Priority need – NearlyLegal

“Hotak v Southwark LBC [2013] EWCA Civ 515 concerned a short point on whether an authority was entitled to have regard to the assistance that a homeless person would receive, in the event he became homeless, when determining whether he was vulnerable or not.”

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NearlyLegal, 15th May 2013

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Ministers seek to cut £50m legal aid bill for expert witnesses in family courts – The Guardian

Posted May 16th, 2013 in consultations, evidence, expert witnesses, family courts, fees, legal aid, news by sally

“Too many expert witnesses are being paid to give evidence of little value in family courts, according to the Ministry of Justice which is proposing a fresh round of cuts to legal aid.”

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The Guardian, 16th May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

We should have anonymity for people who have been arrested but not charged, says Theresa May – The Independent

“Criminal suspects who have been arrested should not normally be named until they are charged, the Home Secretary has said.”

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The Independent, 16th May 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Widower to receive £150,000 payout linked to wife’s death in Oxfordshire – BBC News

“A widower left with brain damage from alcohol abuse linked to the shock of his wife’s sudden death is to receive a £150,000 payout from the NHS.”

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BBC News, 15th May 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Son jailed for 18 years at least for murdering mother after she threatened to disinherit him – The Independent

Posted May 16th, 2013 in families, mental health, murder, news, sentencing by sally

“A carpet fitter who smothered his frail mother to death after she threatened to write him out of her will has been jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 18 years.”

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The Independent, 15th May 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Legal aid cuts prompt top lawyers to leave the bar for careers on the bench – The Guardian

Posted May 16th, 2013 in barristers, judiciary, legal aid, legal profession, news by sally

“It has been dubbed the stampede for ‘the purple lifeboat’ – applications to become judges have more than doubled over the past four years as senior lawyers seek professional sanctuary on the bench.”

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The Guardian, 16th May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Stephen Lawrence judges: why we threw out David Norris appeal plea – The Guardian

Posted May 15th, 2013 in appeals, judges, murder, news, public interest, racism by sally

“Appeal court justices say conviction was ‘unarguable’ for racist murder of London teenager in 1993.”

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The Guardian, 15th May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Consent should be needed for anonymised data sharing to be lawful, say campaigners – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 15th, 2013 in consent, data protection, EC law, internet, news, privacy, telecommunications by sally

“Businesses should have to ask for individuals’ consent before sharing anonymised personal data with third parties, digital rights campaigners have said.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 15th May 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Probation reform: payment by results can reduce reoffending – The Guardian

Posted May 15th, 2013 in charities, news, probation, public private partnerships, recidivists by sally

“The recent announcement from the justice secretary, opening up probation work to the private and voluntary sectors, may help to rebuild lives.”

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The Guardian, 15th May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Top private school summoned by BSB over pupillage auction – The Lawyer

Posted May 15th, 2013 in education, news, pupillage by sally

“The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has approached the head of Westminster School after it auctioned off a mini-pupillage in a bid to raise money for a new building.”

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The Lawyer, 15th May 2013

Source: www.thelawyer.com

Mental Impairment – Identifying the signs – One Inner Temple Lane

Posted May 15th, 2013 in learning difficulties, mental health, news, trials by sally

“The issue of identifying mental impairment in relation to a defendant is one which requires careful thought, skill and tact from the criminal practitioner. Practical examples of the way in which these conditions may manifest themselves are useful. A purely academic approach may not be sufficient when dealing with the vulnerable clients that might be encountered.”

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One Inner Temple Lane, 8th May 2013

Source: www.1itl.com

Cricket disciplinary appeal is an Arbitration – Sports Law Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers

Posted May 15th, 2013 in appeals, arbitration, disciplinary procedures, news, sport, witnesses by sally

“The Commercial Court has ruled that Pakistani international bowler, Danish Kaneria’s appeal proceedings against his life time ban for involvement in spot-fixing under the ECB’s Disciplinary Regulations are an “arbitration” for the purposes of the Arbitration Act 1996. The decision is a momentous one for sports’ lawyers and governing bodies, not least in terms of the Court’s supervisory role over sporting bodies’ disciplinary procedures and the ability to rely on a Court to entertain appeals from, and make ancillary orders in support of, those processes.”

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Sports Law Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers, 13th May 2013

Source: www.sportslawbulletin.org

Career threatening injury in professional sport: 6 key points about insurance – Littleton Chambers

Posted May 15th, 2013 in insurance, medical treatment, news, sport by sally

“The tackle which goes wrong, the tendon which snaps, the heart condition which suddenly rears its head; few things are dreaded by professional sportspeople and their clubs as much as a career threatening injury or illness. Many put worry at the back of their minds by the thought that they have ‘insurance.'”

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Littleton Chambers, 9th May 2013

Source: www.littletonchambers.com

High Court Litigation Commercial Bargains and The Common Law – 11 KBW

Posted May 15th, 2013 in company law, courts, employment, fiduciary duty, news by sally

“Employment litigation in the High Court is one of the most interesting and dynamic areas of practice. The cases tend to be fought at the point where countervailing currents commercial and employment law meet and many of the cases turn on resolving the tension between a bargain struck between commercial men and the portmanteau term of trust and confidence. That tension presents an opportunity for the creative advisor and a pitfall for the unwary”

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11 KBW, 10th May 2013

Source: www.11kbw.com

Court of Appeal dismisses leasehold enfranchisement claim on mixed-use property – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 15th, 2013 in appeals, enfranchisement, housing, leases, news by sally

“The Court of Appeal has dismissed a claim for leasehold enfranchisement by the occupiers of a mixed-use property, ruling that the property, part of which had been converted into a flat against the landlord’s wishes, was not a ‘house reasonably so called.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 14th May 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Solvent or insolvent: the Supreme Court lays down the test for s123 of IA 1986 – 11 Stone Buildings

“In a unanimous judgment handed down on 9th May 2013, the Supreme Court confirmed that the ‘balance
sheet’ test insolvency in section 123 of the Insolvency Act 1986 is not a mechanical exercise of comparing the value of a company’s assets against the value of its liabilities; but a more sophisticated test requiring a judgment as to whether the present assets of a company will reasonably enable the company’s present and future liabilities to be met. In so doing, their Lordships rejected the ‘point of no return’ test formulated by Lord Neuberger MR in the Court of Appeal. Christopher Boardman reviews BNY Corporate Trustee Services Ltd v Eurosail-UK 2007-3BL Plc.”

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11 Stone Buildings, 13th May 2013

Source: www.11sb.com

Obtaining cost orders against solicitors – 4 New Square

“Dispute Resolution analysis: When can solicitors who failed to obtain ATE insurance, become parties
to the litigation for the purpose of cost orders? Stephen Innes, barrister at 4 New Square Chambers
looks at the Court of Appeal’s decision in Heron v TNT.”

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4 New Square, 14th May 2013

Source: www.4newsquare.com

HMRC ‘names and shames’ more deliberate tax defaulters – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 15th, 2013 in corporation tax, fines, news, tax evasion by sally

“Details of fines included on a second public list of tax defaulters shows that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is ‘cracking down harder than ever before’ on businesses and individuals that deliberately underpay tax, an expert has said.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 15th May 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Are we headed for the Legal Services Act 2015? – Legal Futures

Posted May 15th, 2013 in legal services, legislation, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

“Yesterday’s announcement that Lord Chancellor Chris Grayling had rejected the Legal Services Board’s (LSB) recommendation that will-writing become a reserved legal activity was not a total shock.”

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Legal Futures, 15th May 2013

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Being civil – NearlyLegal

“Morshead Mansions has been involved in a quite astonishing amount of litigation. Bailii throws up 13 hits, cases in the LVT, Lands Tribunal, High Court and Court of Appeal. It’s really must be the most awful burden on all those involved. And now, there is another case to add to the list, Di Marco v Morshead Mansions Ltd [2013] EWHC 1068 (Ch).”

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NearlyLegal, 14th May 2013

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk