Run down on recent and anticipated welfare benefit changes – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted May 29th, 2013 in benefits, disabled persons, housing, news, taxation by sally

“In April 2013, the so called ‘bedroom tax’ was introduced, meaning that a single person or couple with no children will have their housing benefit reduced by 14% where they occupy two bedroom accommodation and 25% if they occupy three or more beds.”

Full story

Hardwicke Chambers, 24th May 2013

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

The New World of Whistleblowing: bringing back the public interest – 11 KBW

Posted May 29th, 2013 in employment, legislation, news, public interest, whistleblowers by sally

“The enactment of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (“PIDA”) was designed to introduce important protection for those blowing the whistle to draw attention to wrongdoing discovered in the workplace. During the passage of the Bill in the House of Lords, Lord Nolan commended those behind it ‘for so skilfully achieving the essential but delicate balance in this measure between the public interest and the interests of employers’. Fifteen years on, the verdict is less effusive. Significant gaps had been identified in the legislation, for example in failing to impose vicarious liability on employers for acts of victimisation carried out by their employees or agents. In other respects, however, PIDA has come to be seen a blunt instrument, enabling disgruntled employees to seek unlimited compensation despite having done nothing to further the public interest.”

Full story (PDF)

11 KBW, 22nd May 2013

Source: www.11kbw.com

Muslim-run company to compensate Christian worker for race discrimination – Daily Telegraph

“A Muslim-run company have been ordered to pay a Christian worker over £2,000 for racially discriminating against him because he is white.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 29th May 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Culture change needed at BSB, says super-regulator – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 29th, 2013 in barristers, legal profession, news, reports by sally

“The Bar Standards Board will encounter ‘significant challenges’ in emulating the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s move to outcomes-focused regulation, a report by the super-regulator has concluded.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 29th May 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Burglars win right to keep convictions secret – Daily Telegraph

Posted May 29th, 2013 in criminal records, human rights, news, time limits, young offenders by sally

“Thousands of criminals, including burglars, will be allowed to work in hospitals, schools and care homes after senior judges ruled that criminal record checks were breaching offenders’ human rights.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 29th May 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Choirmaster jailed for sexually abusing pupil seeks to appeal against sentence – The Guardian

Posted May 29th, 2013 in appeals, child abuse, news, sentencing, sexual offences by sally

“The disgraced choirmaster Michael Brewer is to attempt to appeal against the length of his six-year prison sentence for indecently assaulting a former pupil.”

Full story

The Guardian, 29th May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Four get life for murder of Negus McLean – The Independent

Posted May 29th, 2013 in gangs, murder, news, sentencing, young persons by sally

“Four gang members were given life terms today for killing a 15-year-old boy who was chased by a ‘hunting posse of boys on bicycles’ and stabbed.”

Full story

The Independent, 28th May 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Psych versus Psych: A Diagnostic Dispute and the Implications for Expert Witnesses in Family Proceedings – Family Law Week

Posted May 29th, 2013 in evidence, expert witnesses, family courts, mental health, news by sally

“William Tautz, barrister of Tooks Chambers, examines the fundamental challenge to psychiatric diagnosis recently announced by the British Psychological Association and explores its implications for the instruction and cross-examination of expert witnesses in a post-streamlined PLO world.”

Full story

Family Law Week, 23rd May 2013

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Faster justice as unneccessary committal hearings are abolished – Ministry of Justice

Posted May 29th, 2013 in committals, courts, delay, news by sally

“Serious criminals will face justice as soon as possible with the abolition of committal hearings Justice Minister Damian Green said today.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 28th May 2013

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

BSB’s regulatory assessment: the challenge of change – Legal Services Board

“The Legal Services Board publishes today its assessment of the Bar Standards Board (BSB) performance in the legal services sector. This performance review of the BSB’s regulatory functions represents a baseline on which future regulatory performance can be judged. It also reinforces the continuing importance the LSB attaches to improving regulatory performance. ”

Full story (PDF)

Legal Services Board, 29th May 2013

Source: www.legalservicesboard.org.uk

The Intellectual Property Bill – NIPC Law

Posted May 29th, 2013 in bills, intellectual property, news, patents, reports by sally

“In Digital Opportunity, A Review of Intellectual Property and Growth Professor Ian Hargreaves made 10 recommendations for IP policy which I discussed at length in “IP Policy: Does Hargreaves say Anything New?” 24 June 2011. Some of those recommendations required primary legislation. Others did not. As I said in my article, Hargreaves was not the first review of IP policy in recent years and most of the previous ones had been left to gather dust. I suspected the same would happen to Hargreaves.”

Full story

NIPC Law, 28th May 2013

Source: www.nipclaw.blogspot.co.uk

High Court: failure to comply with rules likely to result in “severe sanctions” – Litigation Futures

Posted May 29th, 2013 in civil procedure rules, news, practice directions, sanctions by sally

“The High Court has issued a fresh warning that it will take a ‘very much stricter view’ of the failure to comply with directions in the post-Jackson world.”

Full story

Litigation Futures, 29th May 2013

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

‘Lad mags’ legal action warning to retailer – BBC News

Posted May 29th, 2013 in complaints, media, news, pornography, sex discrimination by sally

“Pressure groups have warned British retailers they could face legal action if they display magazines showing naked and near-naked images on their covers.”

Full story

BBC News, 27th May 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Leading barristers warn over legal aid cuts – Daily Telegraph

Posted May 29th, 2013 in barristers, budgets, judicial review, legal aid, news by sally

“Dozens of Britain’s leading barristers have warned that reforms of the legal aid system by Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, will ‘seriously undermine the rule of law’.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 28th May 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Home Office pledge to review ‘excessive’ time spent on bail is ignored by Government – The Independent

Posted May 29th, 2013 in bail, budgets, news, prosecutions, statistics, time limits by sally

“The Home Office has been accused of going back on a promise to tackle the ‘excessive duration’ of police bail, after new figures showed that more than 3,000 people have waited six months for a decision on charges.”

Full story

The Independent, 28th May 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Airport expansion on ‘vital’ nature reserve to be challenged in court – The Independent

Posted May 29th, 2013 in airports, environmental protection, inquiries, news, nuclear power, planning by sally

“Controversial plans for a major extension to an airport which sits next to one of Britain’s most important nature reserves – as well as a nuclear power station – are to be challenged in court, it was announced today.”

Full story

The Independent, 28th May 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Lucy Meadows coroner tells press: ‘shame on you’ – The Guardian

Posted May 29th, 2013 in coroners, inquests, media, news, suicide by sally

“A coroner told the press ‘shame on all of you’ as he ruled that a primary school teacher had killed herself after her gender reassignment became national news.”

Full story

The Guardian, 28th May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Breach of confidence requires infringer having knowledge of breach, rules Supreme Court – OUT-LAW.com

“Former employees of companies that use trade secrets to develop products cannot automatically be found to have acted in breach of confidence if they are involved in rival operations that exploit the protected information, the Supreme Court has ruled.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 28th May 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

European Court of Human Rights rejects Christians’ cases that their religious rights were violated by employers – The Independent

“Three British Christians who claimed their religious rights were violated by employers were told by European judges today that they could take their rejected cases no further.”

Full story

The Independent, 28th May 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Student who killed ‘devil’ arts blogger is detained indefinitely – The Guardian

Posted May 28th, 2013 in detention, diminished responsibility, mental health, murder, news by sally

“A student is to be detained indefinitely in Broadmoor secure hospital for killing an arts expert who blogged as Professor Whitestick.”

Full story

The Guardian, 28th May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk