Breach of confidence requires infringer having knowledge of breach, rules Supreme Court – OUT-LAW.com

“Former employees of companies that use trade secrets to develop products cannot automatically be found to have acted in breach of confidence if they are involved in rival operations that exploit the protected information, the Supreme Court has ruled.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 28th May 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

European Court of Human Rights rejects Christians’ cases that their religious rights were violated by employers – The Independent

“Three British Christians who claimed their religious rights were violated by employers were told by European judges today that they could take their rejected cases no further.”

Full story

The Independent, 28th May 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Student who killed ‘devil’ arts blogger is detained indefinitely – The Guardian

Posted May 28th, 2013 in detention, diminished responsibility, mental health, murder, news by sally

“A student is to be detained indefinitely in Broadmoor secure hospital for killing an arts expert who blogged as Professor Whitestick.”

Full story

The Guardian, 28th May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Regina (Sandiford) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs – WLR Daily

Regina (Sandiford) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs [2013] EWCA Civ 581; [2013] WLR (D) 201

“The policy of the Foreign Secretary to refuse to provide funding for legal representation to United Kingdom nationals who were facing the death penalty abroad was lawful.”

WLR Daily, 22nd May 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Vestergaard Frandsen A/S and others v Bestnet Europe Ltd and others – WLR Daily

Vestergaard Frandsen A/S and others v Bestnet Europe Ltd and others [2013] UKSC 31; [2013] WLR (D) 200

“A former employee who started a business which developed a product using her former employers’ trade secrets was not liable for breach of confidence in circumstances where she neither knew the identity of those secrets nor that they were being used to develop the new product.”

WLR Daily, 22nd May 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Laing v The Queen – WLR Daily

Posted May 28th, 2013 in appeals, human rights, law reports, Privy Council, reasons, trials by sally

Laing v The Queen [2013] UKPC 14; [2013] WLR (D) 198

Although the giving of reasons for dismissing an appeal against conviction was an important part of an appellant’s entitlement to a fair hearing of the appeal, if the conviction were otherwise sound it did not have to be quashed simply because of the failure to give reasons.

WLR Daily, 14th May 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Maintenance Pending Suit Revisited – Family Law Week

Posted May 28th, 2013 in family courts, financial provision, news by sally

“Alexander Chandler of 1 King’s Bench Walk, Temple, London revisits and updates an article originally published in February 2010 in light of changes brought about by the Family Procedure Rules 2010.”

Full story

Family Law Week, 24th May 2013

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Action to tackle drug cutting agents – Home Office

Posted May 28th, 2013 in consultations, crime prevention, drug trafficking, enforcement, news by sally

A consultation was launched today on whether powers to seize substances used by criminals to mix with illegal drugs and maximise their profits should be strengthened.

Full story

Home Office, 28th May 2013

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Companies will not be forced to publish results of equal pay audits, says Government – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 28th, 2013 in company law, data protection, disclosure, equal pay, news, publishing, reports by sally

“Companies that are required to undertake equal pay audits would not be required to make the results of those audits public, the Government has proposed.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 28th May 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Courts may be privatised to save Ministry of Justice £1bn – Daily Telegraph

Posted May 28th, 2013 in charters, courts, government departments, news by sally

“The courts may be privatised in a justice shake-up that could save the Ministry of Justice £1 billion a year.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 28th May 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Shared ownership, Art 8 and A1P1 – NearlyLegal

Posted May 28th, 2013 in appeals, housing, landlord & tenant, leases, news, repossession by sally

“The entrepreneurialisation of social housing over the last twenty years has led to a diversity in the types of shared ownership. Of course, the standard leasehold type (what in the old days was called DIYSO) predominates, but there are a multitude of other types. In Ker v Optima Community Association [2013] EWCA Civ 579, the Court of Appeal had to deal with one of these other types in Optima’s claim for possession; but in quite odd circumstances for, by the time of the hearing of the appeal, Ms Ker had accepted that the property was unaffordable for her so that she had to give up possession. What was in issue seems to have been whether she was entitled to return of some of the amounts she had paid. Patten LJ, who gave the only substantive judgment, held that she did not have such a claim and ordered possession.”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 25th May 2013

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Bipolar patient has capacity to decide to terminate pregnancy – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted May 28th, 2013 in abortion, Court of Protection, mental health, news by sally

“The patient in this case was a 37 year old highly intelligent graduate who worked in IT. For the past 8 years she presented with symptoms which were diagnosed as those of bi-polar disorder. She had been detained under compulsory or similar powers at various times in Italy, in France and here in England.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 24th May 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Law centres: living on the age – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 28th, 2013 in law centres, legal aid, news by sally

“Last week’s London Legal Walk, coming weeks after swingeing legal aid cuts were introduced, could be read as a show of strength by the whole legal community. Some 7,500 lawyers and staff from firms, legal departments and chambers of all sizes walked to raise funds to support local advice agencies. At the time of writing, an impressive £575,000 was raised. But that in no way comes near the amount taken out of scope by ministers.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 27th May 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Law firms have ‘unconscious bias’ that stops women from getting promoted, says senior City lawyer – Daily Telegraph

Posted May 28th, 2013 in employment, equality, law firms, news, sex discrimination, women by sally

“As Lady Justice Hallett, a senior woman judge, warns the ‘frenetic’ pace of life holds women back, a leading lawyer and diversity consultant to the top legal institutions says there is an ‘unconscious bias’ against women in the legal profession.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 24th May 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

National College of Legal Training terminates LPC and GDL – The Lawyer

Posted May 28th, 2013 in legal education, news, universities by sally

“National College of Legal Training (NCLT) is to stop teaching the legal practice course (LPC) and graduate diploma in law (GDL), blaming market conditions and a drop in the number of students for its decision.”

Full story

The Lawyer, 24th May 2013

Source: www.thelawyer.com

‘We’re at the cliff edge now’ – LegalVoice

“‘Unity is our secret weapon’ was the key message that emerged from this week’s unprecedented meeting of 1,000 defence lawyers who voted unanimously backing a motion that price competitive tendering was ‘not the way forward’, writes Jon Robins.”

Full story

LegalVoice, 24th May 2013

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

Bye bye England: what will happen to Community Trade Marks and Community Registered Designs if the UK or another Member State says “Good-bye”? – Technology Law Update

Posted May 28th, 2013 in EC law, licensing, news, trade marks by sally

“With the recent debates about an in-out EU referendum rumbling on, the relationship between the UK and the EU is under continuing scrutiny. The political and economic issues of a withdrawal may take newspaper headlines, but the impact on Community trade marks and registered designs should not be forgotten either.”

Full story

Technology Law Update, 24th May 2013

Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk

Sex abuse victims thwarted by out-of-date law – BBC News

Posted May 28th, 2013 in child abuse, news, sexual offences, time limits, victims by sally

“An old law may stop women in England and Wales, who were groomed for sex as teenage girls before 2004, from bringing charges against the people who took advantage of them. The issue was highlighted when two women were told they could not press charges because they did not report the abuse to the police within 12 months of it happening.”

Full story

BBC News, 25th May 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Electronic plagiarism? The dangers of the cut-and-paste – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted May 28th, 2013 in appeals, judgments, judiciary, news, plagiarism by sally

“A judge hears a case and accepts one party’s version. That party provides a convincing closing speech (in a Word document) which the judge lifts, makes some modifications, and circulates as his judgment.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 26th May 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Four in 10 people think judges are too soft in manslaughter cases – Daily Telegraph

Posted May 28th, 2013 in burglary, homicide, news, reports, sentencing by sally

“Four in 10 people think judges should give tougher sentences in some violent cases such as manslaughter, a Ministry of Justice study has suggested.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 24th May 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk