Legal highs and prescription drugs face ban in English and Welsh prisons – The Guardian

Posted January 27th, 2015 in bills, drug abuse, medicines, news, prisons by sally

‘The justice secretary will be able to ban any legal drug inside prisons, including prescription drugs and “legal highs”, under a crackdown to start this week.’

Full story

The Guardian, 26th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Applications to allow service of Claim Form by alternative method/place – Explain your “Good Reason” – Zenith PI Blog

Posted January 27th, 2015 in appeals, civil procedure rules, claims management, documents, news, service by sally

‘The principles to apply when considering whether to allow an application under 6.15 (service of the CF by alternative method or at an alternative place). The evidence in support must explain the failure to serve.’

Full story

Zenith PI Blog, 26th January 2015

Source: www.zenithpi.wordpress.com

David Hart QC: TTIP – more ‘foreign’ judges critising ‘our’ laws? – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted January 27th, 2015 in foreign companies, human rights, news, treaties, tribunals by sally

‘TTIP stands for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, a proposed trade agreement between the US, the EU, and various members of the EU including the UK. A sober account of its history and scope was produced for the HoC debate (here), and a rather less polite view is here from George Monbiot. ‘

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 23rd January 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Profession unites in opposition to “disastrous” court fee rises – Litigation Futures

Posted January 27th, 2015 in consultations, courts, fees, Law Society, news by sally

‘The Law Society has pledged to challenge the government’s decision to introduce enhanced court fees from April and said it will strenuously oppose more planned hikes.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 27th January 2015

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Qualification criteria and allocations: An outlier? – NearlyLegal

Posted January 27th, 2015 in appeals, housing, local government, news, time limits by sally

‘In R(Hillsden) v Epping Forest DC [2015] EWHC 98 (Admin), McCloskey J held the council’s allocation scheme valid in circumstances which, I must say, did not seem propitious to the council. The council’s new allocation scheme, which came in to force in September 2013, had a qualification criterion which required applicants to have a continuous residence for three years and, for those already registered, to have two and a half years. It was argued by the council that there was no “exceptional circumstances” get-out clause, because, apparently, the council “wanted clear rules that left no room for doubt about whether an individual qualified in the first place”. Now, like Ms Hillsden’s counsel (Jan Luba and Bethan Harris), I would have said that whole criterion was a real problem – indeed, our past notes on this precise issue have argued this too. So, fair play to Epping – how did they win? Will it survive an appeal?’

Full story

NearlyLegal, 24th January 2015

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Finance & Divorce Update – Family Law Week

‘Jessica Craigs, senior solicitor of Mills & Reeve LLP analyses the financial remedies and divorce news and cases from December 2014.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 23rd January 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Why Good Lawyers are such Bad Historians: the Case of Sir Edward Coke – The Inner Temple

Posted January 27th, 2015 in legal history, news, speeches by sally

Why Good Lawyers are such Bad Historians: the Case of Sir Edward Coke (PDF)

Dr George Garnett, University Oxford

The Inner Temple, 19th January 2015

Source: www.innertemple.org.uk

Mass surveillance is fundamental threat to human rights, says European report – The Guardian

Posted January 27th, 2015 in EC law, human rights, interception, investigatory powers, news, privacy, reports by sally

‘Europe’s top rights body has said mass surveillance practices are a fundamental threat to human rights and violate the right to privacy enshrined in European law.’

Full story

The Guardian, 26th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Court of Appeal upholds Birss J in Rihanna’s Case – NIPC Law

Posted January 27th, 2015 in appeals, intellectual property, misrepresentation, news, trade marks by sally

‘In Fenty and Others v Arcadia Group Brands Ltd and another [2013] EWHC 2310 (Ch), [2013] WLR(D) 310 Mr Justice Birss gave judgment to Robyn Rihanna Fenty (better known as Rihanna) and her corporate licensing companies against Top Shop for selling a t-shirt that reproduced a photo of the singer. The claim was brought not for infringement of copyright since the owner of the copyright in the photograph had licensed the reproduction of his work but for passing off. Rihanna and her companies had claimed that the t-shirt misrepresented authorization or approval of the manufacture and distribution of the garments and that such misrepresentation damaged her commercial activities. I wrote about the case in Passing off – Fenty v Topshop 10 Sept 2013 and readers are referred to that note for an appreciation of the judgment.’

Full story

NIPC Law, 24th January 2015

Source: www.nipclaw.blogspot.co.uk

Prince Andrew: the legal issues – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted January 27th, 2015 in immunity, news, royal family, treaties, witnesses by sally

‘If the UK press love a sex scandal and a good royal story, imagine what you get when you put the two together. This month the news broke that victims of Jeffrey Epstein, an American paedophile, were attempting to sue Prince Andrew alleging, amongst other things, that she was coerced into having sex with him when she was 17.’

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 26th January 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Julian Cole family hit out at IPCC over police brutality allegations – The Guardian

‘The family of a 21-year-old athlete left with a broken neck after he was detained by police 20 months ago have spoken publicly for the first time, complaining they are no clearer about what happened.’

Full story

The Guardian, 26th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Modified Universalism – Privy to Singular Clarification – RPC Commercial Disputes Blog

Posted January 27th, 2015 in Hong Kong, insolvency, liquidators, news, privacy, winding up by sally

‘While most jurisdictions provide liquidators with wide investigative powers to locate and realise assets locally, the exercise of such powers becomes more complicated when the assets are situated overseas. As more and more businesses expand globally and corporate structures become equally more complex, the liquidators’ task becomes more problematic in winding up such companies.’

Full story

RPC Commercial Disputes Blog,

Source: www.rpc.co.uk

English pubs deemed important to communities to be protected by law – The Guardian

Posted January 27th, 2015 in licensed premises, news, planning, public interest, regulations by sally

‘Pubs in England listed as important by communities will not be demolished or have their use changed without planning permission under proposed legislation.’

Full story

The Guardian, 26th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Clare’s Law: Worried someone you know has a violent past? Here’s how to find out – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 27th, 2015 in disclosure, domestic violence, news, police by sally

‘A new law, designed to protect individuals from domestic abuse, has made more than 1,300 disclosures since it was launched 10 months ago. But how does it work and how do you go about making a request? Claire Cohen offers a practical guide.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 26th January 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

New laws to protect those cashing in pension pots – The Guardian

Posted January 27th, 2015 in financial regulation, news by sally

‘The financial regulator is rushing in new rules aimed at protecting people keen to cash in their pension pots from making bad decisions that could cost them dearly later on.’

Full story

The Guardian, 26th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

‘Bank mistook my sex change for fraud’ – when poor service counts as discrimination – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 27th, 2015 in banking, disabled persons, equality, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘If a firm doesn’t accommodate a customer’s race, religion, disability or sexual orientation they could be ignoring their rights under the Equality Act’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 27th January 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Coventry kidnap gang who cut off man’s finger jailed – BBC News

Posted January 27th, 2015 in assault, blackmail, conspiracy, false imprisonment, gangs, kidnapping, news, sentencing by sally

‘A kidnap gang who cut off a man’s finger to get a £20,000 ransom have been jailed.’

Full story

BBC News, 26th January 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Alexander Litvinenko murder inquiry opens in high court – The Guardian

Posted January 27th, 2015 in inquiries, intelligence services, news, poisoning, spying by sally

‘A public inquiry into the death of Alexander Litvinenko opens in the high court on Tuesday, eight years after the former Russian intelligence officer and MI6 informant was murdered in London with deadly polonium.’

Full story

The Guardian, 27th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Pub chef and manager jailed over Christmas dinner that left a diner dead – The Guardian

‘A pub chef and his manager have both been jailed after a Christmas dinner served at their restaurant left a mother dead and dozens of other diners ill with food poisoning.’

Full story

The Guardian, 23rd January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

IPCC to investigate delays in dealing with intelligence on hundreds of suspected paedophiles – Daily Telegraph

‘The Independent Police Complaints Commission will investigate how staff at the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre dealt with information from the Canadian police.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 23rd January 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk