similarity test has been criticized as difficult to apply. Nevertheless, it plays a central role in deciding the extent to which works similar to existing copyright works are improper copies or new works that should be allowed. This article provides an empirical analysis of UK substantial similarity copyright cases, contributing to this discussion by revealing how this test is applied in practice. What type of substantial similarity copyright cases tend to be brought by litigants, what factors are relevant in the judgments and what patterns of claimant and defendant losses are revealed?’
Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice, 12th May 2025
Source: academic.oup.com
‘The Family Justice Council (FJC) has published guidance for professionals and litigants who represent themselves on the use of covert recordings in family law proceedings.’
Local Government Lawyer, 19th May 2025
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Edward Denehan and Lorenzo Leoni consider and discuss the Law Commissions’ Consultation Paper on the security of tenure provisions for business tenants conferred by Part II of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 (the “Act”), and the pros and cons of the alternative security of tenure models advanced by the Law Commission.’
Tanfield Chambers, 14th May 2025
Source: tanfieldchambers.co.uk
‘A “foolish” middle-man involved in the theft of a £4.8m gold toilet stolen from an art exhibition at Blenheim Palace has been handed a suspended sentence at Oxford crown court.’
The Guardian, 19th May 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘David Mitchell speaks to Dr Tom West of Privacy International about the challenges which generative AI poses to individual privacy rights. In a wide-ranging discussion looking at the availability and efficacy of existing legal protections, Tom discusses the interventionist response of the Data Protection Authority in Italy to Chat GPT and DeepSeek, what privacy lawyers might glean from big tech competition disputes in the US and drawing on his own background, the lessons that environmental law might offer in terms of the regulation of generative AI.’
39 Essex Chambers, 15th May 2025
Source: www.39essex.com
© Inner Temple Library 2025