Top judge calls for end to hourly fees
Most solicitors these days charge hourly rates. These can be anything from £150 to £500 per hour, or even more for some specialised practices. For clients, this is an incentive to bring cases to a close as quickly as possible, but for lawyers it is precisely the opposite. Of course, good lawyers will always put [...]
Filed under General legal information, May 14th, 2012Protesting prison officers threatened with injunction by Government
Early on Thursday morning, an estimated 80 per cent of prison officers throughout England and Wales walked out of their places of work. This was the first sign that an unofficial half-day of protest was taking place, and the unexpected walk-out was aimed at highlighting their objections to changes the Government is making to the [...]
Filed under Disputes,Employment law, May 11th, 2012New riots response figures released by MoJ
The legal response to last summer’s riots continues and the Ministry of Justice has just released more official figures. The crown prosecution service, the legal body responsible for bringing criminals to trial, is currently processing 450 more defendants. More are coming in all the time as police sift through hundreds of hours’ worth of CCTV [...]
Filed under Criminal law, May 4th, 2012New director intends to re-focus ailing Serious Fraud Office
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has been linked to a series of failed prosecutions in the recent past. One example is the high-profile case earlier this year involving the property tycoon Tchenguiz brothers, who were linked to the collapse of the Icelandic bank Kaupthing in 2008. However, the SFO now has a new director.
Filed under Criminal law, May 4th, 2012Coroner finds dead spy was probably murdered
The inquest into the death of MI6 cryptologist Gareth Williams has ended in a narrative verdict. The coroner found that there was insufficient evidence to find that he was murdered, but said an open verdict would not have served justice. Mr Williams was discovered dead in his Bristol flat in 2010. He had been locked [...]
Filed under Criminal law, May 3rd, 2012Court rules The Pirate Bay file-sharing website must be blocked by ISPs
Virgin Media has become the first Internet Service Provider (ISP) to block its customers from access to the Swedish file-sharing website, The Pirate Bay. The media company is complying with an order granted by the High Court this week. Other providers named by the judge, including TalkTalk, Sky, Everything Everywhere and O2, are expected to [...]
Filed under Commercial law, May 3rd, 2012Government considers compensated no-fault dismissal
As part of its ongoing reform of employment law the government has issued a Call for Evidence on its proposed reforms to employment law. This includes a proposal to allow small businesses to terminate their employees’ contracts at any time, provided they provide compensation. Under the current law, businesses are entitled to terminate contracts up [...]
Filed under Employment law, March 19th, 2012Chris Huhne case highlights seriousness of speeding fines
There has been a great deal of publicity surrounding the recent speeding case involving the former energy secretary Chris Huhne. Mr Huhne was accused of encouraging his ex-wife Vicky Pryce to take the points, which should have been added to his driving licence, so that he could avoid a driving ban. Mr Huhne and his [...]
Filed under Criminal law, March 19th, 2012Nuclear veterans denied compensation
In a knife-edge four-to-three ruling, the Supreme Court has ruled that participants in the United Kingdom’s nuclear testing in the 1950s who may have later developed medical conditions due to exposure to radiation cannot sue the government for compensation. Limitation period Under UK personal injury law, cases must be brought within three years of the [...]
Filed under Disputes, March 16th, 2012David Cameron to look again at US-UK extradition laws
In amongst the banter and diplomacy, a controversy has dogged David Cameron’s state visit to the United Sates this week. It comes on the heels of court decisions to extradite two British citizens to face trial in America. Richard O’Dwyer, the young proprietor of TVShack.net has been charged with criminal copyright infringement, and businessman Christopher [...]
Filed under Criminal law,Human Rights, March 16th, 2012Family law arbitration drive launched in UK
This week saw the launch of family law arbitration in England and Wales following a drive by the Government to attempt to resolve more divorce cases through alternative dispute resolution. It is hoped that the move will result in faster and more amicable settlements in divorce cases, and will ease the burden on overworked family [...]
Filed under Family law, February 24th, 2012Occupy London lose legal fight over St Paul’s
The anti-capitalist protesters who have lived in a tented city outside St Paul’s Cathedral for several months have lost their legal battle against their eviction. Yesterday, three judges sitting in the Court of Appeal turned down their application for a review of the High court decision, effectively ending the four-month long protest. Defeat yesterday is [...]
Filed under Disputes,Human Rights, February 23rd, 2012Land Rover prosecuted for safety risks
Vehicle manufacturer Land Rover has been prosecuted for failing to properly address safety risks in its Solihull factory. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety, prosecuted Land Rover in response to investigations it undertook in 2007.
Filed under Employment law,Personal injury claims, April 30th, 2011Catholic Care loses battle against anti-discrimination laws
In the most recent installation of the fight by Leeds-based agency Catholic Care to exclude gay and lesbian couples from its adoption services, the agency has now lost its two-year battle. It has once again been told it cannot decline to offer adoption services to gay and lesbian couples.
Filed under Family law, April 28th, 2011Government loses case on release of abortion data
The government has lost a contoversial case in the High Court regarding the Information Tribunal’s decision in 2009 to allow the release of information from the Department of Health on late term abortions. That information had been requested by the anti-abortion organisation, ProLife Alliance. The contested data is comprised of full statistical data on late [...]
Filed under Privacy law, April 21st, 2011Muslim protest on wedding day refused
Scotland Yard has refused to allow a radical Islamist group to protest outside Westminster Abbey on the day of the royal wedding, reports the BBC. Other protests proposed in nearby locations will no doubt have the same fate. Muslims against Crusades is the group that has applied for permission to protest on the day, 29 [...]
Filed under Human Rights, April 20th, 2011British citizen to be deported from Australia after 40 years
A 47-year-old British man, who has lived in Australia since he emigrated with his family at age 6, is being deported to the UK from Australia because of his criminal record. Whilst Clifford Tucker has been living in Australia for more than 40 years and has not had any criminal offences recorded against him in [...]
Filed under Human Rights,Nationality and migration, April 19th, 2011Jobcentre staff to strike for 24 hours
Thousands of Jobcentre employees are staging a 24-hour strike starting today (April 18). The strike has come after ongoing negotiations between members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) and management have failed to resolve the issues that have been raised by employees over recent months.
Filed under Employment law, April 18th, 2011Met police used unjustifiable force against G20 protestors
The High Court has ruled that the Metropolitan Police’s actions in response to the G20 protests in April 2009 were unlawful. The case was brought by Josh Moos and Hannah McClure, two demonstrators amongst the estimated 5,000 on the day. They claimed that the police used excessive force and that their practice of ‘kettling’ the [...]
Filed under Human Rights, April 15th, 2011NHS hit with increase in birth-related compensation claims
The NHS is being hit with massive compensation bills for negligent practice by maternity-unit staff. The mistakes by staff are leading to not-insignificant numbers of stillbirths and permanent disability to newborn babies. One type of medical negligence claim is made when maternity-unit staff incorrectly interpret a cardiotocogram (CTG) – the scan of a baby’s heart. [...]
Filed under Accidents and injuries,Personal injury claims, April 14th, 2011