Category: courts

Courts – Written statement to Parliament – Ministry of Justice

Posted December 3rd, 2015 in costs, courts, criminal courts charge, criminal justice, press releases by tracey

‘The courts take money from offenders in a number of ways, including fines, the victim surcharge, compensation orders, prosecution costs and the Criminal Courts Charge. This array of penalties, fines and charges is complex and confusing. I have therefore asked my department to review the entire structure, and purpose, of court-ordered financial impositions for offenders, in order to bring greater simplicity and clarity to the system.’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 3rd December 2015

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Criminal courts charge to be scrapped by government – BBC News

Posted December 3rd, 2015 in courts, criminal courts charge, criminal justice, magistrates, news by tracey

‘The criminal courts charge is to be scrapped, Justice Secretary Michael Gove has announced.’

Full story

BBC News, 3rd December 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Survey: Public want justice system to modernise faster to improve access – Legal Futures

Posted December 3rd, 2015 in civil justice, courts, internet, legal profession, news, reports by tracey

‘The public believes that the legal system should be modernised faster than is happening at present, with many feeling “the justice system has retained tradition at the expense of efficiency”, new research has found.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 3rd December 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Autumn Statement: £5k small claims limit and end to general damages in whiplash – Legal Futures

Posted November 26th, 2015 in budgets, courts, damages, news, personal injuries, small claims by tracey

‘The government is set to remove the right to general damages for minor soft tissue injuries and increase the small claims limit for personal injury claims from £1,000 to £5,000, it was announced in the Autumn Statement today.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 25th November 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Practice guidance: Arbitration in the Family Court – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted November 26th, 2015 in arbitration, courts, family courts, financial provision, news by tracey

‘Guidance issued by Sir James Munby, President of the Family Division on 23 November 2015.’

Full guidance

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 23rd November 2015

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Spending Review 2015 – Bar Council response – The Bar Council

Posted November 26th, 2015 in barristers, budgets, civil justice, courts, criminal justice, fees, press releases by tracey

‘Chairman of the Bar Council Alistair MacDonald QC said: “Investment to modernise courts and tribunals is vital to the successful reform of our criminal justice system and today’s Ministry of Justice settlement safeguards the £700 million announced earlier this year.”‘

Full press release

The Bar Council, 26th November 2015

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Major new report highlights mixed advocacy standards in youth court proceedings – Bar Standards Board

Posted November 19th, 2015 in advocacy, courts, reports, young offenders, youth courts by tracey

‘The Youth Proceedings Advocacy Review report, published today as a result of extensive research, highlights the damaging effects that poor advocacy has on access to justice for young and often very vulnerable offenders, and their perceptions of the system in general.’

Full press release

Full report

Bar Standards Board, 19th November 2015

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Speech by Sir Ernest Ryder: In the Shadow of Magna Carta – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted November 17th, 2015 in civil justice, courts, criminal justice, internet, judges, magna carta, speeches, tribunals by tracey

‘The Rt Hon Sir Ernest Ryder gave a speech “In the Shadow of Magna Carta” in Washington DC on 13 November 2015.’

Full speech

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 13th November 2015

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Speech by the Lord Chief Justice: The Centrality of Justice – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted November 17th, 2015 in civil justice, courts, criminal justice, judges, judiciary, rule of law, speeches by tracey

‘Speech by the Lord Chief Justice, “The Centrality of Justice: Its contribution to Society, and its Delivery” The Lord Williams of Mostyn Memorial Lecture on 10 November 2015.’

Full speech

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 16th November 2015

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Sir Brian Leveson: Security and Justice – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted November 13th, 2015 in civil justice, closed material, courts, criminal justice, intelligence services, lectures by tracey

‘Sir Brian Leveson, President of the Queen’s Bench Division gave the 13th Annual Isaiah Berlin Lecture in London on 12 November 2015.’

Full text

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 13th November 2015

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Tick-box police never go to court, says official report – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 12th, 2015 in case management, courts, Crown Prosecution Service, news, police, reports, victims by sally

‘Official inspection is critical of the way police and prosecutors treat vulnerable victims and witnesses.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 12th November 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

England and Wales court cells ‘squalid and dangerous’ – BBC News

Posted November 6th, 2015 in courts, detention, health & safety, news, prisons by tracey

‘Conditions at cells in courts in England and Wales are an “accident waiting to happen”, a report has said.’

Full story

BBC News, 6th November 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Michael Gove hints at possible scrapping of criminal courts charge – The Guardian

Posted November 5th, 2015 in courts, criminal courts charge, criminal procedure, judiciary, news by sally

‘Michael Gove has given his broadest hint so far that he is seeking to ditch the highly unpopular criminal courts charge and could give magistrates and judges discretion over its enforcement.’

Full story

The Guardian, 3rd November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

“Typical claimant” is male, self-employed, Asian and aged over 45, major MoJ survey finds – Litigation Futures

Posted November 3rd, 2015 in civil justice, courts, fees, news, reports, statistics by sally

‘The “typical claimant” in a civil court case is male, self-employed, Asian, healthy and aged over 45, a major survey for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has found.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 2nd November 2015

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Man convicted of murder in secret trial seeks to take case to Strasbourg – The Guardian

Posted November 3rd, 2015 in appeals, courts, human rights, murder, news, private hearings, Supreme Court by sally

‘A Chinese dissident convicted of murder after a secret trial has appealed to Britain’s most senior judges to overturn a ban on him taking his case to the European court of human rights.’

Full story

The Guardian, 2nd November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Let magistrates deal with more assault cases, says law reform body – The Guardian

Posted November 3rd, 2015 in assault, courts, Law Commission, legislation, magistrates, news, reports, violence by sally

‘Magistrates courts should be empowered to deal with thousands more assault charges every year rather than sending too many cases for expensive trial in the crown court, the Law Commission has said.’

Full story

The Guardian, 3rd November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Criminal courts charge denied compensation to rape victim, MPs told – The Independent

Posted October 28th, 2015 in compensation, costs, courts, criminal courts charge, criminal injuries compensation, criminal justice, guilty pleas, magistrates, news, proportionality, rape, select committees, victims by sally

‘A rape victim did not get compensation from her attacker because of the Government’s controversial new court charge, MPs have been told.’

Full story

The Independent, 27th October 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Courts charge leaves victims waiting for justice, says former Solicitor General – The Independent

Posted October 22nd, 2015 in courts, criminal courts charge, criminal justice, delay, fees, news, recidivists, victims by sally

‘The Government’s controversial courts charge is causing major delays and leaving victims waiting for justice, a former Solicitor General has said.’

Full story

The Independent, 21st October 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Lady Hale joins chorus of concerns over criminal courts charge – The Guardian

Posted October 20th, 2015 in courts, criminal courts charge, fees, guilty pleas, judges, news, speeches by sally

‘The deputy president of the supreme court, Lady Hale, has become the latest judge to question whether the newly imposed criminal courts charge encourages defendants to plead guilty.’

Full story

The Guardian, 20th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Criminal Courts Charge and the magistrates’ revolt – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted October 15th, 2015 in costs, courts, criminal courts charge, criminal justice, fees, human rights, magistrates, news by sally

‘Any person over the age of 18 who is convicted of a criminal offence after 15 April 2015 will find that they have to pay “relevant court costs” (or criminal courts charge) in addition to a number of other payments.’

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 14th October 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk