Chip shop death: Geoffrey Bran cleared of murdering wife with oil – BBC News
‘A chip shop owner accused of killing his wife by throwing boiling oil over her has been cleared of her murder.’
BBC News, 19th November 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Solicitors urged to shorten their own witness statements – Litigation Futures
‘A High Court master has urged solicitors providing witness statements to cut back on the unnecessary detail, stressing that they are not the same as those given by lay witnesses.’
Litigation Futures, 19th November 2019
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
Woman nearly killed by ex-partner hits out at ‘ridiculous’ change to ‘lenient’ prison sentences for abusers – The Independent
‘A woman who almost died when her former partner attacked her with a meat cleaver has condemned the government’s new scheme which allows victims of domestic abuse to challenge sentences given to their perpetrators.’
The Independent, 19th November 2019
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Ep 98: AI: Opportunity or Threat? – Law Pod UK
‘There should be a distinction between AI and algorithms being tools for lawyers as opposed to lawyers and laws being the tools for the use of AI. The huge emancipatory opportunities offered by technology could be lost if we don’t get on top of it and allow it to overtake us, as we subject ourselves to all its processes. Rosalind English talks to Emily Foges, CEO of Luminance, an Artificial Intelligence programme for the legal profession, about the practical applications of algorithms to the law. How can we avail ourselves of the codes before the codes manage us?’
Law Pod UK, 18th November 2019
Source: audioboom.com
Gliding club win legal challenge over prior approval for barn conversion – Local Government Lawyer
‘A long-established gliding club has won a Planning Court challenge over Harborough District Council’s decision to grant prior approval for a barn conversion on a site next to its airfield.’
Local Government Lawyer, 18th November 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
AI – a tool for the law, or its digital master? – UK Human Rights Blog
‘In the latest Henry Brooke Lecture (12th November, hosted by BAILII and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer), Supreme Court Justice Lord Sales warned that the growing role of algorithms and artificial intelligence in decision making poses significant legal problems.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 18th November 2019
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
“Mixed messages” from consumers on online conveyancing – Legal Futures
‘Only 19% of home buyers use online conveyancers, despite the dominance of online searches as a way of finding property, a report has found.’
Legal Futures, 19th November 2019
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Patents – Technetix BV v Teleste Ltd – NIPC Law
‘This was a claim for patent infringement and a counterclaim for revocation on grounds of anticipation, obviousness and added matter. There was also an application for unconditional and conditional amendments to the patent. The claim and counterclaim came on before His Honour Judge Hacon sitting as a judge of the Patents Court in Technetix BV and another v Teleste Ltd [2019] EWHC 3106 (Pat) (18 Nov 2019). His Honour tried the action in May and delivered judgment on 18 Nov 2019. The learned judge held at paragraph [122] of his judgment that the patent was invalid on all three grounds .and refused the amendments though he found that the patent would have been infringed hand it been valid.’
NIPC Law, 19th November 2019
Source: nipclaw.blogspot.com
Man mutilates horse by stabbing it 20 times but is only charged with ‘criminal damage’ – The Independent
‘A teenager who mutilated a prize-winning horse by stabbing it 20 times has only been jailed for two months because the attack was classed as “criminal damage”.’
The Independent, 19th November 2019
Source: www.independent.co.uk
BAILII: Recent Decisions
Court of Appeal (Civil Division)
W (A Child), Re [2019] EWCA Civ 1966 (18 November 2019)
C (A Child) (Interim Separation), Re [2019] EWCA Civ 1998 (18 November 2019)
High Court (Chancery Division)
Maggistro-Contenta & Anor v O’Shea & Anor [2019] EWHC 3035 (Ch) (18 November 2019)
High Court (Commercial Court)
Etihad Airways PJSC v Flother [2019] EWHC 3107 (Comm) (18 November 2019)
High Court (Patents Court)
Technetix BV & Anor v Teleste Ltd [2019] EWHC 3106 (Pat) (18 November 2019)
Source: www.bailii.org
London council to take battle over borough-wide injunction and camping on open spaces to Court of Appeal next month – Local Government Lawyer
‘The Court of Appeal will next month (3 December) hear an appeal by Bromley Council over the High Court’s refusal to extend an interim injunction prohibiting camping on 171 open spaces and car parks in the borough.’
Local Government Lawyer, 18th November 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Jodie Chesney murder: two teenagers jailed for life – The Guardian
‘Two teenagers have been jailed for life for the “callous, casual and irresponsible” murder of 17-year-old Jodie Chesney.’
The Guardian, 18th November 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
If you go down to the woods today – Nearly Legal
‘This is a rather odd case concerning possession of a farmhouse in the Forest of Dean. It had been first occupied by the defendant’s mother and step father in 1993. The terms of this were in dispute, but the rent was £155 and the step-father was to undertake repairs and maintenance to the property. The step-father did carry out some repairs, but he moved out in 2002, visiting and leaving some possessions there thereafter. The mother moved out in 2006. Various other family and friends lived at the property in subsequent years. The defendant had rented and bought property of his own, but took on repairs to the farmhouse and regarded it as his family home.’
Nearly Legal, 17th November 2019
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
Tribunals and human rights – Nearly Legal
‘The question of the powers of the First Tier and Upper Tribunals (and indeed initial decision makers) to disapply secondary legislation where there is a breach of the appellant’s human rights has reached the Supreme Court. The decision has some far reaching implications for bedroom tax appeals and beyond.’
Nearly Legal, 15th November 2019
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
Solicitor tried to take unfair advantage of other lawyer’s error – Legal Futures
‘A solicitor discarded an undertaking he had given and tried to take advantage of a mistake made by the law firm on the other side of a conveyancing transaction, it has emerged.’
Legal Futures, 15th November 2019
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Civil partnerships legislation – unfinished business – Law & Religion UK
The draft Civil Partnership (Opposite-sex Couples) Regulations 2019 (“the Regulations”) was the first item of the secondary legislation within the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019 (“the Act”) to achieve the necessary approval of both Houses under the affirmative resolution procedure. It was also the last item of debated business before parliament was dissolved on 6 November. Through section 2(2) of the Act the regulations were subject to a “sunset clause” which required them to be in force by the end of December, and as such, only limited time was available for its scrutiny and approval; this left a number of items of unfinished business, and these are summarized below.
Law & Religion UK, 18th November 2019
Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com
Free Internet Access ‘Should Be A Human Right’ – Professor – Rights Info
‘Many of us take for granted our ability to tap in to Twitter or spend longer than we would care to admit tumbling down a YouTube rabbit hole. But this luxury is not afforded to an estimated 1.94 million UK households lacking internet access in 2019.’
Rights Info, 15th November 2019
Source: rightsinfo.org
Cryptoassets and smart contracts valid in English law – Law Society’s Gazette
‘Assets and contracts created with blockchain-type encryption technology have validity under existing English law, a high-powered group of legal experts chaired by a senior member of the judiciary reported today.’
Law Society's Gazette, 18th Novembe 2019
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
