Commercial Court urges more use of junior advocates – Litigation Futures

‘The Commercial Court and COMBAR are looking at ways to ensure that junior advocates can get more time on their feet, encouraging solicitors and clients to consider their use on discrete issues.’

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Litigation Futures, 4th December 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Covid-19: ‘Do not resuscitate’ decisions complaints up – BBC News

Posted December 4th, 2020 in bereavement, care homes, complaints, coronavirus, doctors, families, medical treatment, news by sally

‘Doctors may have made “do not resuscitate” decisions on a blanket basis in the first wave of the pandemic, the care watchdog has warned.’

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BBC News, 3rd December 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Dolan’s latest lockdown defeat – UK Human Rights Blog

‘The appellants challenged Lockdown regulations made in response to the Covid-19 pandemic on 26 March 2020. Their argument was that the regulations imposed sweeping restrictions on civil liberties which were unprecedented and were unlawful on three grounds. First, the Government had no power under the legislation they used to make the regulations, namely the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (“the 1984 Act”). Secondly, they were unlawful under ordinary public law principles (failing to take account of relevant considerations, fettering of discretion); and thirdly they violated a number of the Convention rights which are guaranteed in domestic law under the Human Rights Act 1998 (“HRA”). Although the regulations were amended on several occasions and have since been repealed, the appellants contended that it remained important that the legal issues which arose should be authoritatively determined in the public interest.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 3rd December 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Piers Corbyn guilty of lockdown protest restrictions breach – BBC News

Posted December 3rd, 2020 in coronavirus, demonstrations, news, regulations by sally

‘Piers Corbyn has been found guilty of breaching coronavirus restrictions at an anti-lockdown gathering.’

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BBC News, 2nd December 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Covid-19: Do not resuscitate orders may have been used without consent – BBC News

Posted December 3rd, 2020 in consent, coronavirus, hospitals, medical treatment, news by sally

‘Doctors may have made decisions about “do not resuscitate orders” without consent in the first wave of the pandemic, the care watchdog has warned. The Care Quality Commission said it saw a jump in complaints about such DNR orders between March and September.’

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BBC News, 3rd December 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Lord Chief Justice press conference December 2020 – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

‘Lord Chief Justice press conference December 2020’

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Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 2nd December 2020

Source: www.judiciary.uk

Criminal barristers ‘will take action’ over Covid operating hours – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The criminal bar has accused the government of breaching the Equality Act 2010 by proposing to roll out extended operating hours in Crown courts without “proper assessment”’.

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Law Society's Gazette, 1st December 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Does the lockdown breach the right to freedom of religion? – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted December 1st, 2020 in coronavirus, human rights, news, regulations by sally

‘[W]hen considering the legality of the lockdown it is relevant that the neither latest iteration of the Coronavirus Regulations, nor the previous version that imposed the earlier lockdown, in any way restrict the Article 9(1) right to hold a belief, or choices made regarding personal behaviour outside the context of places of worship.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 30th November 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Abuse of older people reaches ‘unprecedented level’ during pandemic – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 30th, 2020 in charities, coronavirus, elderly, news, sexual offences, statistics, victims by sally

‘Abuse of older people is at “unprecedented levels” – with almost 2.7 million victims thought to be affected in the UK, a charity has said.’

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Daily Telegraph, 30th November 2020

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Fifth of crimes involved domestic abuse in first England and Wales lockdown – The Guardian

Posted November 26th, 2020 in coronavirus, crime, domestic violence, news, statistics by sally

‘One in five offences recorded by police during and immediately after the first national lockdown in England and Wales involved domestic abuse, figures have revealed.’

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The Guardian, 25th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Students may be compensated for lost teaching during UK lockdown – The Guardian

Posted November 26th, 2020 in compensation, coronavirus, education, news, regulations, universities by sally

‘Students could be awarded financial compensation for lost teaching time during the Covid-19 lockdown after the higher education complaints watchdog told an institution to pay £1,000 to an international student.’

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The Guardian, 26th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘I don’t like acts of dishonesty by the state’: Jolyon Maugham QC on Covid cronyism – The Guardian

‘Over the past few years, Jolyon Maugham QC, founder of the Good Law Project, has become an unmissable presence on Twitter. But unlike most keyboard warriors – anonymously vocal about Brexit, trading memes over mask-wearing and gender politics – he has only ever seen the social media platform as a means to an end. “I really don’t like this phenomenon of disinterested observers pointing out things that are going wrong,” he says. “I want to be in the club of people who actually put skin in the game to make it better, rather than merely making clever observations from the sidelines.”’

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The Guardian, 22nd November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Boris Johnson ‘acted illegally’ over jobs for top anti-Covid staff – The Guardian

‘Boris Johnson and his health secretary, Matt Hancock, acted “unlawfully” when appointing three key figures – including the head of NHS Test and Trace, Dido Harding – to posts in the fight against Covid-19, according to a legal challenge submitted by campaigners to the high court.’

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The Guardian, 21st November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Youth court closures in England and Wales due to Covid ‘have almost doubled backlog’ – The Guardian

‘The temporary closure of youth courts due to Covid-19 has almost doubled the backlog of cases in some areas of England and Wales, increasing anguish for traumatised victims and creating more uncertainty for accused children, inspectors have found.’

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The Guardian, 20th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Criminal justice system is ‘on its knees’, says top English lawyer – The Guardian

‘Crown court cases are being delayed until 2023, the innocent penalised more than the guilty, and the under-funded, criminal justice system brought “on its knees”, according to the chair of the Criminal Bar Association in England and Wales.’

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The Guardian, 19th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Facebook’s Instagram ‘failed self-harm responsibilities’ – BBC News

‘Children’s charity the NSPCC has said a drop in Facebook’s removal of harmful content was a “significant failure in corporate responsibility”.’

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BBC News, 19th November 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

How Your Boss Could Be Spying On You At Home – And What Your Rights Are – Each Other

‘There are reports of bosses in some parts of the world downloading programs which screenshot their staffs’ computers at regular intervals to monitor their productivity.’

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Each Other, 19th November 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

Grieving daughter wins first stage of legal fight on Covid releases to care homes – The Guardian

‘A grieving daughter who lost her father to Covid-19 in an Oxfordshire care home has won the first stage of a high court challenge against the government’s policy of discharging hospital patients into care homes without tests.’

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The Guardian, 19th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Is Lockdown 2 Lawful? – 39 Essex Chambers

‘The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (No. 4) Regulations 2020 impose a second lockdown on England. They prohibit persons from leaving their home unless they have a reasonable excuse. They severely restrict the ability of persons to meet anyone who is not a member of their household. Various outdoors activities are banned, such as most organised sport. Numerous businesses and other premises are closed, including pubs and restaurants, cinemas and theatres, hairdressers, indoor and outdoor sports and recreation facilities, and most non-food retailers.’

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39 Essex Chambers, 6th November 2020

Source: www.39essex.com

Property: Residential evictions: where are we now? – Lamb Chambers

‘Oscar Davies gives an update on where we are currently with residential evictions, the general ban and its exceptions.’

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Lamb Chambers, November 2020

Source: www.lambchambers.co.uk