No legal aid? How to represent yourself in court – BBC News

Posted April 8th, 2013 in budgets, divorce, legal aid, litigants in person, news by sally

“The legal profession expects that changes to the legal aid system in England and Wales will lead to a rise in the number of people who have to represent themselves in court.”

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BBC News, 6th April 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Kent Council Council pays £700k in compensation to pupils – BBC News

“Nearly £700,000 has been paid out in compensation to pupils by Kent County Council following accidents in schools over the past five years.”

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BBC News, 6th April 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Police go back over cases of female genital mutilation – The Independent

Posted April 8th, 2013 in child abuse, female genital mutilation, news, prosecutions by sally

“Police and prosecutors are reviewing hundreds of historic cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) in a bid to bring the first prosecution in Britain since the practice was ruled illegal in 1985. Legal experts are already examining six cases referred by police, and scores more are also being considered. Tens of thousands of women and girls in the UK are believed to have been subjected to the horrifying ordeal, which is also known as “cutting”, in which the genitals of women and girls are severed by unqualified people in the belief that it will preserve the victim’s virginity. It can result in infections, infertility and, in extreme cases, death.”

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The Independent, 7th April 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Police officer suing petrol station also taking action against force – The Guardian

Posted April 8th, 2013 in compensation, news, personal injuries, police, road traffic by sally

“A police officer criticised for taking legal action against a petrol station owner after she tripped on a kerb answering a 999 call is also making a claim against her own force, it has been reported.”

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The Guardian, 7th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

New migrants will have to wait a year for legal aid – The Guardian

Posted April 8th, 2013 in asylum, budgets, custody, immigration, legal aid, news, prisons by sally

“Foreign nationals are to be denied the right to obtain legal aid for civil cases until they have lived in Britain for at least a year, the justice secretary Chris Grayling will announce this week.”

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The Guardian, 7th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Recent Statutory Instruments – legislation.gov.uk

Posted April 5th, 2013 in news by sally

The Public Bodies (The Office of Fair Trading Transfer of Consumer Advice Scheme Function and Modification of Enforcement Functions) Order 2013

The Renewables Obligation (Amendment) Order 2013

The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2013

The School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013

The Education (Penalty Notices) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013

The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013

The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2013

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

Legal age to buy crackers cut as part of ‘pointless’ red tape rules to be scrapped from tomorrow – The Independent

Posted April 5th, 2013 in legislation, news, regulations, repeals by sally

“Dozens of cuts to red tape will come into force tomorrow, including reducing the age for buying Christmas crackers, saving businesses millions of pounds, the Government has announced.”

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The Independent, 5th April 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Rendition report still unpublished nine months after completion – The Guardian

Posted April 5th, 2013 in inquiries, news, rendition, reports by sally

“An official report into Britain’s involvement in rendition and torture since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the US has yet to be published more than nine months after it was completed and delivered to David Cameron.”

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The Guardian, 4th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

International Children Law Update – Family Law Week

“Jacqueline Renton, Barrister of 4 Paper Buildings, reviews the latest key decisions in international children law.”

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Family Law Week, 5th April 2013

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Should judges be socio-legal scholars? – Speech by Lady Hale

Posted April 5th, 2013 in judges, judiciary, news, speeches by sally

Should judges be socio-legal scholars? (PDF)

Speech by Lady Hale

Socio-Legal Studies Association 2013 Conference, 26th March 2013

Source: www.supremecourt.gov.uk

Britain seeks opt-out of new European social media privacy laws – The Guardian

Posted April 5th, 2013 in data protection, EC law, internet, news, privacy, regulations by sally

“‘Right to be forgotten’ laws, giving users – rather than services such as Facebook – control of personal data will save billions of euros and thickets of red tape. So why is Britain resisting?”

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The Guardian, 4th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Barratt Homes Ltd v Dŵr Cymru Cyfyngedig (Welsh Water) (No. 2) – WLR Daily

Barratt Homes Ltd v Dŵr Cymru Cyfyngedig (Welsh Water) (No. 2) [2013] EWCA Civ 233 ; [2013] WLR (D) 131

“The breach by a sewerage undertaker of its duty under section 106 of the Water Industry Act 1991 to permit connection of a private sewer to the public sewer did not give rise to a liability in nuisance.”

WLR Daily, 27th March 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Regina v Dawes; Regina v Hatter; Regina v Bowyer – WLR Daily

Posted April 5th, 2013 in appeals, defences, homicide, law reports by sally

Regina v Dawes; Regina v Hatter; Regina v Bowyer [2013] EWCA Crim 322; [2013] WLR (D) 130

“For the purposes of the defence of loss of self-control, on a charge of murder, the questions whether the circumstances were extremely grave and whether the defendant’s sense of being seriously wronged by them was justifiable required objective assessment by the judge at the end of the evidence and, if the defence was left, by the jury considering their verdict. They were not to be decided by the defendant on the basis of any assertions he might make in evidence or any account he might give in the investigative process.”

WLR Daily, 26th March 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Lakanal House fire victims’ families seek compensation – BBC News

Posted April 5th, 2013 in compensation, families, fire, fire services, housing, local government, news, victims by sally

“The families of the six people who died in the Lakanal House fire are taking legal action for compensation, BBC London has learned.”

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BBC News, 4th April 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Northern barristers vote en masse to reject QASA – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 5th, 2013 in barristers, elections, judicial review, news, quality assurance by sally

“Northern circuit barristers have overwhelmingly voted to reject the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) in a secret ballot carried out at end of the March.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 5th April 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

BIS issues guidance on what costs can be passed to consumers through payment surcharges – OUT-LAW.com

Posted April 5th, 2013 in consumer credit, consumer protection, costs, news, regulations by sally

“The Government has issued guidance that sets out the kind of costs businesses incur that they are legitimately able to claim back through payment surcharging under new rules set to come into force this weekend.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 5th April 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Enforcement of custody in the face of children’s dissent: should law prevail? – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted April 5th, 2013 in children, custody, EC law, enforcement, families, news by sally

“This complicated inter-jurisdictional battle between estranged parents is a stark illustration of how difficult it can be in these sorts of cases to apply the law in the fog of family warfare.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 4th April 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

State of the sector report: one in three legal aid practitioners fearful of redundancy – Legal Voice

Posted April 5th, 2013 in legal profession, news, redundancy, reports by sally

“Nearly one in three civil legal aid practitioners reckon the LASPO cuts leave them at risk of redundancy. A report drawing on an on-line survey of 674 individuals working in legal aid found that almost two-thirds of specialist advisers felt at risk of redundancy (63.4%) and almost half of those fearing redundancy (44.8%) had more than 10 years’ experience.”

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Legal Voice, 5th April 2013

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

HBOS: Regulator’s findings shame three executives who brought down a bank – The Guardian

Posted April 5th, 2013 in banking, financial regulation, news, reports by sally

“The three executives who ran HBOS bank in the runup to its near-catastrophic collapse have been slated for their ‘colossal failure’ of management in a scathing report which calls for them to be held to account by the City regulator.”

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The Guardian, 4th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Facebook blackmailer William Wooles spared jail – BBC News

Posted April 5th, 2013 in blackmail, computer crime, news, sentencing, suspended sentences by sally

“A student who blackmailed a woman by hacking into her email, stealing naked pictures of her and posting them on Facebook has been spared jail.”

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BBC News, 4th April 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk