‘When must legal aid be provided to trafficking victims seeking compensation from the state relating to their ill treatment? This was the question for Calver J in R (HJK and Others) v Director of Legal Aid Casework [2025] EWHC 774 (Admin) (1 April 2025). The four claimants in this case were each victims of criminal trafficking. Since 2012, trafficking victims have been eligible to make a claim for compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. Each of the four claimants applied for legal aid for assistance with their applications, but each application was denied (in fact, each claimant had their applications denied twice, after the defendant re-made decisions following review requests). The claimants sought judicial review of these refusals, and asked the High Court to declare that they were unlawfully made.’

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Administrative Court Blog, 1st April 2025

Source: administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com

‘Three days ago, the head of the Prevent counter-terrorism scheme left his role following a review into failings that led to the Southport stabbings on 29 July 2024.’

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Doughty Street Chambers, 1st April 2025

Source: insights.doughtystreet.co.uk

‘When a no-nonsense lecturer set up a radical solution to help free the wrongfully convicted in the UK, he was hopeful he could change the justice system. But what started as a revolution ended in acrimony.’

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The Guardian, 3rd April 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Political attacks on judges are “dangerous” and “a huge threat to the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary”, the attorney general has said in a direct rebuke to the shadow justice secretary.’

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The Guardian, 2nd April 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘There is no overt reference in the Equality Act 2010 to the protection that exists (per Article 9.1 ECHR) for those seeking to manifest (in some way) their religion/belief. In light of the recent decision in Higgs v. Farmor’s School [2025] EWCA Civ 109 the question arises: is it time for a new form of religious/belief discrimination, equivalent to the protection that is provided to those with a disability pursuant to s.15 EqA 2010?’

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No. 5 Chambers, 31st March 2025

Source: www.no5.com

‘The respondent (B) had been the registered proprietor of an area of land since September 2002. The appellants (Rs) had been the registered proprietors of adjoining land since July 2004. A dispute arose between them over a strip of land that formed part of B’s registered title but had been used by Rs as part of their garden and, later, for the erection of a new property.’

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Gatehouse Chambers, 25th March 2025

Source: gatehouselaw.co.uk

‘Father who shook eight-week-old daughter jailed for her murder after she succumbed to injuries six years later
A “volatile” father whose eight-week-old daughter was left profoundly disabled after he fractured her skull has been jailed for life with 17 years for her murder after she died from her injuries six years later.’

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The Independent, 2nd April 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘Paul Newman KC explains the issues arising in the recent The Pensions Trust trial, which will be of general interest to the profession. The trial finished last week and judgment is expected in due course.’

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Pensions Barrister, 3rd April 2025

Source: www.pensionsbarrister.com

‘A woman has been found guilty of the manslaughter of her four-month-old daughter, who died after being violently shaken.’

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The Guardian, 2nd April 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘An Old Etonian who tried to murder his former partner by throwing her down a disused well at his family’s country estate has been jailed for 24 years.’

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The Independent, 2nd April 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘The vexed question of whether and under what circumstances parents can consent to (or otherwise authorise) the confinement of children under 16 came before HHJ Burrows (sitting as a High Court judge) in QX (Parental Consent for Deprivation of liberty: Children under 16) [2025] EWHC 745 (Fam).’

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Mental Capacity Law and Policy, 3rd April 2025

Source: www.mentalcapacitylawandpolicy.org.uk

‘In this article Sophie Howard and Julian Horne, of our Personal Injury team, set out the legal principles and practical considerations in making or responding to an application to withdraw an admission, and offer some words of caution. They also discuss applications to withdraw admissions of liability in claims that initially appear to be within the Portal limit, but where the value of the claim later increases significantly.’

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St John's Chambers, 7th March 2025

Source: www.stjohnschambers.co.uk

‘Amanprit Kaur provides a practical example of how CPR 70.2A can be a powerful tool to enforce injunction orders against disobedient parties in the context of boundary disputes.’

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St Philips Barristers, 19th March 2025

Source: st-philips.com

‘On 10 March 2025, the High Court dismissed a challenge to the Herefordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan (“the MWLP”) brought by the National Farmers’ Union (“the NFU”). Whilst the immediate impact of the decision will primarily affect livestock production in Herefordshire, the Court’s conclusions on the meaning of “waste” is likely to have wider implications for the agricultural sector more generally.’

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Francis Taylor Building, 18th March 2025

Source: www.ftbchambers.co.uk

‘Despite its contested scientific validity, polygraph interviewing is now an established yet opaque practice within criminal justice in England and Wales, with statute law covering polygraph use in the context of probation for released offenders. In this paper, we highlight non-statutory uses of the polygraph by police forces in England and Wales by presenting analysis of responses to freedom of information (FOI) requests. The boundaries around police polygraph use are undefined and potentially elastic. The policies disclosed state that polygraph interviewing is conducted with regard to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and the Human Rights Act 1998; yet it is denied that a polygraph examination is a criminal interview conducted under PACE. Furthermore, there is a significant risk that the common law may not satisfy the quality of law requirement insofar as it is insufficiently clear who will be subject to polygraph testing, why and in what circumstances. Therefore, we argue that the legal basis for the police’s use of the polygraph is inadequate and imprecise. Without openness and scrutiny regarding the extent of this use, it is difficult to see how the key human rights principle of foreseeability can protect citizens from the risk of arbitrariness.’

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Legal Studies, 6th February 2025

Source: www.cambridge.org

‘Ten carmakers and two industry groups have been fined a combined total of nearly £78m for withholding information about vehicle recycling.’

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BBC News, 1st April 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘In January 2025, the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a plan to fund work on five inquiries to explore allegations into failures by local services and police forces to adequately address child sexual exploitation and other sexual abuse. These were described as “victim-centred locally-led inquiries”, to be based on the work done by the Telford Inquiry chaired by Tom Crowther KC, and implemented at Oldham Council and four other pilot areas. in mid-March 2025, the Government advised that an update would be coming soon and likely pre-Easter.’

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Doughty Street Chambers, 25th March 2025

Source: insights.doughtystreet.co.uk

‘2025 is likely to see a groundswell of systemic challenges on a range of social and economic issues affecting the education sector. If the last four years of case law is anything to go by, that may be an understatement.’

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3PB, 12th March 2025

Source: www.3pb.co.uk

‘The Office for Students (OfS) has imposed potentially its largest ever fine of £585,000 on the University of Sussex, citing failures in its governance and breaches of its duties relating to freedom of speech. This eye-catching penalty follows the university’s handling of events surrounding Professor Kathleen Stock in 2021, and the OfS’s investigation concluded that Sussex failed to take adequate steps to secure free expression.’

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Garden Court Chambers, 27th March 2025

Source: gardencourtchambers.co.uk

‘Following a three-day trial, Hugh Sims KC sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge (“the Judge”) handed down judgment in Packer v Packer [2025] EWHC 461 (Ch) (“the Judgment”). Ollie Murrell, instructed by Bailhache Law, acted for the successful Claimant.’

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Guildhall Chambers, 20th March 2025

Source: www.guildhallchambers.co.uk