Stamp duty: What is it, how much is it and how is it changing? – BBC News
‘Home buyers in England and Northern Ireland will pay more stamp duty after 1 April, when two key thresholds are reduced.’
BBC News, 6th March 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Terence Daintith: Attacking the Attorney General: Some constitutional and administrative context – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘Identifying the rules and practices that should properly be regarded as part of our flexible and uncodified constitution is nowhere more difficult than in relation to the internal workings of the executive. At one time this difficulty was normally attributed to a culture of secrecy within government that kept information about its internal organisation out of the public domain. But as Alan Page and I document in our forthcoming Executive Self-Government and the Constitution (OUP, expected April 2025), which shows how constitutionally significant rules and practices within the executive have evolved over the course of this century, a far greater volume of material about such rules and practices is now published – a response, one might surmise, not so much to the formal requirements of the Freedom of Information Act as to the informal pressures and expectations fuelled by the internet, social media and the 24-hour news cycle.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 6th March 2025
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
High Court judge gives permission to bring legal challenge against Welsh council over Article 4 direction on holiday homes – Local Government Lawyer
‘A local objector to Gwynedd Council’s policy on planning for holiday homes has won the right to take the authority to judicial review after a judge said he was “just persuaded” this was the right course.’
Local Government Lawyer, 5th March 2025
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
MJF: a re-emphasis on statements of case and evidential rigour – 1 QMLR
‘The Claimant, MJF, alleged that her surgery had been conducted negligently, causing a severe deterioration in her condition. The importance of the case to practitioners lies not in its determination on substantive law, but in the Judge’s observations on (i) statements of case; (ii) witness statements and witness evidence; and (iii) expert evidence.’
1 QMLR, 6th March 2025
Source: 1corqmlr.com
Ministers criticise ‘two-tier’ sentencing changes in England and Wales – The Guardian
‘Ministers have criticised plans to make the ethnic background of offenders a greater factor in determining whether to jail them, saying they amounted to a “two-tier system” of justice.’
The Guardian, 6th March 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
No assumption of responsibility after release from police custody: Dobson v Leicestershire Police – 12 KBW
‘In the tragic case of Dobson v Chief Constable of Leicestershire Police [2025] EWHC 272 (KB), HHJ Bird examined whether the police had assumed responsibility for the wellbeing of a person released from custody. The court held that there was no assumption of responsibility, and the claim failed. Alexander Cornelius, pupil barrister at 12KBW, analyses the reasoning and parties’ choice of expert evidence.’
12 KBW, 5th March 2025
Source: pilawblog.com
Mind the Empathy Gap: An Analysis of Agency and Emotional Encounters in the Asylum Appeals of Former Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Minors – Mental Capacity Law and Policy
‘The role of emotion in asylum processes is one that has gained attention in recent years. This article situates itself as a response to this emerging body of literature by shedding new light on how emotions shaped the asylum appeals of a group of former unaccompanied minors in England through the application of the new concept of “empathy gap.” Five socio-legal themes are used to structure the analysis: (i) age disputes, (ii) credibility, (iii) affective ties, (iv) right to voice, and (v) precarious legal status. It is the first article to explore in depth what happens during the asylum appeals process for former unaccompanied minors in Britain and the first to consider how questions of emotion affect their lived experiences of, and the process of, legal proceedings. The article has wider implications for how social processes and relations and informal processes, in particular emotions, influence formal legal proceedings leading to potential for unfair outcomes. The article finds that, to avoid empathy-enhanced reasoning becoming yet another variable leading to inconsistency in the judicial process, systematic training and monitoring are required. These findings carry implications far beyond the immediate context of UK asylum tribunals by offering empirically informed insights for theory and practice regarding the role of emotion in judicial proceedings, and therefore have enduring relevance.’
EIN Blog, 5th March 2025
Source: www.ein.org.uk
Insolvency Appeals from this Winter period: a cold start but some good news for judgment creditors – 3 Paper Buildings
‘Rebecca Farrell, specialist commercial and insolvency barrister at 3PB, has written an article exploring three recent Insolvency Appeals and their potential impact.’
3 Paper Buildings, 28th February 2025
Source: www.3pb.co.uk
Paddleboard firm owner admits manslaughter of four – BBC News
‘A paddleboard tour company owner has admitted to gross negligence manslaughter after the deaths of four people.’
BBC News, 5th March 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
One in eight women killed by men are over 70, report reveals – The Guardian
‘One in eight women killed by men in the last 15 years were aged over 70, figures show, with a specialist charity reporting a growing number of older victims of domestic abuse seeking help.’
The Guardian, 6th March 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
The UK Government and defining “Islamophobia” – Law & Religion UK
‘The Government has established a new working group to produce a “working definition” of Anti-Muslim Hatred and Islamophobia. It will advise government on how best to understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and hate crime targeted against Muslims.’
Law & Religion UK, 5th March 2025
Source: lawandreligionuk.com
Comprehensive new guidance on imposing community and custodial sentences – Sentencing Council
‘The Council has published a significantly revised version of the Imposition of community and custodial sentences guideline.’
Sentencing Council, 5th March 2025
Source: www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk
Disclosure and Barring Service entitled to come to different conclusion than Teachers Regulation Agency, Court of Appeal rules – Local Government Lawyer
‘The Court of Appeal has unanimously dismissed a former teacher’s appeal against a finding by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) that he had developed an “inappropriate relationship” with a pupil – and therefore would be precluded from being a teacher – despite a separate TRA disciplinary panel finding he was not guilty of professional misconduct.’
Local Government Lawyer , 4th March 2025
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Upper Tribunal judge allows appeal by mother in EHCP case over pagination issues, criticises First Tier Tribunal for “putting off” issues for later – Local Government Lawyer
‘The Upper Tribunal has allowed a mother’s appeal concerning the Education Health and Care (EHC) Plans of her two children, after finding a “procedural irregularity” in respect of pagination issues in the court bundle.’
Local Government Lawyer, 4th March 2025
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
The interaction between housing and social care duties – Local Government lawyer
‘Members of the Cornerstone Barristers Housing Team set out key takeaways from three important decisions from the Court of Appeal clarifying the interaction between local authorities’ obligations under the Housing Act 1996 and social care legislation.’
Local Government lawyer, 4th March 2025
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Litigation funder awarded £2.1m on assigned claim – Legal Futures
‘A litigation funder that took assignment of an inventor’s claim that his idea was ripped off by early stage investors has been awarded £2.15m in damages by the High Court.’
Legal Futures, 5th March 2025
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Thousands of motor finance claims can be brought via omnibus forms – Legal Futures
‘The High Court has overturned a ruling that 5,823 people with motor finance commission claims have to file individual claims, rather than sue via eight omnibus claim forms.’
Legal Futures, 5th March 2025
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Media lawyers overturn ‘secret inquest’ move – Law Society’s Gazette
‘A group of media lawyers has helped overturn a coroner’s decision to hold the inquest into the death of a 38-year-old electrician in secret.’
Law Society's Gazette, 4th March 2025
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
In depth: Eight-year Mastercard saga rumbles on – Law Society’s Gazette
‘The Competition Appeal Tribunal has approved a £200m settlement in the massive Merricks v Mastercard collective action. But new battles loom over card processing fees and the funder’s return.’
Law Society's Gazette, 4th March 2025
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
