Motorist with 62 penalty points legally allowed to drive – BBC News
‘A driver who clocked up 62 points on his licence is still allowed to drive, the BBC has learned.’
BBC News, 23rd February 2017
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Legal aid shakeup hands lifeline to domestic violence victims – The Guardian
‘Time limits preventing vulnerable victims of domestic violence from obtaining legal aid for court hearings are to be scrapped, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) will announce.’
The Guardian, 23rd February 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
EVENT: RSA – Prison Reform at a Crossroads
‘The prison reform agenda in the UK has reached a critical stage of development with new legislation expected in the coming months and the expansion of the ‘Reform Prisons’ model which gives governors greater freedoms.
Nils Öberg will join Rachel O’Brien, who has led the RSA’s work on prisons, to share his experience in prisons and probation – the results, challenges and what the reform agenda in the UK can learn from this.’
Date: 8th March 2017, 6.00-7.00pm
Location: Great Room Auditorium, RSA House
Charge: Free, booking required
More information can be found here.
EVENT: University of Westminister – Righting Wrongs: Enforcing Human Rights, Administering International Criminal Justice Conference
‘Westminster Law School are pleased to host a conference exploring the connections between human rights and international criminal justice from the perspective of the institutions of international criminal justice, canvassing academic, practitioner and advocacy vantage points. In particular, this conference seeks to untangle the relationship between international human rights law and international criminal law in the investigation, prosecution and judgment of international crimes.
We are delighted to welcome academics, practitioners and civil society participants to Westminster for the conference, including:
Professor Rob Cryer, University of Birmingham,
Rogier Bartels, Legal Officer in Chambers of the International Criminal Court and
Edward Jeremy, Trial Lawyer in the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court’
Date: 10th March 2017, 10.00am-5.00pm
Location: Portland Hall, University of Westminster, 4-12 Little Titchfield Street (Westminster Law School, Regent Library)
Charge: Free, registration required
More information can be found here.
EVENT: IALS – The Bubble Reputation: Protecting, Inflating, Deflating and Preserving It
‘Speaker: James Michael, Senior Associate Research Fellow, IALS; Chair, IALS Information Law and Policy Centre
Chair: Sir Geoffrey Bindman QC
Does, or should, everyone have a right to a reputation, and if so, should that be the reputation that is desired, deserved, or created? If there is a right to a reputation, should it be malleable to the point of infinity, to be extended, amended, or deleted? And is a posthumous reputation the property of the dead, the next of kin, or a larger community? Cases and statutes from various jurisdictions give varying answers, sometimes reflecting national and regional cultural and historical differences, but the contrasts may point the way for international standards.’
Date: 8th March 2017, 6.00-8.00pm
Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, 17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DR
Charge: Free, booking required
More information can be found here.
Why pass FOI laws? The politics of freedom of information – The Constitution Unit
‘Why are there now more than 100 freedom of information laws around the world, even though they help opponents and hinder governments? In a new book, published this month by Manchester University Press, Ben Worthy investigates. He concludes that the main reason is that as a symbolic pledge in opposition FOI laws are hard to resist. Once in power these promises are hard to back down from, though experience suggests that proposed laws are often watered down before being enacted. These findings are summarised here.’
The Constitution Unit, 16th February 2017
Source: www.constitution-unit.com
Roadside Trees – Local Government Law
‘In Cavanagh v Witley Parish Council, Queen’s Bench Judgment on 14 February 2017, the Parish Council was found liable in negligence when a large mature lime tree on its land, with severe and extensive decay in the root system extending into the base of the trunk, fell across a road and onto a bus, causing the driver severe injury. It was a busy public road. The tree, which leant towards the road, and was over 20 metres high, was in a high risk position alongside the road, albeit, on cursory observation, in a healthy condition. It required regular inspection by a competent arboriculturalist. The Council’s three-yearly inspection policy with regard to its tree stock was “inadequate”. Inspection should have been more frequent. The Council had been advised to do the survey every two years. The local Borough Council had at the relevant time been operating a one-year inspection in respect of trees in high-risk areas, including apparently healthy trees.’
Local Government Law, 21st February 2017
Miller and the modern British Constitution – Counsel
‘Miller reveals the malleability of the parliamentary sovereignty doctrine, argues Professor Mark Elliott in his examination of the many tensions which lie at the heart of the majority judgment.’
Counsel, March 2017
Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk
Lessons in understanding: Unfairness and Estoppel by Convention in the Upper Tribunal – Hardwicke Chambers
‘Towards the end of last year, the Upper Tribunal (“UT”) handed down decisions in two cases involving estoppel by convention:
Admiralty Park Management Ltd v Ojo [2016] UKUT 0421 (LC) 8 September 2016 (“Ojo”); and
Bucklitsch and anor v Merchant Exchange Management Company Limited [2016] UKUT 0527 (LC) 13 December 2016 (“Bucklitsch”).’
Hardwicke Chambers, 18th January 2017
Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk
Rise of third party funding: a growing international consensus – Hardwicke Chambers
‘Whatever your opinion on the ethical implications of third party funding in international arbitration, the past six months have seen two firm nods in its favour. These have signaled that, as a method of financing arbitration, it is here to stay.’
Hardwicke Chambers, 25th January 2017
Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk
Cloisters column part two – ‘Premature Labelling? A child-centred approach to questions of gender identity’ – Cloisters
‘This is part two of a two-part series on trans rights from leading equality and human rights barrister Claire McCann at Cloisters. Part one explores toilets and gender identity.’
Cloisters, 14th February 2017
Source: www.cloisters.com
Family Court proceedings: gender reassignment and ultra-orthodox Judaism – Cloisters
‘Claire McCann, an expert on trans equality, analyses the competing arguments in the Family Court’s recent assessment of the children’s “best interests” in the unusual context of a transgender parent and the Charedi Jewish community in North Manchester.’
Cloisters, 1st February 2017
Source: www.cloisters.com
Formula Milk and Human Rights: Council That Removed Baby Pays Damages – RightsInfo
‘A local council who took a newborn baby boy from his parents violated their human right to family life and a fair trial, a judge has ruled.’
RightsInfo, 17th February 2017
Source: www.rightsinfo.org
Top lawyers warn of human rights crisis after Brexit – The Guardian
‘Leading lawyers and legal experts are warning that Brexit could trigger a human rights crisis in the UK that threatens to have a ‘domino effect’ across Europe.’
The Guardian, 21st February 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Search engines and rights holders finalise new code to address online copyright infringement – OUT-LAW.com
‘Google and Microsoft, together with representatives from the UK creative industries, have agreed on a new voluntary code to address online copyright infringement.’
OUT-LAW.com, 22nd February 2017
Source: www.out-law.com
How is the PLO working? What is its impact on court process and outcome? – Family Law Week
‘The last five years have brought important reforms to care proceedings. The Judiciary made proposals for modernising family justice with a focus on strong judicial leadership, judicial continuity and better case management.2 The Family Justice Review3 recommended that the duration of care proceedings should be limited to 26 weeks, that fewer experts should be instructed in proceedings and there should be more limited scrutiny of the care plan, with the court considering only the plan for permanency (care by the parents(s), placement in the extended family, long-term fostering, or adoption) and not matters such as services for the child and contact arrangements. The Review’s recommendations were enacted in the Children and Families Act 2014, supplemented by new procedural rules (the PLO 2014) and implemented on April 22, 2014. This date also marked the opening of the Family Court, replacing the triple jurisdiction of the Family Proceedings Court, the County Court and the High Court. ‘
Family Law Week, 17th February 2017
Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk
