Mikołaj Barczentewicz: Should Cart Judicial Reviews be Abolished? Empirically Based Response – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘The Government adopted a recommendation of the Independent Review of Administrative Law that Cart judicial reviews should be abolished. The reasons given by the Review for that recommendation have been criticised on this blog by Joe Tomlinson & Alison Pickup and by Joanna Bell. The Review (and the Government) claimed that there is only a 0.22% rate of success in Cart judicial reviews (“Cart JRs”), which makes the expenditure of judicial resources on dealing with Cart claims disproportionate. Tomlinson & Pickup and Bell noted that this figure is almost certainly incorrect, but they were not able to say what the true rate of success is due to the unavailability of necessary data. To address that, I conducted an unprecedented empirical study concluding that the success rate of Cart reviews is at least over ten times higher than the Review’s calculation. Here, I briefly summarize the results of my study and argue that in the light of that evidence the Government should propose to put the Cart procedure on a statutory footing, but not abolish it.’

Full Story

UK Constitutional Law Association, 5th May 2021

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Retaining shares following litigation did not trigger DBA payment – Litigation Futures

Posted May 5th, 2021 in damages, fees, law firms, news, shareholders, solicitors by sally

‘A client who retained shares as part of a settlement but did not recover anything from the other party was not liable to pay his solicitors anything under a damages-based agreement (DBA), the High Court has ruled.’

Full Story

Litigation Futures, 4th May 2021

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Windrush scandal: Concern over wait for compensation – BBC News

‘Campaigners say they are concerned about the low number of compensation payments to victims of the Windrush scandal.’

Full Story

BBC News, 4th May 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Immigration and civil litigation hit hardest by Covid-19 – Legal Futures

‘Immigration and civil litigation were the two areas of legal practice hit hardest by the pandemic last year, with private client and family law “insulated” from the impact, new research has found.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 5th May 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Pret A Manger cleared of allergy offence after student’s collapse – BBC News

Posted May 5th, 2021 in allergies, food, health & safety, labelling, news by sally

‘Pret A Manger has been found not guilty of a food safety offence after a student suffered a severe allergic reaction.’

Full Story

BBC News, 4th May 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

More trafficking victims facing forcible removal from UK under rule change – The Guardian

‘More victims of trafficking will be locked up in detention and forcibly removed from the UK after MPs approved a change in Home Office rules relating to this vulnerable group, campaigners have warned.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 5th May 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Ep 143: Henry VIII Powers undermining parliamentary supremacy – Law Pod UK

‘In this episode, Rosalind English discusses with Sarabjit Singh and Isabel McArdle of 1 Crown Office Row a number of laws containing “Henry VIII” powers which allow ministers to avoid full parliamentary debate.’

Full Story

Law Pod UK, 4th May 2021

Source: audioboom.com

Entrepreneur with “strong views on breastfeeding” unfairly dismissed lawyer – Legal Futures

‘A Russian entrepreneur based in the UK with “strong views on the importance of breastfeeding” unfairly dismissed a lawyer after she took maternity leave, an employment tribunal has ruled.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 5th May 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Child marriage ‘thriving in UK’ due to legal loophole, warn rights groups – The Guardian

Posted May 5th, 2021 in children, forced marriages, marriage, news, young persons by sally

‘A legal loophole that allows 16- and 17-year-olds in England and Wales to marry with parental consent is being exploited and used to coerce young people into child marriage, campaigners have warned.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 4th May 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Killer jailed after concealing victim’s body in suitcases – BBC News

Posted May 5th, 2021 in imprisonment, murder, news, sentencing by sally

‘A woman who murdered and concealed the remains of her former friend in two suitcases has been jailed.’

Full Story

BBC News,4th May 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Police watchdog threatened with legal action over inquiry into man’s death – The Guardian

‘The police watchdog has been threatened with legal action for refusing to investigate whether the conduct of officers who restrained a man for a significant period of time committed a criminal offence or that their behaviour amounts to misconduct.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 4th May 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Swastikas, employment and “religious” symbols: Horvarth – UK Law & Religion

‘Istvan Horvarth started working at the Lidl store in Telford Hadley, Shropshire, in 2013. A colleague complained that Horvarth showed him his “swastika” tattoo and in April 2019 Horvarth was sacked. In Mr I Horvarth v Lidl Great Britain Ltd [2021] ET/ 1307164/2019, he claimed unfair dismissal and discrimination based on race and/or religion or belief. He also claimed that he had been subjected to a number of incidents of harassment related to his race from approximately 2016 onwards, immediately following the Brexit referendum [3]. Following two case management hearings before Employment Judge Flood, he withdrew his claims of discrimination based on religion and/or belief and they were dismissed in a judgment dated 22 May 2020 [2].’

Full Story

UK Law & Religion, 30th April 2021

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

Cauda Equina: Tells & Tales About the “Horse’s Tail” – Ropewalk Clinical Negligence Blog

Posted May 4th, 2021 in causation, doctors, hospitals, medical treatment, negligence, news by sally

‘Cauda equina syndrome is a rare and severe type of spinal stenosis. A narrowing of the spinal canal causes the nerves in the lower back to become severely compressed. Typically, but not exclusively, it results from a prolapsed disc bulge. The condition requires urgent hospital admission and timely surgery (usually decompression of the disc). The longer it goes untreated, the greater the chance it will result in permanent paralysis and incontinence. On that account, it leads to claims for clinical negligence, notably in respect of delayed diagnosis, whether against hospital or GP. On that account too, such claims have latterly given rise to a number of decisions by the higher courts. The purpose of this blog is to review three of them.’

Full Story

Ropewalk Clinical Negligence Blog, 29th April 2021

Source: www.ropewalk.co.uk

Rodney Brazier: Mr Johnson and His Flat – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘Let me begin with what should be platitudinous. The presumption of innocence is a cherished legal principle in the United Kingdom. No one is guilty of a crime unless a court so decides after a fair hearing, and anyone accused of wrongdoing short of a crime is entitled to the protection of an analogous principle. Politicians must account to Parliament, and are answerable to the voters. Politicians must obey the law and comply with relevant codes of conduct.’

Full Story

UK Constitutional Law Association, 4th May 2021

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Immigration removal and an Article 2 inquest – UK Human Rights Blog

‘R (Lawal) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (2021), Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), Unreported, JR/626/2020 (V).
The death of an immigration detainee, as with all prisoners, is rightly subject to legal scrutiny. This is because detainees are completely under the state’s control. Article 2 ECHR requires that the state carry out an effective investigation into all deaths in detention where there is a reasonable suspicion that the death was unnatural. A coroner is required to hold an inquest into all deaths in custody, and specifically a jury inquest where there is reason to suspect the death is violent or unnatural. In this case, a two-judge panel of the Upper Tribunal (President of the Upper Tribunal, Mr Justice Lane, and Upper Tribunal Judge Canavan) found that the respondent Home Secretary had breached her Article 2 procedural obligations in respect of deaths in immigration detention. In particular, she had failed to ensure that crucial witness evidence was secured for use at an inquest and had failed to halt the deportation of a relevant witness.’

Full Story

UK Human Rights Blog, 29th April 2021

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Council fails in appeal over direction by judge that parents and child should undergo residential assessment – Local Government Lawyer

Posted May 4th, 2021 in appeals, care orders, children, local government, news by sally

‘A Family Court judge has rejected an appeal brought by a local authority against a case management decision by a district judge pursuant to s 38(6) of the Children Act (1989) directing that the parents and the subject child (“L”) should undergo a residential assessment.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 3rd May 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Judge blasts “lamentable” applications and non-compliant skeletons – Litigation Futures

Posted May 4th, 2021 in case management, drafting, news, skeleton arguments by sally

‘A deputy High Court judge has hit out at the “lamentable” way applications before him were prepared, including non-compliant and late skeleton arguments from counsel.’

Full Story

Litigation Futures, 4th May 2021

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

S&G lawyer wins unfair dismissal claim – but no damages – Legal Futures

Posted May 4th, 2021 in damages, employment tribunals, news, redundancy, unfair dismissal by sally

‘A senior costs specialist at Slater & Gordon (S&G) has won a claim for unfair dismissal on one ground but an employment tribunal decided it would not be just to award him damages.’

Full Story

Legal futures, 4th May 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Former police officer jailed for National Action membership – Crown Prosecution Service

‘A former probationary police officer has been sentenced at the Old Bailey to a total of four years and four months in prison after he was exposed as a secret member of a neo-Nazi group.’

Full Story

Crown Prosecution Service, 30th April 2021

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Bar Council backs Charter for Black Talent – The Bar Council

Posted May 4th, 2021 in barristers, diversity, equality, minorities, news by sally

‘The Bar Council, the barristers profession’s representative body, has today become the latest organisation to give its backing to the Charter for Black Talent in Finance and the Professions, an initiative aimed at increasing the number of talented Black professionals in senior positions in the financial and professional services sectors in the UK.’

Full Story

The Bar Council, 30th April 2021

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk