28/05/2014 – Current Awareness

‘A High Court judge in the new Planning Court has rejected an application for a judicial review made by a development partner of Tesco, certifying that the claim was “totally without merit”.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 27th May 2014

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Re B-S and the Perils of the ‘Balance Sheet’ Approach – Family Law Week

Posted May 28th, 2014 in care orders, children, families, human rights, local government, news, proportionality by sally

‘Michael Jones, barrister, 15 Winckley Square Chambers, considers the response of local authorities to the requirements imposed by Re B-S and later cases.’

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Family Law Week, 23rd May 2014

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

New sentencing guidelines bring increased focus to the impact of fraud on victims – Sentencing Council

Posted May 28th, 2014 in bribery, fraud, money laundering, news, sentencing by sally

‘The Sentencing Council has published a new guideline for how people convicted of fraud, money laundering and bribery should be sentenced.’

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Sentencing Council, 23rd May 2014

Source: www.sentencingcouncil.judiciary.gov.uk

Hate crime: should the current offences be extended? – Law Commission

Posted May 28th, 2014 in criminal justice, gender, hate crime, inciting hatred on grounds of sexual orientation, inciting racial hatred, inciting religious hatred, Law Commission, news by sally

In a report published today the Law Commission recommends reforms to ensure that the criminal justice system is able to make a stronger and more coherent response to hate crime.

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Law Commission, 28th May 2014

Source: www.lawcommission.justice.gov.uk

Richard III: fairness and public interest litigation – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted May 28th, 2014 in burials and cremation, judicial review, news, public interest, royal family by sally

‘Some 527 years after his death, Richard III’s skeleton was found beneath a car park in Leicester. The Plantagenet Alliance, a campaigning organisation representing a group of collateral descendants, sought judicial review of the decision taken by the Secretary of State to exhume and re-inter the monarch in Leicester Cathedral without consulting them and a wide audience.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 28th May 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

How people resolve ‘legal’ problems – Legal Services Board

Posted May 28th, 2014 in legal services, Legal Services Board, news, statistics by sally

‘The Legal Services Board commissioned Professor Pascoe Pleasence and Dr Nigel Balmer to produce a statistical analysis of existing legal needs survey data to understand how consumers demographics, attitudes, capabilities and beliefs impact on their response to legal problems. How people resolve legal problems presents the findings of this analysis.’

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Legal Services Board, 22nd May 2014

Source: www.legalservicesboard.org.uk

Reforming the regulation of taxis and private hire vehicles – Law Commission

Posted May 28th, 2014 in Law Commission, licensing, news, taxis by sally

‘Taxis and private hire services, which include minicabs, are an essential link in the transport network of England and Wales, with passengers spending in excess of £2.5 billion a year on fares.’

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Law Commission, 23rd May 2014

Source: www.lawcommission.justice.gov.uk

Nuptial Agreements: Limiting the Family Lawyer’s Exposure to Negligence Claims – Family Law Week

Posted May 28th, 2014 in barristers, drafting, negligence, news, prenuptial agreements, solicitors by sally

‘The authors consider whether family lawyers are assuming unlimited liability when advising upon or drafting nuptial agreements and look at the practicalities of limiting that liability.’

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Family Law Week, 21st May 2014

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Compulsory lie detector tests for serious sex offenders – Ministry of Justice

Posted May 28th, 2014 in lie detectors, news, sexual offences by sally

‘The UK’s first school for training highly-skilled probation officers to become lie detector examiners is underway.’

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Ministry of Justice, 27th May 2014

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Claire Semmens jailed over Aaron Hughes toddler rape – BBC News

Posted May 28th, 2014 in child abuse, news, rape, sentencing by sally

‘A babysitter has been jailed for 16 years for giving a three-year-old boy to a known paedophile who drugged and raped him.’

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BBC News, 27th May 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Landowner wins appeal over time limits for village green application – Local Government Lawyer

Posted May 28th, 2014 in commons, land registration, news, retrospectivity, statutory interpretation, time limits by sally

‘A landowner has defeated an attempt to register as a village green land it owns that was previously the site of a military camp, after the applicant only fulfilled the registration requirements months after the relevant time limit.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 27th May 2014

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘We are recreating Bedlam’: the crisis in prison mental health services – The Guardian

Posted May 28th, 2014 in mental health, news, prisons by sally

‘Mental health services in prison are under critical strain – in some institutions, as many as half of all inmates may need psychiatric help, but are often unable to get it. Such failures can have tragic results.’

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The Guardian, 24th May 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Mohammed Badiuzzaman jailed for strangling pregnant wife – BBC News

Posted May 28th, 2014 in complaints, married persons, murder, news, police, sentencing by sally

‘A man has been sentenced to life in prison for strangling his pregnant wife at her home in east London.’

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BBC News, 27th May 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk