Consultation on proposed amendments to allocation guideline – Sentencing Council
‘The Sentencing Council has launched a consultation on proposed amendments to the allocation guideline.’
Sentencing Council, 19th June 2015
Consumer Prepayments on Retailer Insolvency – Law Commission
‘In a consultation paper published on 18 June 2015, the Law Commission considers whether prepaying consumers should be better protected in the event of company insolvency, either through improved voluntary mechanisms or required by law.’
Law Commission, 18th June 2015
Source: www.lawcommission.justice.gov.uk
Guidance Notes for Chancery Masters following Changes to Practice Direction 2B – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
‘Guidance Notes for Chancery Masters following Changes to Practice Direction 2B.’
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 16th June 2015
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
Surge in ‘DIY’ justice sparks guidelines for lawyers – The Bar Council
‘A surge in the number of people representing themselves in court has prompted legal organisations to draft guidelines for lawyers who come up against people who find themselves in court without legal representation.’
The Bar Council, 18th June 2015
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
Relief from Sanctions in the Family Courts – Family Law Week
‘Chris Barnes, 4 Paper Buildings, and Jane Wells and James Billingham, Harney and Wells Solicitors, consider the lessons of H (Children) in which they acted for the appellant father.’
Family Law Week, 14th June 2015
Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk
Child Abduction and Inchoate Rights – Family Law week
‘Marie Crawford, barrister of Becket Chambers, considers one of the most significant developments in relation to child abduction cases in the last thirty years.’
Family Law Week, 11th June 2015
Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk
Defendants should be allowed to waive their right to trial by jury – The Guardian
‘The UK criminal justice system needs to do more with less. Sir Brian Leveson’s recommendations would introduce some sensible flexibility to it.’
The Guardian, 18th June 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Government ordered to publish redacted fracking report in full – The Guardian
‘A heavily-redacted government report on the impacts of fracking on house prices, businesses and services in rural areas must be published in full, the UK’s information commissioner has ruled.’
The Guardian, 18th June 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Shoppers ‘duped’ by millions of fake online reviews – Daily Telegraph
‘Shoppers who use the internet to research hotels, books, electronics and other purchases are being misled by millions of “fake” reviews orchestrated by companies to trick potential customers, the consumer watchdog warns today as it begins an inquiry.’
Daily Telegraph, 19th June 2015
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Welsh government job advert breached language policy – BBC News
‘An advert by the Welsh government to recruit the new children’s commissioner breached its own Welsh language policy, an investigation has found.’
BBC News, 19th June 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Students awarded £400,000 compensation after complaints – BBC News
‘Universities in England and Wales paid £400,000 in compensation to students last year, following complaints.’
Full story
BBC News, 18th June 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Courts given stronger powers to strike out ‘fundamentally dishonest’ claims, says expert – OUT-LAW.com
‘Courts in England and Wales now have the power to strike out personal injury claims in their entirety if the person making the claim has been fundamentally dishonest, even if parts of the claim were genuine.’
Full story
OUT-LAW.com, 17th June 2015
Source: www.out-law.com
Good news and bad for challenges to ETS fraud decisions – Free Movement
‘The Upper Tribunal has given judgment in a test case on ETS appeals and judicial reviews: R (on the application of Gazi) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (ETS – judicial review) IJR [2015] UKUT 327 (IAC). It is essential reading for anyone directly affected by the ongoing ETS saga and for their legal representatives.’
Free Movement, 18th June 2015
Source: www.freemovement.org.uk
Court of Appeal comments on deprivation of liberty and being party to proceedings – Local Government Lawyer
‘The Court of Appeal has held that it did not have jurisdiction to determine appeals against the President of the Court of Protection’s Re X rulings in which he sought to streamline procedures for dealing with certain types of deprivation of liberty cases.’
Local Government Lawyer, 16th June 2015
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Paul Bernal: Privacy, Surveillance and Brexit…. – UK Constitutional Law Association
An Englishman’s home is his castle, so the old saying goes, and it might be thought that the implication is that the English place a special importance on privacy. The reverse, however, seems to be the case, when the law is considered – for much of the law that provides protection for our privacy, particularly in relation to surveillance, does not originate in the UK but in Europe. With the perfect storm of possible ‘Brexit’ and the potential repeal of the Human Rights Act (HRA), that might leave our privacy in an even more precarious state than it currently is. The so-called ‘British Bill of Rights’ has yet to see the light of day: one of the key questions could be what provision it makes for privacy, particularly in relation to the internet and other forms of communications.
Full story
UK Constitutional Law Association, 18th June 2015
Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org
International students – Education Law Blog
‘R (London College of Finance and Accounting) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (2015) EWHC 1688 (Admin) is yet another decision on an attempted judicial review of the suspension and/or revocation of a Tier 4 Sponsor Licence. The power of the Secretary of State (“the SoS”) to issue and regulate Tier 4 Sponsor Licences is one of a range of ancillary and incidental administrative powers vested in the SoS. The regime is effectively run by the ‘UK Visas and Immigration’ (“UKVI”) section within the Home Office and its operation is governed not by the Immigration Act 1971 itself, but within policy guidance documentation (‘Sponsor Guidance’) which is issued and amended on behalf of the SoS with “bewildering frequency” (per Lord Sumption in New London College).’
Education Law Blog, 18th June 2015
Source: www.education11kbw.com
Bartle Frere, ex-BA pilot, jailed for child sex abuse – BBC News
‘A paedophile who carried out child sex crimes during stopovers while working as a British Airways pilot has been jailed for 12 years and six months.
BBC News, 17th June 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Ex-government insiders reveal email FOI regime – BBC News
‘Ministers can easily protect themselves from embarrassment by deleting from their email inbox anything that might be subject to a future FOI request, ex-insiders have told BBC News.’
BBC News, 18th June 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
