Trafigura returns to court in attempt to suppress lawsuit documents – The Guardian

Posted January 8th, 2010 in confidentiality, injunctions, news, parliament by sally

“Trafigura, the offshore oil trader that became notorious for legal attempts to suppress reporting of parliament, is going back to Britain’s judges tomorrow.”

Full story

The Guardian, 7th January 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Recent Statutory Instruments – OPSI

Posted January 7th, 2010 in legislation by sally

The Woodbury Common Range Byelaws 2009

The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Authorisations Extending to Scotland) (Amendment) Order 2009

The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Covert Human Intelligence Sources: Matters Subject to Legal Privilege) Order 2009

The Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications and Deemed Applications) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2010

The Infrastructure Planning (Decisions) Regulations 2010

Source: www.opsi.gov.uk

Regina v Maina; Regina v Saddique; Regina v Kika – Times Law Reports

Posted January 7th, 2010 in law reports by sally

Regina v Maina; Regina v Saddique; Regina v Kika

Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)

“The use of a knife to commit murder was a factor that aggravated the seriousness of that offence for the purpose of sentencing.”

The Times, 6th January 2010

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Iqbal v Prison Officers Association – Times Law Reports

Posted January 7th, 2010 in law reports by sally

Iqbal v Prison Officers Association

Court of Appeal

“A prisoner whose daily routine of leaving his cell for the purpose of working, exercise and health care was disrupted by unlawful strike action by prison officers, resulting in the prisoner being confined to his cell, did not have a claim for false imprisonment against the officers.”

The Times, 6th January 2010

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Duncombe and Others v Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families – Times Law Reports

Posted January 7th, 2010 in law reports by sally

Duncombe and Others v Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families

Court of Appeal

“Staff regulations restricting to nine years the period of employing teachers seconded by the Department of Children, Schools and Families to work in the European Schools, which provided education to the children of bureaucrats of the European Union, were unlawful.”

The Times, 7th January 2010

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Lord Justice Jackson: the potential for change is enormous – The Times

Posted January 7th, 2010 in news by sally

“Not all the big Jackson stories last year were about celebrities. One of the biggest stories in the legal world was that of Lord Justice Jackson and his fundamental review of the costs of civil litigation and recommendations to promote access to justice at a proportionate cost. The report has been presented to the Master of the Rolls and is due to be published next week.”

Full story

The Times, 7th January 2010

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

NHS software saga will see former directors in court – BBC News

Posted January 7th, 2010 in accounts, company directors, conspiracy, news by sally

The City regulator has started criminal proceedings against four former directors of UK-based healthcare software company iSoft.

Full story

BBC News, 6th January 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Iraq inquiry: we have every right to know why we went to war – The Times

Posted January 7th, 2010 in news by sally

“The Iraq inquiry has resumed this week, promising crucial witnesses — Tony Blair, Jack Straw, Lord Goldsmith and possibly Gordon Brown.We have been told repeatedly what it is not: a trial, an inquest, an inquisition, a court, a statutory inquiry. Nevertheless, however its investigative format is described, none of this fancy terminological footwork can evade the central expectation for a thorough, transparent and impartial quest for the truth about the way decisions and actions were carried out.”

Full story

The Times, 6th January 2010

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Parade protest case flawed, say lawyers – The Independent

Posted January 7th, 2010 in demonstrations, news, threatening behaviour by sally

“The case against Muslim protesters who branded soldiers murderers at a homecoming parade should never have been brought to court, their lawyers said today.”

Full story

The Independent, 6th January 2010

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Brothel-visiting celebrity remains anonymous after Moseley precedent – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 7th, 2010 in injunctions, media, news, privacy by sally

“The Sun newspaper has refused to name a top football manager it said it caught leaving a brothel. Privacy law experts say that the case underlines the strictness with which courts interpret the right to privacy of famous people.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 6th January 2010

Source: www.out-law.com

Amid economic gloom there is plenty of opportunity for the bar – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 7th, 2010 in barristers, news by sally

“Although a recession spells misery for some, for many barristers it is time to make hay while the sun shines. Downturns spawn disputes – as does an increasingly legislation-happy government – and while 2009 was largely a time for parties to assess their legal positions (thus boosting barristers’ advisory workload) the widely anticipated litigation boom now finally looks set to begin in earnest.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 7th January 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Leading lawyers call for quicker ‘no-fault’ divorces – The Independent

Posted January 7th, 2010 in divorce, news by sally

“Britain’s medieval fault-based divorce system must be reformed so that couples are free to end their marriage without having to blame each other for the break-up, an overwhelming majority of lawyers have told the Government.”

Full story

The Independent, 7th January 2010

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Full body scanners could be used without violating privacy, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 7th, 2010 in airports, news, privacy by sally

“A privacy regulator has said that technical tweaks and policy changes could ensure that whole-body airport scanners do not violate people’s privacy.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 7th January 2010

Source: www.out-law.com

LSB research reveals public ‘don’t know what lawyers do’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 7th, 2010 in legal profession, legal services, news by sally

More than two-thirds of consumers have ‘little or no knowledge’ of what lawyers do, research published last week has revealed.

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 7th January 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

New rules for MPs to be outlined – BBC News

Posted January 7th, 2010 in expenses, news, parliament by sally

“Details of how MPs’ expenses will be overhauled are to be outlined as part of a public consultation on changes to the now discredited former system.”

Full story

BBC News, 7th January 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Advice for 2010? Love your clients and taking nothing for granted – The Times

Posted January 7th, 2010 in news by sally

“Last year was traumatic for many law firms. Few avoided staff cutbacks or shorter time working. In many cases partners took home significantly less than they had earned in recent years and managing partners have had to take tough decisions to deal with the downturn.”

Full story

The Times, 7th January 2010

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Extradition of Gary McKinnon ‘breaches Bill of Rights’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 7th, 2010 in computer crime, extradition, human rights, news by sally

“Extraditing the alleged British computer hacker Gary Mckinnon to America will breach Britain’s 300-year-old Bill of Rights, a top human rights barrister has said.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 7th January 2010

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

BAILII: Recent Decisions

Posted January 6th, 2010 in law reports by sally

High Court (Chancery Division)

Far Out Productions Inc v Unilever UK & CN Holdings Ltd [2009] EWHC B42 (Ch) (16 December 2009)

High Court (Administrative Division)

Oakes v Secretary of State for Justice & Ors [2009] EWHC B27 (Admin) (17 December 2009)

Wye Valley Action Association Ltd, R (on the application of) v Herefordshire Council & Anor [2009] EWHC 3428

McIntyre & Anor, R (on the application of) v Gentoo Group Ltd [2010] EWHC 5 (Admin) (04 January 2010)

Source: www.bailii.org

DNA matches solve only a fraction of crimes, police admit – The Guardian

Posted January 6th, 2010 in crime, DNA, news, statistics by sally

“Only 33,000 of the 4.9m crimes the police recorded last year were solved as a result of a match on the national DNA database, police admitted today.”

Full story

The Guardian, 5th January 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ordering police trainee to cut his hair was not sex discrimination, tribunal rules – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 6th, 2010 in news, police, sex discrimination by sally

“A trainee police officer who was forced to cut his shoulder-length hair has failed in his claim that the order constituted sex discrimination. An Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) said that the police force’s dress code was fair.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 5th January 2010

Source: www.out-law.com