Plan to phase out complex police forms by end of 2009 – The Independent

Posted September 5th, 2008 in news, offensive weapons, police, stop and search by sally

“Controversial forms which police have to fill in every time they stop someone in the street should be phased out by the end of next year, a Home Office minister said today.”

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The Independent, 4th September 2008

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Half of all criminals re-offend within a year – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 5th, 2008 in news, prisons, recidivists by sally

“Nearly half of all criminals released from jail reoffended within a year of being let out, figures have disclosed.”

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Daily Telegraph, 5th September 2008

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Top law firms excel in sexual diversity index – Legal Week

Posted September 5th, 2008 in equality, homosexuality, law firms, news by sally

“Clifford Chance, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz and White & Case are among 64 law firms to receive a perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2009 Corporate Equality Index, writes the Am Law Daily.”

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Legal Week, 4th September 2008

Source: www.legalweek.com

Teenagers given life for drowning student – The Independent

Posted September 5th, 2008 in murder, news, sentencing, young offenders by sally

“Two teenagers who murdered a student by pushing him into a fast-flowing river were jailed for life yesterday.”

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The Independent, 5th September 2008

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Marks & Spencer demand 7-year-old boy’s permission to deal with mother’s complaint – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 5th, 2008 in data protection, news by sally

“A mother who complained to shop staff that her seven-year-old son’s Superman playsuit was faulty was told data protection laws meant they could only deal with him.”

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Daily Telegraph, 4th September 2008

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

FSA challenged over insider trading case – The Times

Posted September 5th, 2008 in insider dealing, news by sally

“A father and son accused of insider trading today asked for the case against them to be dismissed on procedural grounds.”

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The Times, 4th September 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Cherie Booth tells politicians to stop ‘hysterically’ hyping crime – The Independent

Posted September 5th, 2008 in crime, news, prisons by sally

“The ‘hysterical rhetoric of politicians attempting to ride the tiger of public opinion’ is fuelling the fear of crime, according to a commission headed by Cherie Booth. The Commission on English Prisons Today, led by the wife of the former prime minister, protested over the record prison population reached under the government led until last year by Tony Blair.”

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The Independent, 5th September 2008

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Unpaid servant lived in cupboard – BBC News

“A woman who smuggled an unpaid servant into the UK and forced her to sleep in a cupboard has been jailed for two and a half years at Harrow Crown Court.”

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BBC News, 4th September 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Phone phishers hop on filesharing legal threats bandwagon – The Register

Posted September 4th, 2008 in copyright, news, telecommunications by sally

“Fraudsters have begun cold-calling householders to accuse them of copyright infringement online and threaten them with court action, an ISP has reported.”

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The Register, 4th September 2008

Source: www.theregister.co.uk

BAILII: Recent Decisions

Posted September 4th, 2008 in law reports by sally

Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)

RL & Anor, R. v [2008] EWCA Crim 1970 (28 August 2008)

High Court (Administrative Court)

Mohamed, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs [2008] EWHC 2100 (Admin) (29 August 2008)

High Court (Patents Court)

Zipher Ltd v Markem Systems Ltd & Anor [2008] EWHC 2078 (Pat) (01 September 2008)

Source: www.bailii.org

Paul Shrubsall, the arch-fixer of barristers’ clerks, finally takes a bow – The Times

Posted September 4th, 2008 in barristers' clerks, special report by sally

“As the arch-fixer/manager/negotiator for one of the most successful commercial sets of chambers in the business, it is no surprise that Paul Shrubsall organised his own exit strategy.”

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The Times, 3rd September 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Rhys case legal aid row resolved – BBC News

Posted September 4th, 2008 in legal aid, legal representation, murder, news by sally

“The legal aid dispute which threatened to delay the start of the trial of a 17-year-old accused of murdering Rhys Jones in Liverpool has been settled.”

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BBC News, 4th September 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Iraq dossier memos ‘must be released’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 4th, 2008 in disclosure, freedom of information, Iran, news, war by sally

“Memos and emails showing how the Government’s Iraq war dossier was ‘sexed up’ must be released, the information commissioner has ordered.”

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Daily Telegraph, 4th September 2008

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

R (Binyan Mohamed) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (2) – WLR Daily

Posted September 4th, 2008 in disclosure, law reports, public interest immunity, terrorism, torture by sally

R (Binyan Mohamed) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (2) [2008] EWHC 2100 (Admin); [2008] WLR (D) 300

“In performing the necessary balancing exercise in relation to public interest immunity and the exercise of the court’s discretion to order disclosure, it was incumbent on the court to have regard to the absence of a relevant consideration in the PII certificate and schedule, namely, in the light of the allegations made by the claimant, the abhorrence and condemnation accorded to torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, an issue which the court considered was not addressed either expressly or implicitly.”

WLR Daily, 2nd September 2008

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

R v RL and JF – WLR Daily

Posted September 4th, 2008 in clubs, environmental health, law reports, strict liability, water by sally

R v RL and JF [2008] EWCA Crim 1970; [2008] WLR (D) 299

“A prosecution for the strict liability offence of causing polluting matter to enter controlled waters could be brought against either a club, as an unincorporated association, in its own name or against individual members.”

WLR Daily, 2nd September 2008

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Anthony Julius caught in conflict of interest row – The Times

Posted September 4th, 2008 in conflict of interest, news, solicitors by sally

“Mishcon de Reya, the law firm, and its star solicitor Anthony Julius have become embroiled in a High Court dispute involving an allegation of professional impropriety, it emerged today.”

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The Times, 3rd September 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Black Solicitors Network set for City debut as diversity push gathers pace – Legal Week

Posted September 4th, 2008 in news by sally

“The Black Solicitors Network (BSN) is to launch a new City arm, as leading law firms continue their drive to attract a more diverse selection of new recruits.”

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Legal Week, 4th September 2008

Source: www.legalweek.com

Harman: poll shows public support for ban on buying sex – The Guardian

Posted September 4th, 2008 in news, prostitution by sally

“Harriet Harman will today step up her drive to make buying sex illegal when she releases new figures showing that more than half of men and women support the move if it will reduce people-trafficking for sexual exploitation.”

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The Guardian, 4th Spetember 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

High court challenge to stop toxic French ship arriving in Britain – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 4th, 2008 in asbestos, environmental protection, health & safety, news by sally

“A High Court challenge has been launched to stop a French aircraft carrier being broken up in Britain after it was deemed too toxic to be taken apart in India.”

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Daily Telegraph, 3rd Septemeber 2008

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Self-financing legal cases are too high a price for society – The Times

Posted September 4th, 2008 in courts, fees, special report by sally

“Justice, the much-quoted saying goes, is open to all – like the Ritz Hotel. Access to the courts can often depend on the depth of a person’s pocket, with some of the best lawyers coming at a prohibitively high price. But lawyers’ fees aside, should the courts be a free public service, like the health service? Or should litigants who use them pay the cost?”

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The Times, 4th September 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk