M1 crash death driver Ian Walters guilty of murdering wife – BBC News
‘A man accused of murdering his wife by deliberately driving their car into a motorway embankment has been convicted.’
BBC News, 7th May 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Howell v Lerwick Commercial Mortgage Corporation Ltd – WLR Daily
Howell v Lerwick Commercial Mortgage Corporation Ltd [2015] EWHC 1177 (Ch); [2015] WLR (D) 200
‘Where the debt in a statutory demand itself was not disputed but the debtor relied on a cross-claim which did not equal the debt but fell short of it by less than £750, the statutory demand was not necessarily to be set aside under the residual discretion in rule 6.5(4)(d) of the Insolvency Rules 1986.’
WLR Daily, 1st May 2015
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
BAILII: Recent Decisions
Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)
The Court of Appeal and the Birth Family: Making Certain Justice is Seen to be Done – Family Law Week
‘David Bedingfield, barrister of 4 Paper Buildings, considers two recent Court of Appeal judgments which had cause to consider the significance of a child’s family ties.’
Family Law Week, 6th May 2015
Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk
The Law and Parenthood – BBC Unreliable Evidence
‘In the first of a news series, Clive Anderson and a panel of senior lawyers, judges and other experts discuss how the law balances the sometimes conflicting interests of parents and their children.’
BBC Unreliable Evidence, 6th May 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Judge fires costs warning in face of “documentary carpet bombing” – Litigation Futures
‘A High Court judge has hit out at the “documentary carpet bombing” he faced in a negligence claim before him and warned litigants of the costs consequences that such behaviour can trigger.’
Litigation Futures, 7th May 2015
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
Reporting Restrictions in the Criminal Courts – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
‘A fourth updated set of guidelines on open justice and reporting restrictions in the criminal courts is published today by the Judicial College, News Media Association (NMA), Society of Editors and the Media Lawyers Association. The new edition covers the new reporting restrictions applying to under 18 year olds, which came into force last month, the Female Genital Mutilation anonymity provisions which came into force this month and other changes relevant to reporting the work of the criminal courts.’
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 6th May 2015
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
BPTC fees rise as Inns of Court estimate students waste £5m on the course every year – The Lawyer
‘Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) fees have risen by 9 per cent in three years nationwide, while fees in the capital have been hiked by 12 per cent in the same period.’
The Lawyer, 30th April 2015
Source: www.lawyer.com
Ione Wells: Attacker sentenced to 12 months in custody – Daily Telegraph
‘The 17-year-old who sexually assaulted Oxford student Ione Wells is given a two year detention order, meaning he will spend 12 months in detention.’
Full story
Daily Telegraph, 6th May 2015
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Local authorities and judicial review: they should not put their heads completely in the sands – UK Human Rights Blog
‘Out of what some may think to be an everyday spat between the Co-Op (existing supermarket) and an out-of-town supermarket proposer, comes a salutary reminder from Singh J that local authorities cannot behave like private litigants when they are judicially reviewed. Different rules apply.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 7th May 2015
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Section 7(9) Again (What, Again?) – Panopticon
‘On a day when the country goes to the polls (or, if you a UKIP supporter, to the Poles), it is nice to be able remind people of the more important things in life than mere democratic-right exercising. The chief of these is, surely, developments under the Data Protection Act 1998. Happily, Panopticon can assist, with a quick note on an ex tempore judgment of HHJ Seymour QC in Ittihadieh v 5-11 Cheyne Gardens RTM Co Ltd & 6 others (QBD, 5 May 2015). There is no transcript yet available, but a headnote is now reported on Lawtel, and this summary is taken from that.’
Panopticon, 7th May 2015
Source: www.panopticonblog.com
EVENT: LSE – In Conversation with Sir Stephen Sedley
‘As part of LSE’s Legal Biography Project, Sir Ross Cranston will interview Sir Stephen Sedley on his life and career in the law. After a distinguished career as one of Britain’s leading barristers, Sir Stephen was appointed a high court judge in 1992, and a Lord Justice of Appeal in 1999. During his twelve years on the Court of Appeal, he made a significant contribution to the development of many areas of modern English law, particularly in public law. He has also written widely on English law and the constitution, and is a regular contributor to the London Review of Books.’
Date: 19th May 2015, 6.30-8.00pm
Location: Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
Charge: See website for details
More information can be found here.
New guidance developed to help local authorities communicate via social media – OUT-LAW.com
‘A new information platform has been set up to help local authorities improve the way they communicate on social media.’
OUT-LAW.com, 6th May 2015
Source: www.out-law.com
Retired vicar who refused to pay council tax as matter of principle wins High Court victory over excessive costs – The Independent
‘A retired vicar who refused to pay council tax on a matter of principle has won a High Court victory over excessive costs.’
The Independent, 7th May 2015
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Setting up special purpose vehicle to pursue debts “not champertous”, High Court rules – Litigation Futures
‘Setting up a company as a special purpose vehicle to pursue an individual and his family for debts, including through the courts, does not amount to champerty, the High Court has ruled.’
Litigation Futures, 7th May 2015
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
Parents of autistic man criticise decision to prosecute him – Daily Telegraph
‘George Ostle’s parents say if Lord Janner was not fit to stand trial then neither was their autistic son who has the mental age of a ten-year-old.’
Daily Telegraph, 6th May 2015
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
High court orders surrogate mother to hand baby to gay couple – The Guardian
‘Lawyers are calling for rules surrounding surrogacy to be tightened up after a woman who had a child with a gay couple then refused them access was ordered to hand over the baby.’
The Guardian, 6th May 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Wrapped up: Everseal Stationery Products Ltd v Document Management Solutions Ltd – NIPC Law
‘Not all patented inventions are high tech. The title of the patent in Everseal Stationery Products Ltd v Document Management Solutions Ltd. and Others [2015] EWHC 842 (IPEC) (1 April 2015) was “Mailer with self-adhesive closure”.’
NIPC Law, 5th May 2015
Source: www.nipclaw.blogspot.co.uk
Farrah Ahmed and Adam Perry: Judicial Review of Shariah Councils – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘On 23 March, Theresa May announced plans for a review of shariah councils in England and Wales, to examine their compatibility with British values, if the Conservatives win the May election. Shariah councils are bodies that issue divorce certificates for Islamic marriages, offer mediation and reconciliation services to couples married under religious law, and produce expert opinion reports on religious matters. An AHRC-funded research project concluded that the shariah council it studied (along with a Beth Din and a Catholic Tribunal) “provide[s] an important service for those Jews, Muslims and Catholics for whom a religious divorce ‘in the sight of God’ is important from both a spiritual and religious legal perspective”. The Home Office, while acknowledging the need for further evidence on the operation of shariah councils, appears concerned about the effect of their decisions on women (who, it suggests, may receive an insufficient financial settlement on a religious divorce) and the fairness of the procedures followed by shariah councils (particularly the possibility that their procedures discount women’s testimonies).’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 1st May 2015
Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org
