Bar Council Calls on Government to Accept Vital Legal Aid Amendments – The Bar Council

Posted April 17th, 2012 in bills, legal aid, news by sally

“As the House of Commons prepares today to consider amendments passed in the House of Lords to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Bill, the Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has called on the Government to accept these vital changes.”

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The Bar Council, 17th April 2012

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Refusal of child care leave to female prisoners was unlawful, rules High Court – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted April 17th, 2012 in human rights, news, parental rights, prisons, women by sally

“The prison authorities had acted unlawfully in restricting childcare resettlement leave to prisoners who were within two years of their release date and had been allocated to ‘open’ conditions.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 16th April 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Victims of overseas terrorism – Ministry of Justice

Posted April 17th, 2012 in compensation, news, terrorism, victims by sally

“The Government has opened an ex gratia scheme to make payments to victims of terrorism who were injured in incidents outside the UK on or after 1 January 2002 and who continue to have an ongoing disability as a direct result of the injuries they sustained. From Monday 16 April 2012 victims will be able to apply for a payment under this scheme.”

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Ministry of Justice, 16th April 2012

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Interpreting error leads to £25,000 retrial costs – The Lawyer

Posted April 17th, 2012 in costs, interpreters, news, retrials by sally

“A trial at a London court collapsed last Friday after it was revealed that an interpreter employed by Applied Language Solutions had made a grave interpreting error.”

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The Lawyer, 17th April 2012

Source: www.thelawyer.com

Tony Nicklinson questions Lord Falconer over right to die report – BBC News

Posted April 17th, 2012 in assisted suicide, euthanasia, news, reports by sally

“A man from Wiltshire who has ‘locked-in syndrome’ has asked for an explanation on why he should not be allowed to die.”

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BBC News, 16th April 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Police watchdog launches review of Met racism complaints – The Guardian

Posted April 17th, 2012 in complaints, London, news, police, racism by sally

“The police watchdog has announced a review into mounting complaints about racism in the Metropolitan police, warning that they probably suggest a ‘much wider disaffection and dissatisfaction’ with the force.”

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The Guardian, 16th April 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

An appeasement approach in the European Court of Human Rights? – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted April 17th, 2012 in constitutional reform, courts, human rights, news by sally

“This piece asks whether, in the light of UK proposals for the reform of the ECtHR, and in the wake of the outcry in the UK over the Qatada decision (Othman v UK), the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) is taking an approach that looks like one of appeasement of certain signatory states.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 17th April 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Repossession day in court: ten minutes with a lawyer, five before a judge – The Guardian

Posted April 17th, 2012 in courts, law centres, legal aid, news, repossession by sally

“Legally-aided advice desk at Clerkenwell and Shoreditch county court is a vital service for clients who may lose their homes.”

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The Guardian, 16th April 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Human rights debate suffering ‘democratic deficit’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 17th, 2012 in human rights, judiciary, news, reports by sally

“Unelected judges do not take the views of politicians seriously enough in the increasingly ‘ferocious’ debate about human rights, an academic report suggests today.”

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Daily Telegraph, 17th April 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Related link: Parliaments and Human Rights (PDF)

‘Thousands of children’ to lose legal aid in shake-up – BBC News

Posted April 17th, 2012 in bills, children, legal aid, news by sally

“Thousands of children will lose access to legal aid under government plans to shake up the system, campaigners say.”

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BBC News, 17th April 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Phone hacking: attorney general to meet MPs over report – The Guardian

Posted April 17th, 2012 in news, prosecutions, reports, select committees by sally

“The attorney general is to meet MPs on the select committee investigating phone hacking at Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World, in a highly unusual bid to ensure its final report does not prejudice potential court proceedings against any of the 45 individuals so far arrested by police.”

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The Guardian, 16th April 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Former police officer wins £840,000 compensation after ‘stitch-up’ – The Guardian

“An Asian former police officer who was racially abused by colleagues at Cleveland police then set up and jailed for a crime he did not commit has accepted compensation from the force of more than £800,000.”

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The Guardian, 16th April 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Would-be plane bomber has sentence cut – BBC News

Posted April 16th, 2012 in attempts, explosives, news, sentencing, terrorism by sally

“A British would-be suicide bomber jailed for plotting to blow up an aircraft has had his sentence cut after he assisted prosecutors in the US.”

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BBC News, 16th April 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Legal aid bill puts thousands at risk, says Citizens Advice – The Guardian

Posted April 16th, 2012 in benefits, bills, law centres, legal aid, news by sally

“Removal of specialist support leaves those wrongly assessed vulnerable to poverty and homelessness, campaigners warn.”

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The Guardian, 16th April 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

“Thinking the unthinkable”? Freedom of information and the NHS Risk Register – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted April 16th, 2012 in freedom of information, government departments, health, news by sally

“In a recent post, Panopticon brought you, hot-off-the-press, the Tribunal’s decision in the much-publicised case involving publication, under Freedom of Information Law, of the NHS Risk Register. Somewhat less hot-off-the-press are my observations. This is a very important decision, both for its engagement with the legislative process and for its analysis of the public interest with respect to section 35(1)(a) of Freedom of Information Act 2000 (formulation or development of government policy) – particularly the ‘chilling effect’ argument. At the outset, it is important to be clear about what was being requested and when.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 16th April 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Response to Joint Committee on Human Rights re Role of Children’s Commissioner for England – Family Law Bar Association

Posted April 16th, 2012 in barristers, children, human rights, news by sally

“Download the FLBA response to to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights’ call for submissions relating to the inquiry into the role and independence of the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England.”

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Family Law Bar Association, 12th April 2012

Source: www.flba.co.uk

Overseas terror victims eligible for compensation, says government – The Independent

Posted April 16th, 2012 in compensation, news, personal injuries, terrorism by sally

“Britons who lived in the UK for at least three years before being injured in a terror attack overseas are eligible for compensation from today, the Government said.”

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The Independent, 16th April 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Response to Home Office Consultation on Forced Marriage – Family Law Bar Association

Posted April 16th, 2012 in barristers, consultations, forced marriages, news by sally

“Download the FLBA response to to the Home Office consultation on Forced Marriage.”

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Family Law Bar Association, 12th April 2012

Source: www.flba.co.uk

Magistrates to have power for summary justice – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 16th, 2012 in magistrates, news, penalties by sally

“Magistrates will have the power to hand out summary justice in police stations or community centres under a planned overhaul of out of court penalties to be revealed next month.”

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Daily Telegraph, 16th April 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Researching Relocation Disputes in First Instance Courts – Family Law Week

Posted April 16th, 2012 in appeals, children, contact orders, news, parental rights by sally

“Dr Rob George, Fellow in Law at the University of Oxford and Associate Tenant at Harcourt Chambers, discusses relocation disputes and his on-going research into how these cases are dealt with in the first instance courts of England and Wales.”

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Family Law Week, 13th April 2012

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk