Transgender teenager sues Hereford school for discrimination – BBC News
‘A transgender teenager is taking legal action against his former school for discrimination.’
BBC News, 2nd February 2017
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
EVENT: Gresham College – Justice Online: Just as Good?
‘Early in 2016, the criminal and civil courts of England and Wales embarked on a modernisation programme aimed at reforming procedures that have survived for centuries. The judges themselves are helping to design the computerised courts of the future. New software will empower litigants to bring and defend cases without the need for lawyers. Judges will be able to decide cases whenever and wherever they choose to open their laptops. But will justice suffer? What if you cannot manage the technology? What if your opponent but not yourself can afford legal advice? Will the courts continue to deliver justice? Might your dispute be decided by a computer? In the first of a series of three annual lectures, the reforms will be monitored as they are planned, tested and launched. Will this project be an IT disaster? Or will it demonstrate that online justice can be just as good as the courts that have served us for hundreds of years.’
Date: 22nd February 2017, 6.00-7.00pm
Location: Museum of London
Charge: Free
More information can be found here.
Councils should be forced to fix potholes immediately, Court of Appeal rules – Daily Telegraph
‘Councils should be forced to fix serious potholes immediately the Court of Appeal has ruled, after judges found in favour of a jogger who hurt his ankle.’
Daily Telegraph, 2nd February 2017
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
EVENT: Public Access Bar Association – Developing a Public Access Practice: Online Portals and Marketing
‘Speakers: Basileios Drolias (MyBarrister)
Daniel ShenSmith (ShenSmith Barristers)
Stephen Ward (Clerksroom)
Danielle Wright (Bar Council Direct Access Portal)’
Date: 8th February 2016, 6.00-7.00pm
Location: 23 Essex Street London WC2R 3AA.
Charge: PABA Members: free, Non-members: £5 (cash only) payable at the venue from 5:30pm.
More information can be found here.
Anti-Semitic hate crime at record high, says UK charity – BBC News
‘Hate crime against Jewish people in the UK increased by more than a third last year, with recorded incidents now at record levels, charity figures suggest.’
BBC News, 2nd February 2017
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Government set to raise threshold for court and tribunal fee remission – Litigation Futures
‘The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) yesterday announced plans to increase the threshold for the court and tribunal fee remission scheme to around the level of the national living wage (NLW).’
Litigation Futures, 1st February 2017
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
Nottingham Asda worker guilty of terrorist charges – BBC News
‘An Asda worker has been found guilty of trying to join a Islamist terrorist group in the Philippines.’
BBC News, 2nd February 2017
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
HBOS manager and other City financiers jailed over £245m loans scam – The Guardian
‘A group of bankers who ran an “utterly corrupt scheme” that left hundreds of small business owners “cheated, defeated and penniless” have been sentenced to almost 50 years in jail.’
The Guardian, 2nd February 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Supreme Court “needs to clarify scope of legal advice privilege” – Litigation Futures
‘RBS’s solicitors have expressed disappointment that the Supreme Court will not now consider the issue of who is a client for the purposes of legal advice privilege, after its client dropped a planned appeal against the present “unhelpful and unworkable” position.’
Litigation Futures, 2nd February 2017
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
Price promotions – making sure your price is right – Technology Law Update
‘New guidance on price promotions has been issued by the UK Chartered Trading Standards Institute to replace the previous Pricing Practices Guide by BIS (now merged into the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy). The guidance applies to all consumer sales of goods, services and digital content, and includes online transactions as well as those in retail premises. Enforcers are likely to allow traders until April 2017 to bring their practices into line with the guidance.’
Technology Law Update, 2nd February 2017
Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk
PI reforms could make justice system “unworkable”, district judges tell government – Legal Futures
‘The judges on the front line of low-value personal injury (PI) litigation have added a powerful voice of opposition to the government’s proposed reforms, saying the civil justice system could become “unworkable” as a result.’
Legal Futures, 3rd February 2017
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Independent Monitoring Board : the Eyes and Ears – Halsbury’s Law Exchange
‘Our prisons appear to be in a state of permanent crisis but what little we on the outside know about what goes inside our chaotic and violent jails owes little to journalists. Media has been effectively banned by the Government from going into prisons.’
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 31st January 2017
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
Brexit white paper spells out need for new immigration laws – The Guardian
‘David Davis failed to placate Conservative rebels concerned about the status of European Union migrants and other Brexit details, despite publishing a 77-page white paper setting out the government’s plans for leaving the EU.’
The Guardian, 2nd February 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Number of alleged child sex offences committed by other children almost doubles – Daily Telegraph
‘The number of children being investigated by police for sexual offences has almost doubled in the last four years.’
Daily Telegraph, 3rd February 2017
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Brexit and muddled thinking – OUP Blog
‘When Sir Ivan Rogers stepped down in January as the UK’s top official in Brussels, he urged his colleagues to “continue to challenge ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking” and not to be afraid “to speak the truth to those in power.” The implication was clear. The government’s Brexit preparations displayed all these failings but the politicians responsible did not like having this pointed out.’
OUP Blog, 3rd February 2017
Source: www.blog.oup.com
Norma Bell death: Gareth Dack to serve 33 years in jail – BBC News
‘A cocaine addict who strangled a foster mother and then tried to cause an explosion to hide evidence has been jailed for a minimum of 33 years.’
BBC News, 2nd February 2017
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Iraq lawyer Phil Shiner struck off over misconduct – BBC News
‘A human rights lawyer who brought abuse claims against UK troops after the Iraq War has been struck off for misconduct.’
BBC News, 2nd February 2017
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Campaigners launch fresh Brexit legal challenge over single market – The Guardian
‘The government’s Brexit strategy faces a fresh legal challenge in the high court on Friday when campaigners argue that parliament must separately legislate to remove the UK from the European Economic Area (EEA) and the single market.’
The Guardian, 3rd February 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Recent Statutory Instruments – legislation.gov.uk
The Non-Domestic Rating (Demand Notices) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2017
The School and Early Years Finance (England) Regulations 2017
The Combined Authorities (Mayors) (Filling of Vacancies) Order 2017
The Civil Legal Aid (Procedure) (Amendment) Regulations 2017
The Enterprise Act 2016 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2017
The Water Act 2014 (Commencement No. 8 and Transitional Provisions) Order 2017
The Bank of England and Financial Services (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2017
The Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) Order 2017
The Education (National Curriculum) (Key Stage 2 Assessment Arrangements) (England) (Amendment) Order 2017
The Export Control (Amendment) Order 2017
The Export Control (North Korea Sanctions and Iran, Ivory Coast and Syria Amendment) Order 2017
The Housing and Planning Act 2016 (Commencement No. 4 and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2017
The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (References to Financial Investigators) (Amendment) Order 2017
Source: www.legislation.gov.uk
