‘Super courtroom’ to open in Loughborough to deal with gang trials – BBC News
‘A “super courtroom” has been built to help deal with gang trials with large numbers of defendants.’
BBC News, 9th November 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: courts
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’.”
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.’
The Guardian, 22nd October 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
Courts and tribunals to upgrade video technology, Burnett says – Legal Futures
‘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.’
Legal Futures, 11th October 2021
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
MoJ: “Strong justification” for increasing 129 court fees – Legal Futures
‘There is “strong justification” for increasing 129 court fees by inflation, backdated to 2016, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said.’
Legal Futures, 1st September 2021
Source: www.legalfutures.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.’
Nearly Legal, 8th August 2021
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
Evaluation of flexible court hours stresses need to get lawyers onboard – Legal Futures
‘Flexible operating hours (FOH) can make it easier for people to access civil and family justice, but there needs to a lot more work to bring solicitors and barristers on board, research into two pilot schemes has said.’
Legal Futures, 2nd August 2021
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Assessing Beneficial Ownership Under POCA. Is the Crown Court the Appropriate Forum? by Stephen Wood QC – Broadway House Chambers
‘Practitioners will be, by now, familiar with the provisions of section 10A POCA, which permits a Court to make a conclusive determination of the extent of a Defendant’s interest, where a third party may hold an interest in the property under consideration.’
Broadway House Chambers, 13th July 2021
Source: broadwayhouse.co.uk
Justice Secretary says it would be wrong for him to push for more rape prosecutions – The Independent
‘Labour accuses Robert Buckland of U-turn after he says he will not use his political position to urge more prosecutions and convictions.’
The Independent, 20th June 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Speech by the Master of the Rolls at the London School of Economics – Recovery or Radical Transformation: the effect of COVID-19 on Justice Systems – Courts & Tribunals Judiciary
‘Speech by the Master of the Rolls at the London School of Economics – Recovery or Radical Transformation: the effect of COVID-19 on Justice Systems.’
Courts & Tribunals Judiciary, 17th June 2021
Source: www.judiciary.uk
Individuals and the court process: Proposed changes to CPR 45 in light of recent amendments to the overriding objective – St Philips Barristers
‘Benjamin Clayton discusses proposed amendments to CPR 45, in the context of the recent update pertaining to vulnerable witnesses. Such changes not only take greater account of individual differences, but also put to bed long standing arguments between claimants and defendants.’
St Philips Barristers, 4th June 2021
Source: st-philips.com
Small claims court delays continue to increase – Litigation Futures
‘Delays in cases going through the civil court continued to rise in the first quarter of 2021, throwing a potentially huge spanner in the works of the whiplash reforms which came into force last week.’
Litigation Futures, 7th June 2021
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
Lord Chancellor outlines his plans to recover the justice system from COVID-19 – Ministry of Justice
‘The Lord Chancellor spoke at the Law Society to thank the hidden heroes who kept justice moving during the COVID-19 pandemic and outlined his plans for recovering the system, as well as propelling it towards a better future.’
Ministry of Justice, 4th June 2021
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
