Straw announces new vision for legal aid delivery – Ministry of Justice
“The Ministry of Justice has today announced new plans for the future delivery of legal aid.”
Ministry of Justice, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Top family law post vacant after challenge to government critic – The Times
“Jack Straw has challenged the appointment of a new head of the family justice system who castigated the Government over its policies, including opening family courts, The Times has learnt.”
The Times, 4th March 2010
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Most consumers ‘cannot tell good lawyer from bad one’ – Law Society’s Gazette
“Most consumers could not tell a good lawyer from a bad one, according to Ministry of Justice research published this week.”
Full story
Law Society’s Gazette, 4th March 2010
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Gay weddings to be allowed in church – The Independent
“Gay men and women will finally be allowed to marry in churches after the House of Lords dramatically voted in favour of lifting the ban on religious premises holding same-sex partnerships.”
The Independent, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Dangerous terrorist suspects are on the streets because of judges’ decisions, watchdog says – Daily Telegraph
“Dangerous terror suspects are walking the streets as the result of a ruling by the UK Supreme Court, a terrorism watchdog has said.”
Daily Telegraph, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Binyam Mohamed judgment: was Jonathan Sumption right to complain? – The Times
“Last week’s decision of the appeal court judges in the case of Binyam Mohamed, to restore their original criticisms of the security services, shone a light on the practice by which judges circulate their draft judgments privately before publishing them.”
The Times, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Property salesman jailed over money laundering – The Independent
“A man who tried to smuggle nearly £60,000 of cash out of the country in his underpants was jailed for four years today.”
The Independent, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.independent.co.uk
25 year starting point for knife killers – Ministry of Justice
“Those who go onto the street armed with a knife and commit murder now face significantly longer jail terms.”
Ministry of Justice, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Libel lawyers have success fees cut up to 90 per cent – Daily Telegraph
“Libel lawyers will have their success fees cut by 90 per cent under a Government ruling which has been hailed as a victory for press freedom.”
Daily Telegraph, 4th March 2010
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Ministers axe Legal Services Commission to wrest back control of legal aid budget – The Guardian
“The body in charge of the £2.1bn legal aid budget is to be abolished after 10 years , as part of radical changes to the way lower-income people access justice, ministers announced today (3 March).”
The Guardian, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Inspectors call for review of ‘unsustainable’ indefinite prison sentences – Daily Telegraph
“Inspectors have called for a ministerial review of indefinite prison sentences, saying the current situation was ”unsustainable”.”
Daily Telegraph, 4th March 2010
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Landmark Court of Appeal ruling on retainers – Law Society’s Gazette
“Solicitors who cease acting for a client where the case has no chance of success on points of law are entitled to be paid for the work done up to that point, the Court of Appeal has ruled.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 4th March 2010
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Supreme court preserves Coatham Common from housebuilding – The Guardian
“Britain’s highest court today overturned a series of rulings and backed a campaign to save an undeveloped oasis on industrial Teesside as a village green.”
The Guardian, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Major new project on expert witness fees – Ministry of Justice
“The Ministry of Justice announces the launch of a new project to review current fee arrangements and deliver new fee structures for professional expert witnesses.”
Ministry of Justice, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Recent Statutory Instruments – OPSI
The Electoral Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1962 (Amendment) Order 2010
The Occupational Pension Schemes (Levies) (Amendment) Regulations 2010
The Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 (Commencement No. 8) Order 2010
The Work and Families Act 2006 (Commencement No. 4) Order 2010
The Railways (Public Service Obligations) Regulations 2010
The Registration of Civil Partnerships (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2010
The Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Fees) Order 2010
The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion (Display) (England) Regulations 2010
The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion (Specialist Tobacconists) (England) Regulations 2010
The Local Authorities (Capital Finance and Accounting) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2010
The Central Rating List (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2010
The Animal Gatherings Order 2010
The Social Security Pensions (Low Earnings Threshold) Order 2010
The Social Security Revaluation of Earnings Factors Order 2010
The Value Added Tax (Buildings and Land) Order 2010
The Value Added Tax (Construction of Buildings) Order 2010
The Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010
Source: www.opsi.gov.uk
Regina (LG) v Independent Appeal Panel for Tom Hood School (Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, interested party) – WLR Daily
“A decision on the balance of probabilities that a school pupil had produced a knife during a fight was sufficient to found his permanent exclusion from the school. It did not infringe his right to a fair hearing before the decision-maker under art 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, since he had no arguable right under domestic law to continue to be educated at the school without good reason, and thus had no ‘civil right’ to do so. The appeal panel was not determining a criminal charge against the pupil: the sanction of permanent exclusion from a particular school was insufficiently severe to render the charge against him criminal.”
WLR Daily, 2nd March 2010
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
Regina v Sheppard; Regina v Whittle – Times Law Reports
Regina v Sheppard; Regina v Whittle
Court of Appeal
“The courts of England and Wales had jurisdiction over offences relating to racially inflammatory material if a substantial measure of the activities constituting the crime had taken place within the jurisdiction.”
The Times, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Regina v Iqbal – Times Law Reports
Court of Appeal
“For the time for proceedings for a confiscation order to be postponed, or extended beyond the permitted period of two years starting with the date of conviction, an application had to be made during the permitted period.”
The Times, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Gulf International Ltd v Groupe Chimique Tunisien – Times Law Reports
Gulf International Ltd v Groupe Chimique Tunisien
Court of Appeal
“An English court could restrain a party to a contract governed by English law from instituting any action in a foreign court contrary to an arbitration agreement in the contract.”
The Times, 3rd March 2010
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Aborigines to sue British Government over nuclear tests – Daily Telegraph
“Australian aborigines and former servicemen are to sue the British Ministry of Defence over diseases and disabilities that they claim were caused by nuclear testing in the Outback more than 50 years ago.”
Daily Telegraph, 2nd March 2010
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
