Chief Coroner shares the report from the first ever Coroner Attitude Survey and explains how it has shaped his work – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted March 2nd, 2023 in consultations, coroners, news, reports by tracey

‘The Chief Coroner, His Honour Judge Thomas Teague KC, is nearing the end of his tour around all 83 coroner areas in England and Wales. He started the tour shortly after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, with the aim of supporting the welfare of coroners and staff in the wake of the pandemic. The tour has taken just over a year to complete, with the final visits scheduled for later this month (March 2023). The visits have given the Chief Coroner a unique insight into the local provision made for the coroner service around the country and have afforded him the opportunity to discuss with coroners, staff, local authorities and police forces, many of the issues raised in the Coroner Attitude Survey (published below).’

Full survey

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Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 1st March 2023

Source: www.judiciary.uk

Supreme court rules in favour of halting housebuilding in Shrewsbury park – The Guardian

‘Campaigners have won a supreme court appeal to stop houses being built on a park protected by a 100-year-old statutory trust in Shrewsbury, in a landmark ruling for the protection of green spaces.’

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The Guardian, 1st March 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

What’s the future for open justice and ‘justice system data’ policy? – Transparency Project

Posted February 27th, 2023 in civil justice, consultations, criminal justice, data protection, news by sally

‘“Our justice system is years behind other public services like health and education in collecting and using data to understand performance and impact” says Natalie Byrom, director of research at the Legal Education Foundation (TLEF). “We need a fundamental shift in attitude and culture to ensure that changes are underpinned by solid evidence and that decision-makers are accountable to those who need the law most.”’

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Transparency Project, 24th February 2023

Source: transparencyproject.org.uk

English football’s regulator: what will it do and is it a blow for Premier League? – The Guardian

Posted February 24th, 2023 in consultations, government departments, news, sport by sally

‘At last, a regulator for English football! Perhaps not a chant that’s going to echo around the terraces, but yes, the government has published its long-awaited white paper into governance of the national sport (top five divisions of the men’s game only) and proposed an independent regulator.’

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The Guardian, 23rd February 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

FCA set to regulate ‘buy now pay later’ payment products in UK – OUT-LAW.com

‘The UK government has published draft legislation which would bring the fast-growing “buy now pay later” (BNPL) industry within Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulation and bolster protection for consumers.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 17th February 2023

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

UK government outlines reforms to thirty-year-old cybercrime law – OUT-LAW.com

Posted February 17th, 2023 in computer crime, consultations, data protection, government departments, news, privacy by tracey

‘The UK government is proposing new powers for law enforcement agencies to tackle cybersecurity threats and online crimes, including the power to require data owners to preserve evidence pending a decision on whether a formal request for seizure of the data by an agency should be made to court.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 16th February 2023

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

SRA to keep many disciplinary decisions online for longer – Legal Futures

‘Details of many disciplinary and other regulatory actions taken by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) will be published for longer than they are now, the regulator has decided.’

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Legal Futures, 15th February 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Father of boy killed by mould in flat welcomes law to prevent repeat – The Guardian

‘The father of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who was killed by mould in a social housing flat, has welcomed a new law to prevent a repeat tragedy, saying: “We are finally starting to feel like we are being treated fairly.”’

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The Guardian, 9th February 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Government publishes draft ‘fire and rehire’ Code of Practice – OUT-LAW.com

‘Ed Goodwyn tells HRNews about the UK government’s proposed statutory dismissal and re-engagement code.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 2nd February 2023

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Government consults on statutory code to crack down on “fire and rehire” practices – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Government has unveiled a “crackdown” on controversial dismissal and re-engagement tactics through a planned statutory code of practice.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 25th January 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Regulators plan new work on lawyers’ misuse of NDAs – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Regulators will seek to draw up new rules on dealing with lawyers who use non-disclosure agreements to cover up clients’ sexual misconduct and harassment, it has emerged.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 23rd January 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Better protection for rape victims from invasive record requests – Home Office

‘The Home Office will legislate to protect people, including rape victims, from unnecessary requests for personal records.’

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Home Office, 20th January 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

LawtechUK: Regulatory risks of AI “inhibiting law firm adoption” – Legal Futures

‘Hesitation about adopting artificial intelligence (AI) by law firms nervous of the risks presented by a regulatory grey area is causing a bottleneck that needs to be cleared, according to LawtechUK.’

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Legal Futures, 18th January 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

UK government launches consultation on greater data sharing across public sector – OUT-LAW.com

‘The UK Cabinet Office has opened a consultation on proposals for new legislation to enable and create a centralised digital ID gateway to online public services.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 10th January 2023

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Single-use plastic items to be banned in England — reports – The Guardian

‘Single-use plastic items including cutlery, plates and polystyrene cups are reportedly to be banned in England by the UK government after a consultation.’

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The Guardian, 13th December 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Law Commission seeks views on decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs) – Law Commission

‘The Law Commission has launched a call for evidence asking users and other experts for information about how decentralised autonomous organisations – DAOs – can be characterised, and how the law of England and Wales might accommodate them now and in the future.’

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Law Commission, 16th November 2022

Source: www.lawcom.gov.uk

MoJ makes late U-turn on how to extend fixed costs – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 11th, 2022 in civil procedure rules, consultations, costs, Ministry of Justice, news by tracey

‘The government appears to have significantly altered its plans for implementing the fixed recoverable costs extension just weeks before the rules need to be signed off.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 11th November 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

New powers for forensic science regulator by end of March – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Forensic science witnesses in criminal justice cases can expect to be subject to the Forensic Science Regulator’s statutory regime by the end of March 2023, incumbent regulator Gary Pugh said today.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 4th November 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Junior lawyers won’t have to ‘turn in’ bullying workmates – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Junior lawyers will be exempt from a new professional obligation to report on anyone mistreating colleagues in the workplace, following a rethink by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. However, proposed changes to conduct rules that will give the regulator more scope to clamp down on bullying, harassment or discrimination have otherwise got the go-ahead.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 3rd November 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Law Commission to review how private international law applies to digital assets and other emerging technology – Law Commission

‘The Law Commission of England and Wales has launched a Government-commissioned review that aims to provide clarity on how private international law rules can apply to emerging technology, such as digital assets and electronic trade documents.’

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Law Commission, 18th October 2022

Source: www.lawcom.gov.uk