‘Victory’ For Traveller Communities Against Blanket Council Bans – Each Other

‘Local authorities who attempt to ban Travellers and Gypsies from vast swathes of public land risk breaching their “enshrined freedom” to roam the country, a court has ruled.’

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Each Other, 21st January 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

Prison counsellor jailed for smuggling drugs after inmates threatened him to become courier – Daily Telegraph

‘A prison counsellor has been jailed for smuggling drugs inside a jail after he was threatened by inmates to become a courier when he scuppered their deals.’

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Daily Telegraph, 21st January 2020

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Guildford pub bomb police face High Court threat over files – BBC News

Posted January 22nd, 2020 in documents, explosives, inquests, news, Northern Ireland, police, terrorism by sally

‘Lawyers in the Guildford pub bombing inquest have threatened Surrey Police with High Court action over archives removed from a history centre.’

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BBC News, 22nd January 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Government loses child refugee vote in string of Lords defeats – The Guardian

‘The government has suffered five defeats on its Brexit deal in the space of 24 hours in the House of Lords, with the heaviest defeat in a vote to restore the right of unaccompanied child refugees to be reunited with their families in the UK after Brexit.’

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The Guardian, 21st January 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Sibling relationships in the care system: Alexandra Wilson examines the recent case of Re G [2019] EWFC B70 – 5 SAH

A recent podcast on BBC sounds by ‘File on 4’ focused on separated siblings in the care system.

One of the stories is from a woman who explains that she was split from her sister and wasn’t allowed to see her despite her living just five minutes away. She recalls that between their respective foster families’ homes there was a park where she would see her younger sister playing with her foster sister. Breaking down into tears, she explains that she felt hurt, angry, annoyed, sad and “thought it was really, really cruel”.

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5 SAH, 20th January 2020

Source: www.5sah.co.uk

New ‘transformational’ code to protect children’s privacy online – BBC News

Posted January 22nd, 2020 in children, codes of practice, families, internet, news, privacy, suicide by sally

‘Social media sites, online games and streaming services used by children will have to abide by a new privacy code set by the UK’s data watchdog.’

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BBC News, 22nd January 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

High number of prison deaths are preventable, says damning new report – The Guardian

Posted January 22nd, 2020 in inquests, mental health, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, standards, statistics, suicide by sally

‘The persistently high death toll in prisons is a “national scandal”, with too many deaths avoidable, according to a new report published on Wednesday.’

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The Guardian, 22nd January 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

London borough recovers council home and £105,000 after securing housing fraud conviction – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 21st, 2020 in fraud, housing, local government, news by sally

‘The London Borough of Tower Hamlets has recovered a council home and £105,000 after a former resident was sentenced earlier this month in relation to two charges of housing fraud.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 20th January 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Lie-detector tests planned for convicted terrorists freed on licence – The Guardian

Posted January 21st, 2020 in lie detectors, news, release on licence, terrorism by sally

‘Convicted terrorists will face lie-detector tests under a raft of measures drawn up in the wake of the most recent London Bridge attack to toughen up the monitoring of offenders in the community.’

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The Guardian, 21st January 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Privileged Information and Settlement Agreements – Parklane Plowden Chambers

‘Do Defendants have a right to see unredacted settlement agreements which have privileged communications in them? The case of BGC Broker LP (above) addresses this.’

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Parklane Plowden Chambers, 17th January 2020

Source: www.parklaneplowden.co.uk

NHS faces huge clinical negligence legal fees bill – BBC News

Posted January 21st, 2020 in costs, fees, hospitals, negligence, news by sally

‘The NHS in England faces paying out £4.3bn in legal fees to settle outstanding claims of clinical negligence, the BBC has learned through a Freedom of Information request.’

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BBC News, 21st January 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Cross-Border cases and the inherent jurisdiction – Doughty Street Chambers

Posted January 21st, 2020 in Court of Protection, domicile, foreign jurisdictions, jurisdiction, news by sally

‘In Re QD, the children of a man is his sixties, living in Spain with his second wife, KD, had become concerned about the care that KD was providing. KD started proceedings in Spain but before these had concluded, QD’s children brought him to England and moved him to a care home.’

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Doughty Street Chambers, 17th January 2020

Source: insights.doughtystreet.co.uk

Business owners beware! Take reasonable steps or risk a personal injury claim – Becket Chambers

Posted January 21st, 2020 in accidents, news, personal injuries by sally

‘This article discusses a recent case whereby the court found that as the Defendant’s employee had failed to report an issue with a passenger lift, they had not acted reasonably. Therefore, the Defendant had been in breach of s2 of the Occupiers Liability Act 1957.’

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Becket Chambers, 15th January 2020

Source: becket-chambers.co.uk

Craig Prescott: Harry and Meghan, Regency, Counsellors of State and a “Slimmed Down” Royal Family – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted January 21st, 2020 in constitutional law, Crown, news, Privy Council, royal family by sally

‘On 19th January, after discussions within the Royal Family, it was announced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will step back from royal duties, no longer receive public funds, or ‘formally represent the Queen’. Neither will they use their HRH titles, and more generally they will not be classed as ‘working members of the Royal Family’. Instead, the Sussexes will pursue a new life in Canada, outside the structure of the Royal Family, although they have committed to continue to ‘uphold the values of Her Majesty’.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 21st January 2020

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Ep 101: Should medical claims be done differently? – Law Pod UK

Posted January 21st, 2020 in hospitals, negligence, news, podcasts by sally

‘Medical negligence experts James Badenoch QC (now retired) and David Hart QC of 1 Crown Office Row discuss some of the solutions proposed to the vast expense to the NHS of damages claims in negligence and whether any of these propositions – such as a tariff system run by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board – is feasible.’

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Law Pod UK, 20th January 2020

Source: audioboom.com

Bar regulator struggles with rise in complaints from public – Legal Futures

Posted January 21st, 2020 in barristers, complaints, news by sally

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is struggling to cope with the rise in complaints from members of the public, its annual enforcement report has revealed.’

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Legal Futures, 21st January 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Reconsideration of a visa or immigration decision – Richmond Chambers

Posted January 21st, 2020 in government departments, immigration, news, tribunals, visas by sally

‘A reconsideration entails a review by the Home Office of a decision that it has made. If you have lodged an appeal in the First Tier Tribunal against an immigration decision, you may wish to consider submitting a reconsideration request (if relevant, with new evidence in support of your case) to the Home Office while the appeal is pending. Our barristers can advise you about whether your case is suitable for requesting a reconsideration.’

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Richmond Chambers, 20th January 2020

Source: immigrationbarrister.co.uk

Domestic violence prevention work ‘should focus on offenders’ – BBC News

Posted January 21st, 2020 in crime prevention, domestic violence, news by sally

‘The government is being urged to set up domestic violence prevention programmes targeting offenders as well as victims.’

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BBC News, 21st January 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Transgender woman ends bid to see her ultra-Orthodox Jewish children – The Guardian

Posted January 21st, 2020 in children, contact orders, Judaism, news, transgender persons by sally

‘An ultra-Orthodox Jew who left her community to transition from male to female has abandoned a family court fight to see her five children.’

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The Guardian, 20th January 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

What evidence does the adjudicator find useful when considering delay? – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted January 21st, 2020 in causation, construction industry, delay, news by sally

‘White Constructions, a developer, engaged a sewer designer (“IWS”) and water servicing coordinator (“SWC”) to design a sewerage solution that complied with New South Wales regulations. The initial design was rejected by the relevant authorities, but a second design was later submitted and accepted. Subsequently, White Constructions brought proceedings against IWS and SWC for failing to produce a sewer design acceptable to the relevant authority within a reasonable time period, submitting that this failure caused delay to the completion of the project and thereby led to significant additional costs. At trial, the parties were each permitted to engage their own experts to assess the alleged delay. White Construction’s expert used an ‘as planned versus as-built windows analysis’, stipulating that there had been a serious delay of 240 days. The Defendants’ expert used a ‘collapsed as-built (or “but-for”) analysis’, demonstrating that there had been, at most, a 19-day delay. However, neither evidences were used by the Court because the they seen as not being appropriate for the case. Instead, the Court appointed a third expert whose evidence was preferred. The Court found that no breach had been established and so damages were not awarded.’

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Hardwicke Chambers, 16th January 2020

Source: hardwicke.co.uk