Insulate Britain declares courts ‘site of civil resistance’, saying legal system not legitimate – The Independent

‘Climate protest group Insulate Britain has declared Britain’s courts “a site of non-violent civil resistance”, saying the UK legal system no longer has any legitimacy.’

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The Independent, April 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Covid: Half of Nightingale Courts to close within weeks – BBC News

Posted March 3rd, 2022 in coronavirus, courts, criminal justice, delay, news by sally

‘Almost half of the temporary Nightingale Courts set up at the start of the pandemic are to close, the Ministry of Justice has announced.’

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BBC News, 3rd March 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Nightingale court tells parents of victim of alleged rape there is no room for them at trial – The Giuardian

Posted February 14th, 2022 in children, courts, families, Ministry of Justice, news, police, rape, sexual offences, victims by sally

‘The parents of a schoolgirl who has accused a stranger of rape have been told by police that there is not enough space in a Nightingale court for them to attend the alleged attacker’s trial.’

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The Guardian, 13th February 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

A Review of the Year in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) 2020 – 2021 – Courts & Tribunals Judiciary

Posted February 7th, 2022 in appeals, courts, news, statistics by tracey

‘The Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) has published its annual report for 2020-21.’

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Courts & Tribunals Judiciary, 31st January 2022

Source: www.judiciary.uk

Raab defends plan to double magistrates’ sentencing powers – The Independent

Posted January 18th, 2022 in courts, delay, imprisonment, magistrates, news, sentencing by tracey

‘The Justice Secretary has dismissed criticism of plans to double magistrates’ sentencing powers in a bid to tackle the backlog of cases waiting to be dealt with by criminal courts.’

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The Independent, 18th January 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Magistrates to get power to jail offenders for a year – BBC News

Posted January 18th, 2022 in courts, delay, imprisonment, magistrates, news, sentencing by tracey

‘Magistrates in England and Wales will have greater sentencing powers to enable them to take on more cases, under plans to clear court backlogs.’

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BBC news, 18th January 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Reform or revolution? – Local Government Lawyer

Posted December 17th, 2021 in courts, local government, news, practice directions, trials, witnesses by michael

‘How is Practice Direction 57AC bedding down? Marion Smith QC, Joe-han Ho, Ruth Keating and Philippe Kuhn look at its impact.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 17th December 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

HMCTS: Public prefers remote hearings but professionals see declining respect – Legal Futures

Posted December 13th, 2021 in coronavirus, courts, HM Courts Service, news, remote hearings, statistics, trials by tracey

‘Public users of the courts generally prefer remote to in-person hearings, but they have led to declining levels of respect, formality and concentration, according to government research.’

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Legal Futures, 13th December 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Electronic court bundles – Family Law

Posted December 13th, 2021 in codes of practice, courts, documents, electronic filing, news by tracey

‘The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary have issued general guidance on electronic court bundles. The guidance is intended to ensure consistency in the provision of electronic bundles for court hearings (but not tribunal hearings) in a format that promotes the efficient preparation for, and management of, a hearing.’

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Family Law, 9th December 2021

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Inability to find criminal lawyers ‘chickens coming home to roost’ – LCJ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 19th, 2021 in barristers, coronavirus, courts, criminal justice, law firms, legal aid, news, solicitors by tracey

‘The inability to find barristers to represent criminal defendants is an example of “chickens coming home to roost”, the lord chief justice has said.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 18th November 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

England’s austerity-hit courts losing days of work to collapsing ceilings, broken lifts and Arctic conditions – The Independent

‘England’s courts are so run-down they are losing days of work to collapsing ceilings, broken lift and Arctic conditions, the Lord Chief Justice has said.’

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The Independent, 16th November 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Lord Justice Haddon-Cave pens article for the Australian Law Journal – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted November 12th, 2021 in courts, judges, news, terrorism, trials by tracey

‘Lord Justice Haddon-Cave has written an article about the conduct of terrorism trials in England and Wales for a special edition of the Australian Law Journal on “National Security and the Law”.’

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Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 11th November 2021

Source: www.judiciary.uk

‘Super courtroom’ to open in Loughborough to deal with gang trials – BBC News

Posted November 9th, 2021 in courts, drug trafficking, gangs, Ministry of Justice, money laundering, murder, news by tracey

‘A “super courtroom” has been built to help deal with gang trials with large numbers of defendants.’

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BBC News, 9th November 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Lord Chief Justice warns government over ‘value of the rule of law’ in courts funding plea – The Independent

“In his annual report, published on Friday [5th November], Lord Burnett of Maldon warned that the only way to cut record waiting times was to run crown courts at full capacity for the ‘foreseeable future’.”

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The Independent, 5th November 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

England and Wales court backlog crisis ‘to go on for several years’ – The Guardian

‘The backlog of cases in criminal courts in England and Wales is likely to be a pervasive issue for several years, severely affecting victims, witnesses and defendants, the National Audit Office has said.’

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The Guardian, 22nd October 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Courts and tribunals to upgrade video technology, Burnett says – Legal Futures

Posted October 12th, 2021 in civil justice, courts, lists, news, remote hearings, tribunals by sally

‘A new Video Hearings Service (VHS), upgrading the Cloud Video Platform (CVP) used during Covid, is to be rolled out across courts and tribunals, the Lord Chief Justice has revealed.’

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Legal Futures, 11th October 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

MoJ: “Strong justification” for increasing 129 court fees – Legal Futures

Posted September 1st, 2021 in consultations, courts, fees, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘There is “strong justification” for increasing 129 court fees by inflation, backdated to 2016, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said.’

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Legal Futures, 1st September 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Bar warns of reliance on informal police sanctions – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted August 23rd, 2021 in barristers, courts, news, police, statistics by tracey

‘New government data reveals growing use of out of court measures to deal with criminal offences, prompting concerns that they are being deployed to relieve pressure on the justice system.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 20th August 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

The Queen (o.a.o Rayner) v Leeds Magistrates Court: closure orders, legal aid reviews and adjournments – Nearly Legal

‘In this recent judicial review (2021) EWHC 1964 (Admin) H.H. Judge Gosnell addressed interesting questions around closure orders, adjournments, Article 6(1) rights, and the refusal of the Magistrates Court to state a case. He declined to grant relief because the issue had become academic, but if that had not been the case he would have found for the Claimant. Leeds City Council, the Claimant’s landlord, were an Interested Party in the JR, took a neutral position and were not represented. Leeds District Magistrates Court, the Defendant, did the same, the usual approach where a court is challenged.’

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Nearly Legal, 8th August 2021

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Lawyers pledge to boycott extended court hours – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Almost 400 solicitors and barristers have signed an open letter to HM Courts & Tribunals Service, refusing to attend a ‘single court listing outside of regular court hours’. The Ministry of Justice responded today by denying the existence of any plan for weekend sittings.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 5th August 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk