“Solicitors and barristers will have to adjust to ‘the new circumstances’ they are facing as a result of legal aid and other reforms ‘if they are going to survive’, justice minister Lord McNally said yesterday.”
Legal Futures, 4th June 2013
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
“Employers seeking to make redundancies at multiple business locations could be forced to consult employees on their plans following a recent Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) decision, an expert has said.”
OUT-LAW.com, 3rd June 2013
Source: www.out-law.com
“New rules aimed at ensuring that businesses which employ UK-based workers through offshore structures pay the correct employment taxes have been published for consultation by the Government.”
OUT-LAW.com, 31st May 2013
Source: www.out-law.com
“A protest group is to appeal against a High Court ruling that effectively gave the go ahead to the London-Birmingham section of the HS2 high-speed railway.”
BBC News, 29th May 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
A consultation was launched today on whether powers to seize substances used by criminals to mix with illegal drugs and maximise their profits should be strengthened.
Home Office, 28th May 2013
Source: www.gov.uk/home-office
“‘Unity is our secret weapon’ was the key message that emerged from this week’s unprecedented meeting of 1,000 defence lawyers who voted unanimously backing a motion that price competitive tendering was ‘not the way forward’, writes Jon Robins.”
LegalVoice, 24th May 2013
Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk
“Some of the most prominent victims of phone-hacking have written to the culture secretary, Maria Miller, urging her to reject the royal charter proposed by the press industry, saying that it is unacceptable for ‘those responsible for the damage to our lives and the lives of others [to] seek to shrug off responsibility and once again write their own rulebook.’ ”
The Guardian, 24th May 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“The Government has rejected a recommendation in a planning guidance review by Lord Taylor of Goss Moor to immediately cancel all out-of-date guidance before new guidance is published.”
OUT-LAW.com, 22nd May 2013
Source: www.out-law.com
“Government plans to reform the regime for court fees remissions and introduce a means test are too severe and ‘will diminish access to justice for a sizeable group of low-income families’, the Civil Justice Council (CJC) has warned.”
Litigation Futures, 22nd May 2013
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
“A ComRes poll, commissioned by the Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, today shows that seven out of ten (71%) of the British public are concerned that cuts to legal aid could lead to innocent people being convicted of crimes they did not commit. The poll, published this morning, also shows that two-thirds (67%) of the British public agree that legal aid is a price worth paying for living in a fair society.”
The Bar Council, 21st May 2013
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
“More than 70% of the public fear that further cuts to legal aid could result in innocent people being convicted of crimes they did not commit, according to an opinion poll released by the Bar Council.”
The Guardian, 21st May 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“The government has today launched calls for evidence on the balance of powers between the UK and the European Union on asylum and immigration, and on the Free Movement of Persons.”
Home Office, 16th May 2013
Source: www.gov.uk/home-office
“Last month saw the launch of the judicial review of the ‘Taser Roll-out Programme’. The landmark challenge comes after the Metropolitan Police Service and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) began the roll-out of Tasers across all 32 boroughs of London without holding a public consultation or providing the public with information about the Programme. Forty officers in each borough will be trained to use the Taser; eight officers per shift and two Emergency Response Teams will have Tasers with them at any one time. The judicial review also raises the issue that there was a legitimate expectation that the ‘Taser Policy’ across London would remain in force and that there is an arguable breach of art.2 and 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights in continuing with the implementation of the Programme.”
Criminal Law and Justice Weekly, 18th May 2013
Source: www.criminallawandjustice.co.uk
“The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that projected savings of £150m in fee cuts will not, as was expected, count towards required cuts of £220m a year – taking cuts in criminal legal aid to £370m.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 17th May 2013
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
“The Balance of Competences Review, launched by the Government last summer, is an opportunity for people to have their say on what the EU does and how it affects the UK. This piece of work will deepen our understanding of EU membership, and help shape the UK’s policies in relation to the EU.”
Ministry of Justice, 16th May 2013
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
“Lawyers, business groups and the public are all being asked to submit their views on the balance of competences between the UK and the European Union on civil judicial cooperation (including family matters).”
Ministry of Justice, 16th May 2013
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
“The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is interested in views on potential approaches to the application of the provisions in Part 2 of Schedule 13 to the Crime and Courts Act 2013 (CCA) relating to diversity considerations where candidates for judicial office are of equal merit. The provisions in the CCA clarify that the JAC’s duty to make selections ‘solely on merit’ (S63(2) Constitutional Reform Act 2005) does not prevent it from selecting one candidate over another for the purpose of increasing judicial diversity where there are two candidates of equal merit.”
Judicial Appointments Commission, 17th May 2013
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
“One of the most contentious proposals in the Consultation Paper on the transforming legal aid is the removal of client choice in criminal cases. Under the proposals contracts for the provision of legal aid will be awarded to a limited number of firms in an area. The areas are similar to the existing CPS areas. The Green Paper anticipates that there will be four or five such providers in each area. Thus the county of Kent, for example, will have four or five providers in an area currently served by fifty or so legal aid firms. Each area will have a limited number providers that will offer it is argued economies of scale.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 16th May 2013
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
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