Leading terror trial QC to be counter-terror laws watchdog – The Guardian

Posted February 21st, 2017 in freedom of expression, legislation, news, queen's counsel, terrorism by sally

‘Max Hill QC, a leading prosecutor in many of the most serious terrorism trials, has been named the new independent reviewer of terrorism legislation.’

Full story

The Guardian, 20th February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Moors murderer Ian Brady loses court fight over legal representation – The Guardian

Posted February 21st, 2017 in law firms, legal aid, legal representation, mental health, news by sally

‘Moors murderer Ian Brady has been refused permission to launch a high court battle to get a lawyer of his choice to represent him at a tribunal.’

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The Guardian, 20th February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Directors could face ‘disciplinary action’ for financial reporting breaches, under FRC plans -OUT-LAW.com

‘Company directors could face “disciplinary action” over breaches of financial reporting rules under new plans announced by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC).’

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OUT-LAW.com, 17th February 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Lord Chief Justice “strongly opposes” accountants’ bid to handle litigation and advocacy work – Legal Futures

Posted February 21st, 2017 in accountants, advocacy, legal representation, legal services, news, taxation by sally

‘The Lord Chief Justice has outlined his “strong opposition” to a bid to allow accountants to handle tax litigation and advocacy work – and in return come under fire from the body that would regulate them.’

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Legal Futures, 21st February 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

IPCC advises separating police officers after fatal incidents – BBC News

Posted February 21st, 2017 in complaints, death in custody, news, police, witnesses by sally

‘Police officers directly involved in fatal incidents should be separated as quickly as possible to prevent conferring, a watchdog has said.’

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BBC News, 21st February 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Appeal court to rule on civil partnerships for heterosexual couples – The Guardian

Posted February 21st, 2017 in appeals, civil partnerships, equality, news, sexual orientation discrimination by sally

‘The appeal court is to decide whether opposite-sex couples can enter civil partnerships – without running away to the Isle of Man.’

Full story

The Guardian, 21st February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

EVENT: The British Library – The Idler Presents: In Praise of Unusual Libraries

Posted February 20th, 2017 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘A live event with Tom Hodgkinson of The Idler. He is joined by Meirian Jump of the Marx Memorial Library and Workers’ School in Clerkenwell, Peter Francis of Gladstone’s Residential Library in North Wales, and Sara Wingate-Gray, UCL academic and the Itinerant Poetry Librarian. Learn about these refuges for quiet study and help plan more libraries.

In association with The Idler.’

Date: 17th March 2017, 7.00-8.30

Location: Knowledge Centre, The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB

Charge: See website for details

More information can be found here

EVENT: United Nations Association – Should we be worried about the health of international law?

Posted February 20th, 2017 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘Making rules and adhering to them has underpinned the course of the United Nations and international relations more generally since 1945. Some States have not respected these and situations have arisen where adherence to these rules were dismissed but this had limited impact on the rules themselves. They were a violation of the rules, rather than a challenge to them. But some argue that they must now fight for the rules themselves, a cause they never anticipated.’

Date: 7th March 2017, 6.30-8.00pm

Location: Brunei Lecture Theatre, Thornhaugh Street, London WC1H 0AL

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

EVENT: The Law Society – Youth Justice Advocacy Course / Youth Court Advocacy

Posted February 20th, 2017 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘This training has been developed in partnership with the Law Society and is an essential course for all solicitors who will be appearing in the youth court.

The course provides an overview of youth-specific criminal law from the police station to the youth court. The training will cover key topics such as out of court disposals, bail and remand, jurisdiction, adaptations to the trial process and youth sentencing. The course will introduce participants to the underlying principles of youth justice and international children’s rights law. This knowledge will be embedded through interactive exercises and case studies.

Participants will learn about child development and the learning difficulties, mental health difficulties and communication needs that affect children and young people in the criminal justice system. The course will also provide an introduction to fitness to plead and effective participation as well as modifications and adaptations to the court process, including intermediaries. The course will enable participants to identify needs and vulnerabilities and how these are properly addressed to ensure a child receives a fair trial.’

Date: 2nd March 2017, 9.00am-5.00pm

Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1PL

Charge: See website for details

More information can be found here.

EVENT: SOAS – Centenary Lecture: Ms Hina Jilani, human rights lawyer

Posted February 20th, 2017 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘Baroness Valerie Amos CH will share a conversation with Hina Jilani discussing the right to defend human rights and the situation of human rights defenders globally.’

Date: 16th March 2017, 7.00-9.00pm

Location: The Brunei Gallery, SOAS University of London, 10 Thornhaugh Street, London WC1H 0XG

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

EVENT: The Law Society – Settle While You Can: Judicial Incentives to Encourage Settlement

Posted February 20th, 2017 in Forthcoming events by sally

This roundtable aims to reunite researchers, judges and policymakers in order to explore the current instruments judges have and use in encouraging settlements. For the purposes of this discussion, settlement is seen as broadly as possible:

dispute resolution between parties in civil cases, both in and out-of-court (but court-related) (e.g. court mediation schemes, early neutral evaluation, part 36 offers, costs sanctions);
agreements and negotiations in criminal cases (e.g. encouragement of plea bargaining, advance sentence indications, restorative justice);
technological innovations (e.g. online dispute resolution).
The roundtable was inspired by an international research project funded by the European Research Council, which currently takes place in England and Wales, Israel and Italy. The project aims to explore the different policies, instruments and practices judges can use in resolving and containing disputes, as well as in minimising court proceedings.

Diana Richards, IALS Associate Research Fellow, was the UK research lead in this project in 2015/2016. She will open the session with a short presentation of results of the preliminary mapping of settlement instruments currently found in England and Wales. They will serve as starting points for the roundtable.

Date: 22nd March 2017, 6.00-8.00pm

Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, 17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DR

Charge: Free, booking required

More information can be found here.

EVENT: The Law Society – Stress in the Legal Profession: A New Approach

Posted February 20th, 2017 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘A joint event from the Law Society and Being Lawyers

Rising stress levels among lawyers show no sign of slowing down, despite an increased focus on wellbeing and mental health in the legal profession in recent years.

Key questions remain:
How can we open up a dialogue about stress? What is the lasting solution to stress? How can you stop treating the symptoms of your stress and start tackling it at its root cause?

This seminar seeks to answer these questions. It is designed to encourage you to open up about the challenges you face and to support you in having a new way of relating to stress so that you can perform at your best without the risk of burnout.’

Date: 30th March 2017, 2.00-5.00pm

Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1PL

Charge: Free, booking required

More information can be found here.

EVENT: The Law Society – Women, Doing It Differently – Celebrating International Women’s Day 2017

Posted February 20th, 2017 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘We will be hosting a panel with some of the most forward thinking firms and professionals to discuss how best we can all be bold for gender equality on International Women’s Day and beyond.

If you feel at a dead end with tackling gender equality and need some inspiration to move the conversation forward then sign up!

We will be discussing the best technological advances helping carers work flexibly, the work allocation system that tries to eliminate bias and the most up to the minute leadership and inclusion training.’

Date: 7th March 2017, 6.15-9.00pm

Location: The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1PL

Charge: Free, booking required

More information can be found here.

EVENT: IALS – Brewing Legal Times: Things, Form and the Enactment of Law

Posted February 20th, 2017 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘Chair: Professor Diamond Ashiagbor, IALS

Author: Dr Emily Grabham, University of Kent

Commentators:

Professor Marie Andree Jacob, Keele Law School
Professor Amade M’charek, Department of Anthropology, University of Amsterdam
Professor Alain Pottage, Professor of Law, London School of Economics’

Date: 21st March 2017, 4.00-6.00pm

Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, 17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DR

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

EVENT: Queen Mary – Friday Lecture Series: David Manley

Posted February 20th, 2017 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘Multinational companies dominate the oil, gas and mining industries. They manage complex networks of subsidiaries across the world. Tax abuses have received a lot of publicity recently. This talk will consider the challenges of a tax administrator in a developing country and international efforts to combat this problem.’

Date: 10th March 2017, 12.30-13.30pm

Location: Room 3.1, Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London, 67-69 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3JB

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

EVENT: Lincoln’s Inn’s Euro Group Presents a “Brains Trust”

Posted February 20th, 2017 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘With the Government’s policy a little bit clearer, it is now possible to discuss some of the legal aspects of Brexit. We bring together three EU legal experts: Sir Alan Dashwood KCMG QC, emeritus professor of European Law at Cambridge, formerly legal director at the Council of Ministers, Professor Derrick Wyatt QC of Oxford, and co author with Sir Alan of the leading EU law textbook and, not least, Sir Christopher Bellamy QC, former judge of the Court of First Instance, Luxembourg, first President of the Competition Appeals Tribunal and now global chairman of Linklaters competition practice, to form a “brains trust” to discuss and answer questions on any aspect of Brexit.’

Date: 23rd March 2017, 5.30-7.30pm

Location: The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, 33 Chancery Lane, Rolls Passage, London WC2A 1EN

Charge: Free, registration required

More information can be found here.

EVENT: IALS – The Future of Legislation: the impact of technology

Posted February 20th, 2017 in Forthcoming events by sally

‘Speaker: Professor Richard Susskind OBE’

Date: 20th March 2017, 6.00-7.00pm

Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, 17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DR

Charge: Free, booking required

More information can be found here.

TalkTalk scam victims say it’s time for answers – The Guardian

Posted February 20th, 2017 in banking, data protection, fraud, news, telecommunications, theft by sally

‘As another customer explains how he was conned out of £6,300 after the firm’s security breach, the ICO is seemingly stalling while a class action moves closer.’

Full story

The Guardian, 18th February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Triggering Article 50 TEU: A Positive Result for the Government? By Prof Erika Szyszczak – Littleton Chambers

Posted February 20th, 2017 in EC law, news, referendums, Supreme Court, treaties by sally

‘It is a monumental decision for a Member State to leave the European Union, not least when it will have a major impact on the economic, political and social future, not only of the exiting Member State, but also of the global trading regime. It is thus befitting that on 24 January 2017 the Supreme Court came of age by delivering one of its most important rulings, on the nature and future shape of the UK constitution. What started as a case concerning acquired rights became a wider ranging analysis of the role of the executive vis-a-vis Parliament. As befits a monumental constitutional decision, taking place in the digital age, the responses to the ruling have been prolific and focused upon the constitutional dimension to the litigation.’

Full story

Littleton Chambers, 27th January 2017

Source: www.littletonchambers.com

Legal Services Board launches probe into whether Law Society fetters SRA’s independence – Legal Futures

‘The Legal Services Board (LSB) has stepped up the pressure on the Law Society’s role as the approved regulator of solicitors by announcing a formal investigation into whether the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has sufficient independence.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 17th February 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk