Bereaved family say they need £50,000 to pay for legal representation at inquest – The Guardian

Posted October 11th, 2018 in bereavement, costs, fees, inquests, legal representation, news by sally

‘The parents of a vulnerable student who took her own life at a university where there has been a series of deaths have spoken of the difficulty of ensuring there is a fair and transparent investigation because they are struggling to match the legal firepower of other parties involved.’

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The Guardian, 11th October 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Reflections on the state of family law – Family Law

‘This year has seen momentum grow towards family law reform following a series of landmark Supreme Court decisions. Until now, this has not prompted the government to change the law, with ministers instead opting to take soundings.’

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Family Law, 5th October 2018

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Widow sues DPD over courier husband’s death – The Guardian

Posted September 14th, 2018 in bereavement, employment, news, self-employment, sick leave by tracey

‘The delivery company DPD is being sued over the death of a driver who collapsed after he missed hospital appointments because he feared the company’s practice of charging drivers £150 for missing work.’

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The Guardian, 13th September 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Grenfell Tower: Kensington and Chelsea Council worker admits fraud – BBC News

Posted August 31st, 2018 in bereavement, fire, fraud, guilty pleas, health & safety, local government, news, theft, victims by tracey

‘A council worker has admitted defrauding around £60,000 from the Grenfell Tower victim fund.’

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BBC News, 30th August 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Funeral ads banned by TfL over ‘widespread offence’ – BBC News

Posted August 1st, 2018 in advertising, bereavement, London, news, transport by sally

‘The company behind a set of funeral comparison adverts banned by Transport for London has said it was trying to break the “taboo” around death.’

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BBC News, 31st July 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Widowed father ordered to leave UK against advice of Home Office’s own lawyers – The Guardian

Posted July 16th, 2018 in bereavement, carers, children, immigration, news, terrorism by tracey

‘A widower who is the sole carer of his four-year-old son has been forbidden to work and ordered to leave the country – even though the Home Office’s own lawyers advised them to drop the case.’

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The Guardian, 16th July 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Facebook ordered to explain deleted profile – BBC News

Posted June 20th, 2018 in bereavement, disclosure, identification, internet, news, third parties by sally

‘Facebook has been ordered by a UK high court judge to reveal who told it to delete the profile of a jazz musician and his band, six months after he died.’

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BBC News, 19th June 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Someone has to make a stand’: widow’s battle for cohabiting couples – The Guardian

‘Siobhan McLaughlin’s case goes before supreme court as pressure grows to end legal inequality.’

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The Guardian, 27th January 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Is the Smith case a step forward for the rights of cohabitees? – Family Law

Posted December 12th, 2017 in bereavement, cohabitation, human rights, negligence, news, personal injuries by sally

‘The inability of long term cohabitees to claim the bereavement award in personal injury cases is incompatible with their human rights: this was the recent finding of the Court of Appeal in Smith (suing in her own right and as the surviving partner of John Bulloch, deceased) v Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and others [2017] EWCA Civ 1916.’

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Family Law, 11th December 2017

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Cohabiting partners should have same rights as spouses to claim bereavement damages – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted December 1st, 2017 in bereavement, cohabitation, damages, news by tracey

‘Smith v Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust & Ors (Rev 2) [2017] EWCA Civ 1916. In a landmark decision handed down on 28th November 2017 the Court of Appeal ruled that cohabiting couples should have a right to claim bereavement damages, putting them in a position analogous to spouses and civil partners.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 30th November 2017

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Bereavement damages: Unmarried Chorley woman wins legal fight – BBC News

Posted November 28th, 2017 in bereavement, cohabitation, damages, human rights, news by sally

‘A woman has won her legal battle for better rights for unmarried people who lose their long-term partners.’

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BBC Mews, 28th November 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

New right to paid leave for bereaved parents: A welcome move – Legal Futures

Posted November 21st, 2017 in bereavement, employment, news, parental rights by sally

‘This year, like many in recent years, has seen some key changes within the employment law field, with the government, trade unions and lobbyists remaining endlessly engaged in seeking to impose their interpretation of fair balance between employers and their respective workforces.’

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Legal Futures, 20th November 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Official review backs ‘Hillsborough law’ proposals – The Guardian

Posted November 2nd, 2017 in bereavement, families, inquests, legal aid, legal representation, news, reports by tracey

‘An official review of the Hillsborough families’ 27-year ordeal since the 1989 disaster has recommended that bereaved families must have funding for full legal representation at inquests where public authorities are represented.’

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The Guardian, 1st November 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Connor Sparrowhawk mother attacks ‘barbaric’ treatment by tribunal – The Guardian

Posted August 29th, 2017 in bereavement, health, mental health, news, psychiatric damage, tribunals by tracey

‘The mother of a vulnerable teenager who suffered a seizure and drowned in a bath at an NHS care unit has called for an overhaul of medical tribunals, saying she felt “retraumatised” after participating in a two-week hearing into her son’s death.’

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The Guardian, 29th August 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Underfunded and overstretched: the lawyers seeking justice for Grenfell – The Guardian

Posted July 25th, 2017 in bereavement, fire, housing, law centres, legal aid, news, pro bono work, victims by sally

‘North Kensington Law Centre was the first in the UK to offer access to justice for the poor and vulnerable. Now fighting for financial survival, the tragedy on its doorstep has meant NKLC’s services are more in demand than ever.’

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The Guardian, 24th July 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Truth and Justice – Counsel

‘Arguably the most serious miscarriage of justice of our times – lessons must be learned from the iconic Hillsborough proceedings, writes Pete Weatherby QC.’

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Counsel, November 2016

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

Judge bans widow from erecting gravestone saying her epitaph is “oversentimental” – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 14th, 2016 in bereavement, burials and cremation, faculties, news by sally

‘A judge has banned a widow from carrying out her husband’s dying wish to place a headstone at his grave saying her loving epitaph to him is “over sentimental”.

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Daily Telegraph, 13th October 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Top police officer told to step down because he showed ‘unacceptable insensitivity’ to Hillsborough victims – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 30th, 2016 in bereavement, dismissal, inquests, news, police, sport, victims by tracey

‘South Yorkshire’s most senior police officer was told to step down because he showed unacceptable insensitivity to Hillsborough disaster victims, his police and crime commissioner has said. PCC Alan Billings suspended Chief Constable David Crompton and on Thursday asked him to resign after he delivered a controversial statement following the Hillsborough inquest alluding to “other contributory factors” to blame for the deaths.’

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Daily Telegraph, 30th September 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

How the 96 were finally given justice – Legal Voice

Posted September 23rd, 2016 in bereavement, families, health & safety, inquests, news, police, sport by sally

‘The Hillsborough inquest took two years and a million pages of evidence. Two of the lawyers involved explain that, despite the scale of the task, they were determined to put the deceased and their families at the heart of the case.’

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Legal Voice, 22nd September 2016

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

High Court calls for change in bereavement law to benefit cohabitees – The Guardian

Posted September 22nd, 2016 in accidents, bereavement, cohabitation, damages, news by sally

‘Under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976 those who live together but are not married are not entitled to damages for bereavement. The High Court has found that though this did not directly engage the right to family life and privacy under Article 8, the difference in treatment between cohabitees and those who were married or in a civil partnership could not be justified and consideration should be given to reforming the law.’

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The Guardian, 21st September 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk