Damning verdict on ill-thought-out secret justice proposals – The Guardian

“Parliament’s joint committee on human rights (JCHR) has produced a unanimous report on the government’s justice and security green paper that is as precise and persuasive as the green paper itself is unfocussed and unconvincing.”

Full story

The Guardian, 4th April 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Reforming The Civil Justice System – The Role of IT – Speech by Lord Justice Jackson

Posted March 28th, 2012 in civil justice, costs, judiciary, speeches by sally

Reforming The Civil Justice System – The Role of IT (PDF)

Speech by by Lord Justice Jackson

Society for Computers and Law, 26th March 2012

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

The legal aid bill will enable multinationals to exploit the poor – The Guardian

Posted March 27th, 2012 in bills, civil justice, human rights, news by sally

“Victims of human rights abuses and environmental crimes in developing countries must have access to justice.”

Full story

The Guardian, 26th March 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The Family Justice Modernisation Programme: Third update – Judiciary of England and Wales

Posted March 9th, 2012 in civil justice, family courts, reports by tracey

“The Family Justice Modernisation Programme: Third update, From Mr Justice Ryder, Judge in Charge of the Modernisation of Family Justice.”

Full update

Judiciary of England and Wales, 7th March 2012

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

 

Ken Clarke unsettled by criticism of secret courts plan – The Guardian

“The justice secretary, Ken Clarke, has admitted to being ‘unsettled’ by criticism from lawyers about his plans for extending secret courts.”

Full story

The Guardian, 6th March 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Secret civil court hearings ‘would put government above the law’ – The Guardian

Posted March 6th, 2012 in civil justice, closed material, news, private hearings, terrorism by sally

“Extending secret hearings into civil courts will undermine effective scrutiny of government operations in the ‘war on terror’, according to prominent civil liberties activists and lawyers.”

Full story

The Guardian, 6th March 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ministry of Justice sounds warning over secret hearings – The Guardian

Posted March 5th, 2012 in civil justice, closed material, news, terrorism, trials by tracey

“Introducing secret hearings into civil courts could backfire, leading to more claimants accessing sensitive information, according to the government’s own impact assessment of its justice and security green paper. Expanding the use of so-called ‘closed material proceedings’ (CMPs) may also result in jurors finding the vetting procedure intrusive, and in ‘resentment of the judicial process and unwillingness to participate in jury service’, the Ministry of Justice’s study warns.”

Full story

The Guardian, 4th March 2012

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Justice will not be done – The Guardian

Posted February 28th, 2012 in asylum, children, civil justice, legal aid, news by tracey

“The Crown Prosecution Service, the Met and the Home Office have all recently been forced to pay out compensation to children. In one case, a teenage witness was put at risk; in the other 40 asylum seekers were locked up in adult units. All three organisations have sought to reassure the public that policy and procedures have changed as a result. But what would have happened to these cases had the legal aid bill (Laspo), now approaching report stage in the Lords, already become law?”

Full story

The Guardian, 27th February 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Legal aid changes: long overdue reform or denial of justice? – BBC Law in Action

Posted February 23rd, 2012 in civil justice, legal aid, podcasts by sally

“‘The single biggest attack on access to justice since the legal aid system was introduced’. That’s the view of the Law Society on the government’s controversial proposals to reform the civil justice system in England and Wales. But the government argue that the legal aid system has become unaffordable and along with no win no fee has helped create a litigious society. They say the current system is a boon for lawyers, while draining resources from organisations like the NHS and leaving many small businesses in fear of legal action. The Government are planning to scrap legal aid in some areas and make fundamental changes to no-win no fee. The aim is to bring down costs and encourage alternatives to going to court. But the bill to introduce these changes has been having a rocky ride in Parliament and there is widespread opposition to the reforms. Advice centres, lawyers and even some from the government’s own benches say the changes will deny justice for vulnerable people, and will ultimately end up costing the government more money. In the first programme of a new series of Law in Action, Joshua Rozenberg examines the arguments and the likely impact of the contentious changes.”

Podcast

BBC Law in Action, 21st February 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Secret court procedures could damage UK’s reputation, critics claim – The Guardian

Posted February 17th, 2012 in civil justice, closed material, criminal justice, news, private hearings by sally

“The UK’s reputation as a ‘free and fair democracy’ could be damaged by excessive use of secret court procedures that the government aims to introduce, Northamptonshire police has warned.”

Full story

The Guardian, 16th February 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

County court shake-up plans dubbed a ‘missed opportunity’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted February 13th, 2012 in civil justice, county courts, news by sally

“The government has come under fire from all sides of the civil litigation spectrum over its plans to reform the county court system.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 13th February 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘Cheaper, quicker and less daunting’ justice – Ministry of Justice

Posted February 9th, 2012 in arbitration, civil justice, news, small claims by sally

“Individuals and businesses will find it cheaper, quicker and less daunting to resolve their disputes in civil courts, through new measures announced today.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 9th February 2012

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Civil litigation cost reforms to be delayed until 2013, Government confirms – OUT-LAW.com

Posted February 2nd, 2012 in bills, civil justice, fees, news by sally

“Proposed changes to ‘no win, no fee’ agreements will not be introduced until April 2013 at the earliest, the Government has said. The changes will prevent losing parties having to pay certain elements of an injured party’s successful damages claim.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 1st February 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

More secret trials? No thanks – UK Human Rights Blog

“A child learns early that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it. Thankfully that principle does not apply to Government consultations and this is aptly demonstrated by the responses to the consultation into whether ‘closed material’ (secret evidence) procedures should be extended to civil trials.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 31st January 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Assessment of costs in the brave new world: Eighth lecture in the implementation programme – Speech by Lord Justice Jackson

Posted January 26th, 2012 in civil justice, costs, speeches by sally

Assessment of costs in the brave new world: Eighth lecture in the implementation programme (PDF)

Speech by Lord Justice Jackson

KPMG Forensic’s Leeds Law Lecture, 2012

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Jackson urges caution over contingency fee cap – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 23rd, 2012 in civil justice, damages, fees, news by sally

“Lord Justice Jackson yesterday urged caution over setting limits on the percentage of damages that lawyers will be able to take in commercial cases under his reforms.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 20th January 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Justice reform – new data published – Ministry of Justice

Posted January 13th, 2012 in civil justice, criminal justice, news, statistics by sally

“A new set of court statistics published today supports the case for a comprehensive reform programme across the justice system.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 12th January 2012

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Lady Hale warns of consequences of legal aid cuts – The Guardian

Posted November 29th, 2011 in bills, civil justice, judges, law centres, legal aid, news, speeches by sally

“The supreme court judge’s speech to the Law Centres Federation’s conference on the effects of the government’s proposed legal aid bill.”

Full story

The Guardian, 28th November 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The justice and security green paper is an attack on liberty – The Guardian

Posted November 16th, 2011 in civil justice, disclosure, evidence, ministers' powers and duties, news, terrorism by sally

“The foreign secretary is to endorse plans that will undermine a fundamental constitutional right: the right to open justice. As the Labour party is broadly supportive of the government’s proposals, we can expect them to be approved by parliament next year.”

Full story

The Guardian, 16th November 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Changes mean outlook is bleak for unrepresented litigants – The Guardian

Posted November 15th, 2011 in civil justice, litigants in person, news, reports by sally

“The new Civil Justice Council paper on the plight of litigants in person pulls no punches. The number of people unfortunate enough to come before the courts without a lawyer ‘will increase and with considerable scale’.”

Full story

The Guardian, 14th November 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk