Government to review 2004 Gender Recognition Act – The Guardian
‘Legal processes for registering a change of gender are to be overhauled to make them less distressing for transgender people.’
The Guardian, 7th July 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Month: July 2016
EVENT: The Bar Council – Annual Bar and Young Bar Conference
‘The Annual Bar and Young Bar Conference 2016 is a key opportunity for all involved with the Bar to come together to learn, network and share ideas to ensure the continual development and success of the Bar.’
Date: 15th October 2016
Location: Westminster Park Plaza
Charge: See website for details
More information can be found here.
EVENT: Gresham College – In the Context of the Common Law: The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg
‘The European Court of Human Rights has been at the crossroads of two legal civilizations: the Continental Civil Law on the one hand and the British Common Law on the other. The common-law construction with its analogical reasoning is based on the formula that ‘the like cases should to be decided alike’. This legal tradition is more open-textured than the logical reasoning in the Continental legal system. Also, Continental judges are, since Montesquieu, thought of as merely ‘les bouches de la loi’ – bound to derive their judgements from an abstract normative major premise. Here we have yet again two different approaches to reality.’
Date: 17th November 2016, 6.00-7.00pm
Location: Barnard’s Inn Hall
Charge: Free
More information can be found here.
EVENT: Gresham College – To Die or Not to Die: That is the Question
‘When Hamlet posed the like question as he contemplated suicide, he faced the voyage to ‘the undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller returns’. Similar dread was faced by judges when considering the possibility of a death sentence, due to the awesome finality of such a judgment. Even after the abolition of the death penalty, life and death decisions still have to be made by judges, such as whether a very seriously mentally disabled baby should be allowed to die rather than be force-fed, or in the case of the conjoined twins where the stark issue before the court was whether it would be lawful to kill one to save the other.’
Date: 22nd September 2016, 6.00-7.00pm
Location: Barnard’s Inn Hall
Charge: Free
More information can be found here.
Government lays out plans to encourage more ABSs to enter market – Legal Futures
‘The government is today laying out plans to remove restrictions on alternative business structures (ABSs) on the basis that they have proven no more risky than traditional law firms.’
Legal Futures, 7th July 2016
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Greater Manchester to get devolved criminal justice powers – The Guardian
‘The acting mayor of Greater Manchester is to sign a deal with the government, committing to the transfer of criminal justice and offender management powers to the new devolved authority.’
The Guardian, 7th July 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Baby ashes scandal prompts new crematoria laws – BBC News
‘New crematoria rules are being drafted after families were denied their baby’s ashes, the government has said.’
BBC News, 7th July 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
We ignored the rule of law – the result was Iraq – The Guardian
‘By acting in defiance of the UN charter, as I warned when I was a Foreign Office lawyer in 2003, we put our reputation at risk. So it has proved.’
The Guardian, 7th July 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Who regulates? – Competition and regulation in the legal sector – Legal Futures
‘Regulation is put into place because markets are not perfect. Legal services are infrequent purchases for most people, so the asymmetry of knowledge and power between provider and consumer is especially marked.’
Legal Futures, 6th July 2016
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Porn sites will need age verification from 2017, Government announces – The Independent
‘The Government has unveiled plans for age verification on porn websites in its new Digital Economy Bill, set to come into force in 2017.’
The Independent, 7th July 2016
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Court overturns Senior Cost Judge’s decision to slash ATE premium by 60% – Litigation Futures
‘The Senior Costs Judge fell into the trap of considering an individual after-the-event (ATE) insurance premium rather than the basket of risk when he slashed a premium by 60% because he considered it unreasonably high, a senior circuit judge has ruled.’
Litigation Futures, 6th July 2016
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
Father loses right to care for baby son after social services raise alarm over his ‘risky’ use of apps ‘for the purposes of sexual intercourse’ – Daily Telegraph
‘A 29-year-old unemployed man who wanted to care for his baby son has lost a family court fight after social workers complained about him meeting women online for sex.’
Daily Telegraph, 5th July 2016
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
New Digital Economy Bill laid before the UK parliament – OUT-LAW.com
‘Plans for establishing a universal service obligation (USO) on broadband, governing the installation and maintenance of telecoms infrastructure, facilitating public sector data sharing and regulating direct marketing activities have been published before the UK parliament.’
OUT-LAW.com, 6th July 2016
Source: www.out-law.com
Shoppers ‘ripped off’ by MasterCard stand to gain £400 compensation in record class action – Daily Telegraph
‘Shoppers have been ripped off by as much as £400 each due to unfair chip and pin charges in shops, lawyers preparing a historic class action case against MasterCard have claimed.’
Daily Telegraph, 6th July 2016
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
The Chilcot Report – an Illegal War? – UK Human Rights Blog
‘More than 7 years after Gordon Brown first announced that a public Inquiry would be conducted to identify lessons that could be learned from the Iraq conflict, the Chilcot report was finally published on7 July 2016. However, it was worth the wait. This post does not seek to summarise the report: there are many other good overviews (such as the BBC’s ). The report’s executive summary, in particular the key findings section, is also well worth a read. The intention is to cover in this and subsequent posts some of the key legal issues raised by the report. This post considers the relevance of the Chilcot report’s findings to the broader issue of whether Britain’s intervention in Iraq was legal – an issue which was not itself within the remit of the inquiry.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 7th July 2016
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Criminals winning ‘cyber arms race’ – National Crime Agency – BBC News
‘Businesses and law enforcement agencies are losing the “cyber arms race” with online criminals, the UK’s National Crime Agency has warned.’
BBC News, 7th July 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Chilcot’s lessons on going to war must be enshrined in law – The Guardian
‘A robust and agreed framework should be followed by future cabinets before decisions on military action are taken.’
The Guardian, 6th July 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
New tough charity regulator to name and shame bullying ‘chuggers’ – Daily Telegraph
‘Charity fundraisers who harass the elderly and shoppers in street will be “named and shamed” by a tougher new regulator to be launched today.’
Daily Telegraph, 7th July 2016
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
The British women who couldn’t hire a sofa without their husbands’ signature – BBC News
‘-When the first British credit card launched 50 years ago it was mostly used by men
-In the 1960s and 1970s, women were viewed as a riskier investment by banks and stores
-Women had to get their father or husband to sign for most loans even if they earned more than them.’
BBC News, 7th July 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Activists seek judicial review of Yorkshire fracking decision – The Guardian
‘Anti-fracking campaigners have applied for judicial review of a council’s decision to allow use of the gas extraction technique in North Yorkshire.’
The Guardian, 7th July 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
