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 sally

‘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

Judicial review pushes back crime contracts to April – Legal Voice

‘The Ministry of Justice announced on Friday that the introduction of duty provider contracts will be pushed back from January to April 1 next year. Only the previous week, the MOJ continued to insist that despite the threat of legal challenges, the new duty provider contracts would come into force from 01 January 2016.’

Full story

Legal Voice, 16th November 2015

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

Speech by HHJ Edmund QC on Better Case Management and the Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

‘Speech by HHJ Edmund QC at the Criminal Bar Association Ann Goddard Memorial Lecture on 3 November 2015 entitled ”All Change: What you need to know about Better Case Management and the Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing”.

Full speech

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 17th November 2015

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Transcript of the Lord Chief Justice’s Annual Press Conference 2015 – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

‘The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, held his annual press conference on Tuesday, 17 November, 2015, at the Royal Courts of Justice.’

Full transcript

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 17th November 2015

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Court charge creates “perverse incentive” for guilty pleas – The Bar Council

‘Criminal court charges create perverse incentives for the innocent to plead guilty, warns Bar Council chairman Alistair MacDonald QC, ahead of today’s parliamentary debate. He also points out that we still do not know if the Government is on track to raise £265 million it proposed to bring in over the course of this Parliament.’

Full press release

The Bar Council, 17th November 2015

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Rise in sex crimes not due to historical cases, says lord chief justice – The Guardian

‘Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd says better treatment of victims by criminal justice system encouraging more people to report sexual assaults.’

Full story

The Guardian, 17th November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Tribunals president urges web-based “expansion of justice” and rationalisation of judiciary – Litigation Futures

Posted November 17th, 2015 in civil justice, criminal justice, internet, judges, news, tribunals by sally

‘The courts should embrace IT and the internet in ways that improve access to justice and make scarce resources go further, if the values embodied in Magna Carta are to be realised, according to a senior judge.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 17th November 2015

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

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 sally

‘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 sally

‘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

‘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

Legal Aid Cuts: The Solicitors’ Verdict – BBC Law in Action

Posted November 10th, 2015 in criminal justice, law firms, legal aid, news, solicitors by sally

‘Solicitors are in uproar over government changes to the criminal legal aid system. The budget has been slashed by 17.5 per cent and the number of firms eligible to provide duty solicitors to represent clients at police stations has been reduced from 1600 to just over 500.’

Listen

BBC Law in Action, 3rd November 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Gove admits the UK sentencing framework needs to be more sensitive, & 7 more things we learned at the 2015 Howard League AGM – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

‘Since his appointment as Justice Secretary & Lord Chancellor in May this year, the Rt Hon Michael Gove has maintained a fairly low profile. Aside from his Making Prisons Work speech in July, Mr Gove’s plans for the future of the Criminal Justice System have not been very clearly outlined. Although since his swearing in, to the delight of many, Gove has managed to overturn the previous Lord Chancellor, Chris Grayling’s ban on books for prisoners; scrapped plans to create a super youth prison; and halted massively controversial plans for the UK to undertake Saudi Arabian prison training contracts.’

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 6th November 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Crown courts in England and Wales ‘chaotic and archaic’ – BBC News

Posted November 4th, 2015 in barristers, criminal justice, Crown Court, delay, news, reports, solicitors, victims, witnesses by sally

‘Victims and witnesses are often left marginalised in a court system that is “archaic” and “chaotic”, a report by the Criminal Justice Alliance has said.’

Full story

BBC News, 4th November 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

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

‘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

Criminal court charge punishes poorest the most, says magistrate who quit in protest – The Guardian

Posted October 19th, 2015 in criminal courts charge, criminal justice, guilty pleas, magistrates, news by sally

‘A magistrate who resigned in disgust at criminal courts charges being imposed on defendants who plead or are found guilty has told the Guardian the fine “disproportionately punishes the poorest in our community”.’

Full story

The Guardian, 16th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

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

‘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

Legalising cannabis in the UK ‘would raise hundreds of millions’ – The Independent

Posted October 13th, 2015 in crime, criminal justice, drug offences, news, reports, taxation by sally

‘Legalising cannabis would raise taxes worth hundreds of millions of pounds and produce large savings for the criminal justice system, a private analysis for the Treasury has concluded.’

Full story

The Independent, 13th October 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

UK criticised for lack of timely provision of legal aid – Legal Voice

Posted October 12th, 2015 in criminal justice, legal aid, reports, victims, violent offenders by sally

‘A report commissioned by the International Bar Association’s (IBA) access to justice and legal aid committee has criticised the “lack of timely provision of legal aid” in the UK. The committee commissioned the Bingham Centre for Rule of Law to conduct research on International Access to Justice: Legal Aid for the Accused and Redress for the Victims of Violence which was published this week.’

Full report

Legal Voice, 8th October 2015

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

LSB: criminal advocacy reforms “should not be designed around” any particular group of lawyers – Legal Futures

Posted October 7th, 2015 in advocacy, barristers, criminal justice, news, quality assurance, solicitors by sally

‘It is important that government plans to enhance the quality of criminal defence advocacy in publicly funded cases “should not be designed around one particular professional group”, the Legal Services Board (LSB) has warned.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 7th October 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk