Law Society wins groundbreaking injunction against struck-off solicitor – Legal Futures

Posted January 16th, 2015 in disciplinary procedures, injunctions, Law Society, news, solicitors by sally

‘The Law Society has obtained a groundbreaking injunction that prevents a struck-off solicitor from holding himself out as a solicitor or being involved in a law firm without its approval.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 16th January 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Website operators can prohibit ‘screen scraping’ of unprotected data via terms and conditions, says EU court in Ryanair case – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 16th, 2015 in airlines, database right, EC law, electronic commerce, internet, news by sally

‘Online aggregators that engage in ‘screen scraping’ face a threat to their business models following a ruling by the EU’s highest court, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 15th January 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Proportionality rule bites as High Court slashes costs claim by more than half – Litigation Futures

Posted January 16th, 2015 in barristers, fees, news, proportionality, solicitors by sally

‘The High Court has more than halved a successful party’s costs on summary assessment on the basis of proportionality, with the fees charged by the partner running the case hit particularly hard.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 16th January 2015

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

How to apply the DPA – Panopticon

Posted January 16th, 2015 in data protection, disclosure, freedom of information, necessity, news by sally

‘Section 40 of FOIA is where the Freedom of Information Act (mantra: disclose, please) intersects with the Data Protection Act 1998 (mantra: be careful how you process/disclose, please).’

Full story

Panopticon, 15th January 2015

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Is there a maximum award for general damages arising under contract? – NearlyLegal

Posted January 16th, 2015 in damages, defective premises, news, repairs, representative actions by sally

‘The case of Rendlesham Estates Plc v Barr Ltd [2014] EWHC 3968 (TCC) is a bit off the housing law beaten track and as a result I have only recently got round to reading it properly. It concerned s.1, Defective Premises Act 1974, which is the statutory provision that enables any person with an interest in a dwelling to sue the person responsible for building the dwelling, or carrying out any work in connection with the dwelling, where the dwelling is not fit for human habitation when the work is completed.’

Full story

NearlyLegal, 15th January 2015

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

EVENT: IALS – The (I)legitimacy of the Duty of Loyalty for Corporate Boards

Posted January 16th, 2015 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘The reformulated duty of loyalty now found in section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 has generated debate about what is the best reading of the duty, the most fundamental aspect of which is whether this behavioural standard obliges a narrow focus on financial capital or a broader notion of well-being and inclusiveness amongst non-shareholder interests. This research argues that the law as a privileged and constitutive way of society-making can only be understood within a broader conceptual framework rather than the more traditional expository analysis of law. The context in which such an analysis takes place is that of the anti-collectivist, market-based political project of neoliberalsm. When viewed through this explanatory lens we see very clearly that English legal doctrine entrenches a relationship between managers and shareholders. In doing so the research shows that the extraction of private benefits of control by shareholders is not an inevitable occurrence, but a decades-long, human created, and contingent phenomena. While non-shareholder language is introduced into the duty, this precatory element is merely a potential source of legitimacy to the ideology of the company as a private, exclusively shareholder-oriented enterprise.’

Date: 19th February 2015, 12.30-1.30pm

Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Charles Clore House, 17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DR

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

Criminal Acts and Compensation – Zenith PI Blog

Posted January 16th, 2015 in compensation, ex turpi causa, news, personal injuries by sally

‘The recent case of AB v Chief Constable of X Constabulary provided the High Court with an opportunity to review the doctrine of ex turpi causa and its application in personal injury cases.’

Full story

Zenith PI Blog, 15th January 2015

Source: www.zenithpi.wordpress.com

Primary school caretaker found with over 600 child abuse images walks free from court – The Independent

Posted January 16th, 2015 in community service, indecent photographs of children, news, sentencing by sally

‘A 55-year-old primary school caretaker walked free from Cardiff Crown court, claiming possessing over 600 child abuse images was “just a morbid curiosity.”’

Full story

The Independent, 15th January 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Men jailed after man lost eye in Birmingham belt attack – BBC News

Posted January 16th, 2015 in grievous bodily harm, news, sentencing by sally

‘Two men who attacked a man with his own belt in a “savage” street assault in which he lost an eye have been jailed.’

Full story

BBC News, 15th January 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

EVENT: IALS – “Does privacy matter?”

Posted January 16th, 2015 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘This Public Lecture, followed by a reception, marks the launch the new Centre for Law and Information Policy at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies.’

Date: 24th February 2015, 6.00-8.00pm

Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Charles Clore House, 17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DR

Charge: See website for details

More information can be found here.

Sikh wins compensation over prison turban challenge – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 16th, 2015 in compensation, news, prisons, religious discrimination, Sikhism, solicitors by sally

‘A Sikh solicitor has won undisclosed compensation after being barred from entering a prison to visit a client because he had pins in his turban.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 15th January 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Fake Help for Heroes collection ‘soldier’ Liam O’Brien jailed – BBC News

Posted January 16th, 2015 in armed forces, charities, fraud, handling stolen goods, news, sentencing by sally

‘A Wiltshire man who posed as a serving soldier and falsely claimed to be collecting money for the charity Help for Heroes has been jailed.’

Full story

BBC News, 15th January 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Attorney general unable to review teacher-pupil sex sentence – The Guardian

‘A judge who gave a teacher a suspended sentence after suggesting he had been “groomed” by a pupil he was convicted of having sex with is to face an official investigation. Stuart Kerner, 44, was found guilty last month of two counts of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust. But on Wednesday, he was given a suspended 18-month sentence by Joanna Greenberg QC, who said it was clear that his 16-year-old victim was obsessed with him.’

Full story

The Guardian, 15th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

EVENT: IALS – Family Law Reform: Why is it so Hard to Move Beyond Reports? What Can We do? What Can You Do?

Posted January 15th, 2015 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘The Family Law Justice System restructures families and family life. Reports in countless jurisdictions have been critical of the Family Law Justice System. These reports have diagnosed a myriad of problems, (including delay, expense, self-representation, exacerbation of conflict, lack of judicial continuity), called for change, and highlight a broad range of Access to Justice issues. Why is change so hard to effect? What can we do? What can you do?’

Date: 25th March 2015, 6.00-8.00pm

Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Charles Clore House, 17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DR

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

Connor Doughton gets life sentence for Michael Lee Emmett murder – BBC News

Posted January 15th, 2015 in alcohol abuse, learning difficulties, murder, news, sentencing by sally

‘A teenager who murdered a father-of-three has been told he will spend at least 15 years behind bars.’

Full story

BBC News, 15th January 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

HMRC Dishonesty Allegation “seriously flawed” – RPC Tax Take

Posted January 15th, 2015 in banking, fraud, HM Revenue & Customs, news, taxation, tribunals, VAT by sally

‘The First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber) (“FTT”) has ruled, in Citibank NA v Revenue and Customs Commissioners, that HMRC’s pleadings were “seriously flawed”. When alleging fraud against a taxpayer, HMRC must clearly plead that the taxpayer had a dishonest state of mind.’

Full story

RPC Tax Take, 14th January 2015

Source: www.rpc.co.uk

BAILII: Recent Decisions

Posted January 15th, 2015 in law reports by sally

Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)

High Court (Queen’s Bench Division)

High Court (Administrative Court)

Continue reading…

Law Society of England and Wales v Shah – WLR Daily

Posted January 15th, 2015 in disciplinary procedures, injunctions, law reports, Law Society, solicitors by sally

Law Society of England and Wales v Shah [2014] EWHC 4382 (Ch); [2015] WLR (D) 5

‘The supervisory jurisdiction embodied in section 50 of the Solicitors Act 1974 could not be invoked by the Law Society in the case of a solicitor who may have pretended to be one, but who had not necessarily done so, who denied doing so, and had not been cross-examined on the issue. Section 41(4)(c) of the 1974 Act was wide enough to enable the court to grant an order against a struck off former solicitor, which could be framed so as to restrain him from committing criminal acts, namely that of acting as a solicitor when disqualified, or carrying on a reserved legal activity without entitlement to do so.’

WLR Daily, 12th January 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Good Samaritan Law – BBC Unreliable Evidence

Posted January 15th, 2015 in crime, doctors, duty of care, homicide, negligence, news, nurses, volunteers by sally

‘Clive Anderson and guests ask why Britain, unlike many other countries in the world, has no general law which requires people to behave like good Samaritans, punishing those who fail to help others in trouble.’

Listen

BBC Unreliable Evidence, 14th January 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Whiplash Quantum Update – Zenith PI Blog

Posted January 15th, 2015 in damages, news, personal injuries, road traffic offences by sally

‘There are increasing numbers of post-April 2013 personal injury settlements being reported, many of which contain specific reference to the damages figure including the 10% uplift provided for by Simmons v Castle [2012] EWCA Civ 1288.’

Full story

Zenith PI Blog, 13th January 2015

Source: www.zenithpi.wordpress.com