SCCO will use remote hearings more once back to normal – Litigation Futures

Posted July 31st, 2020 in coronavirus, costs, courts, electronic filing, news, remote hearings by sally

‘Video and phone hearings are set to become a permanent feature of the Senior Courts Costs Office (SCCO) even after the coronavirus pandemic has passed, the Senior Costs Judge has said.’

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Litigation Futures, 30th July 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Justice committee launches inquiry into court backlog – Legal Futures

‘MPs have today launched an inquiry to investigate delays in the court system and what should be done to clear the backlog of cases.’

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Legal Futures, 30th July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Circuit poll: Barristers set to quit if court hours are extended – Legal Futures

Posted July 28th, 2020 in barristers, carers, coronavirus, courts, news, women, working time by sally

‘Some 55% barristers would consider leave the Bar if the courts adopt extended operating hours (EOH) and they could set back female barristers’ progress by 50 years, research has found.’

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Legal Futures, 27th July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

“Our goodwill has run dry” – hundreds to refuse out-of-hours hearings – Legal Futures

‘Hundreds of crime lawyers have issued public refusals to attend hearings in evenings or at weekends as new figures show that backlogs in courts and tribunals were growing even before the coronavirus.’

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Legal Futures, 24th July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Location of ‘Nightingale courts’ to tackle case backlog in England and Wales revealed – The Guardian

Posted July 21st, 2020 in civil justice, coronavirus, courts, criminal justice, delay, news by sally

‘The locations of 10 emergency “Nightingale courts” created by the Ministry of Justice for socially distanced trials to tackle the massive backlog in cases in England and Wales have been announced.’

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The Guardian, 19th July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Coronavirus: Ten ‘Nightingale Courts’ in England and Wales to open – BBC News

Posted July 20th, 2020 in coronavirus, courts, delay, Ministry of Justice, news, statistics, trials by sally

‘Ten temporary courts are being set up to help clear a backlog of hearings caused by the coronavirus pandemic.’

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BBC News, 19th July 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Supreme Court hands down judgment in Villiers v Villiers – Parklane Plowden Chambers

‘Charles and Emma Villiers married in 1994. They moved to Scotland the following year and lived there throughout their married life. The couple separated in 2012, when the wife and the parties’ daughter left the former matrimonial home and moved to England, where the wife continues to reside. Mrs Villiers issued a divorce petition in July 2013 on the basis of her habitual residence for 12 months preceding the presentation of the petition.’

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Parklane Plowden Chambers, 1st July 2020

Source: www.parklaneplowden.co.uk

The end of the jury trial as we know it? – 6KBW College Hill

‘The Secretary of State for Justice recently confirmed that the government is considering whether to introduce primary legislation to suspend jury trials for offences triable either way as a way to address the backlog of criminal cases arising from the public health crisis. This development has caused alarm amongst practitioners who might be hoping that Humphreys J was right when he said: “I cannot bring myself to believe that there are any persons other than the inmates of a lunatic asylum who would vote in favour of the abolition of trial by jury in serious criminal cases” (Do We Need a Jury? [1954] Crim LR 457).’

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6 KBW College Hill, 30th June 2020

Source: blog.6kbw.com

High Court could get power to depart from EU case law – Litigation Futures

Posted July 10th, 2020 in brexit, consultations, courts, EC law, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is considering whether to allow the High Court as well as the Court of Appeal to depart from European Union case law from next year.’

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Litigation Futures, 9th July 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

German Local Courts are Competent to Issue EAWs: Louisa Collins – 5SAH

Posted July 8th, 2020 in courts, foreign jurisdictions, international law, news, warrants by sally

‘The Divisional Court handed down its decision on 6th May 2020, in a renewed permission hearing, ruling that German local courts were competent to issue European Arrest Warrants: Shirnakhy & Hosseinali v Weiden Local Court, Germany, [2020] EWHC 1103 (Admin), Nicola Davies LJ and Lewis J presiding.’

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5SAH, 2nd July 2020

Source: www.5sah.co.uk

Attending a court to give evidence for the employer is not ‘‘work’’ for the purposes of the ‘furlough’ scheme – 3PB

‘According to a report in the Nottinghamshire Law Society Civil Court User Bulletin No 5. HHJ Godsmark QC, on an application to vacate a trial on account of the Defendant’s witnesses being “furloughed”, stated that, “attending a court to give evidence for the employer is not ‘work’ and certainly not work within the meaning of the furlough scheme”.’

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3PB, 3rd July 2020

Source: www.3pb.co.uk

MoJ favours ‘Nightingale’ crown courts to tackle huge backlog of cases – Thomas More Chambers

‘So reports Owen Bowcott, the legal affairs correspondent for The Guardian today. “Nightingale” courts being venues which have been identified as suitable for trials utilising public spaces such a civic centres or university moot halls; apparently to be renamed Blackstone Courts.’

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Thomas More Chambers, 3rd July 2020

Source: www.thomasmore.co.uk

“Tsunami of post-Covid litigation” could overwhelm courts – Litigation Futures

Posted July 8th, 2020 in civil justice, coronavirus, courts, delay, news by sally

‘A “tsunami of litigation” powered by the Covid-19 pandemic could leave the civil justice system “overwhelmed” by the end of the year, a well-known solicitor and ADR specialist has predicted.’

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Litigation Futures, 8th July 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Lord chancellor seeks views on post-Brexit court powers – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 6th, 2020 in brexit, courts, EC law, lord chancellor, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘The Ministry of Justice is seeking lawyers’ views on which British courts should have the power to depart from retained EU case law after the Brexit transition period ends.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 2nd July 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

New video platform to be rolled out across civil courts – Litigation Futures

‘The new video platform enabling more remote cases to be heard in the criminal courts will rolled out to the civil courts over the coming months, the Ministry of Justice confirmed yesterday.’

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Litigation Futures, 2nd July 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Prisons watchdog finds children ‘routinely handcuffed’ – BBC News

‘Detainees, including children, are still being routinely handcuffed in custody in a practice described as “inappropriate and very concerning”.’

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BBC News, 1st July 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Virtual hearings with physical jury hubs hailed a success – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted June 19th, 2020 in coronavirus, courts, juries, news, remote hearings, trials by sally

‘Virtual trials with physical jury hubs could be an effective way of clearing the significant Crown court backlog caused by Covid-19, academics evaluating the latest experiment from a legal thinktank have said.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 19th June 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

New claims in High Court bounce back above 2019 level – Litigation Futures

Posted June 15th, 2020 in coronavirus, courts, dispute resolution, news, statistics by sally

‘High Court activity has already recovered to pre-Covid-19 levels following a sharp slump during the height of the outbreak, new research has found.’

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Litigation Futures, 15th June 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Judicial early neutral evaluation during coronavirus, friend or foe? – No. 5 Chambers

‘Courts across the jurisdiction have struggled for years to run small claim and fast track lists efficiently in order to reduce the backlog. Coronavirus lockdown has brought this to a head, as cases are adjourned and the huge backlog is set to rise. Waiting several months, if not years, to have a case of modest value heard is contrary to the interests of justice. Memories fade, individuals cannot enforce their rights until the issue is litigated, the deserving go uncompensated, and the pressure to under-settle increases.’

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No. 5 Chambers, 1st June 2020

Source: www.no5.com

Courts ‘preparing to fast-track prosecutions for Black Lives Matter protesters’ – Daily Telegraph

‘British courts are preparing to fast-track prosecutions for the Black Lives Matter protests, as justice secretary Robert Buckland has told magistrates to model the process along the lines of the response to rioting in London in 2011, The Times reported.’

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Daily Telegraph, 12th June 2020

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk