Council overturns allotment change-of-use ban at CoA – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court ruling that Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council must keep an allotment site in use, in a ruling that Lord Justice Lewison called “very strange”.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 19th February 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Vos issues warning to parties who abuse disclosure pilot – Litigation Futures

Posted February 17th, 2020 in costs, disclosure, documents, news, pilot schemes by sally

‘Parties that try to use the disclosure pilot for litigation advantage will face “serious adverse costs consequences”, the Chancellor of the High Court has warned, urging judges to take action if they see it.’

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Litigation Futures, 17th February 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Jeremy Bamber lawyers say new evidence undermines conviction – The Guardian

Posted February 12th, 2020 in disclosure, documents, evidence, families, forensic science, murder, news, police, suicide by sally

‘Lawyers for Jeremy Bamber, who is serving a whole life sentence for murdering his family, have unearthed evidence that they say undermines the claim that it was “inconceivable” for his adoptive sister to have shot herself.’

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The Guardian, 11th February 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Windrush victims given extra time to apply for compensation but concerns over lack of legal advice remain – The Independent

‘Windrush victims will have an additional two years to apply for compensation for their losses after the Home Office bowed to pressure to extend the deadline by two years.’

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The Independent, 7th February 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Legal advice must be “dominant purpose” for privilege to apply – Legal Futures

‘Legal advice privilege (LAP) only applies where documents were created with the “dominant purpose” of seeking or providing legal advice, appeal judges have ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 29th January 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Criminalising the possession of “terrorist propaganda”: a human rights analysis – UK Human Rights Blog

‘The Home Office is proposing to legislate for a new criminal offence relating to the “possession of the most serious material glorifying or encouraging terrorism”.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 21st January 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Guildford pub bomb police face High Court threat over files – BBC News

Posted January 22nd, 2020 in documents, explosives, inquests, news, Northern Ireland, police, terrorism by sally

‘Lawyers in the Guildford pub bombing inquest have threatened Surrey Police with High Court action over archives removed from a history centre.’

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BBC News, 22nd January 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Four days to comply with new money laundering rules – Legal Futures

‘Lawyers have until just this Friday to ensure they comply with the Fifth Money Laundering Directive, the government announced just before Christmas.’

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Legal Futures, 6th January 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

CA: Litigants do not owe duty of care to opponents – Litigation Futures

‘Litigants do not owe a duty of care to their opponents, the Court of Appeal has made clear.’

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Litigation Futures, 18th December 2019

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Three generations of Windrush family struggling to prove they are British – The Guardian

‘Three generations of one Windrush-descended family are struggling to prove that they are British in a protracted fight for documentation which has left a London-born woman facing homelessness with her two-year-old son.’

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The Guardian, 18th December 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Cabinet Office ignores court order to release secret fracking report – The Guardian

‘The Cabinet Office has defied a court order to release a secret government report on the UK’s fracking industry. Officials were expected to hand over the report on Monday, days before Britain’s first general election leaders’ debate on the climate crisis, after the information tribunal ruled it was in the public interest to disclose its findings in full.’

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The Guardian, 28th November 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Dog walker finds dossier of paedophiles and victims ‘dumped by police officer by public skip’ – The Independent

‘A police officer accused of dumping documents identifying paedophiles and their victims near a public skip is to face a misconduct hearing.’

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The Independent, 21st November 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Solicitors urged to shorten their own witness statements – Litigation Futures

Posted November 19th, 2019 in case management, documents, news, solicitors, witnesses by sally

‘A High Court master has urged solicitors providing witness statements to cut back on the unnecessary detail, stressing that they are not the same as those given by lay witnesses.’

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Litigation Futures, 19th November 2019

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Cryptoassets and smart contracts valid in English law – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Assets and contracts created with blockchain-type encryption technology have validity under existing English law, a high-powered group of legal experts chaired by a senior member of the judiciary reported today.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 18th Novembe 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘Power of attorney more important than will’, says widow – BBC News

Posted November 18th, 2019 in bereavement, documents, news, powers of attorney, wills by sally

‘The wife of a man who died in an electric skateboard crash has spoken of the importance of a legal document that let him “die with dignity”.’

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BBC News, Novembet 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Appeal court allows contempt proceedings based on pre-action witness statements – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The Court of Appeal has allowed a holiday company to bring contempt proceedings against two holiday-makers based on statements made before proceedings were even issued.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 14th November 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

High Court recuses “organ grinder” circuit judge – Legal Futures

Posted November 13th, 2019 in bias, delay, disclosure, documents, judges, news, professional conduct, recusal by sally

‘The High Court has ordered the recusal of a circuit judge who used “intemperate language” and told a barrister that he expected to see “the organ grinder” appear at the next hearing of a case.’

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Legal Futures, 13th November 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

“No more waiting for the ink to dry” Electronic Signatures in Property Transactions – Landmark Chambers

Posted November 1st, 2019 in documents, electronic filing, news, sale of land by sally

‘On 3 September 2019, the Law Commission published its report entitled “Electronic execution of documents” (Law Com No 386). It is a report that is of interest to all lawyers, but is of particular interest to property lawyers, given the extent to which formality requirements apply in the context of property transactions.’

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Landmark Chambers, 17th October 2019

Source: www.landmarkchambers.co.uk

Conveyancers “need not fear” home buying shake-up – Legal Futures

Posted October 30th, 2019 in conveyancing, documents, estate agents, housing, news, solicitors by sally

‘A “single source of truth” that contains all the information about a property before it goes on the market is in the works as part of plans to speed up the home buying and selling process, it has emerged.’

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Legal Futures, 30th October 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Tribunal rejects claims from ‘partner’ who sued as employee – Legal Futures

‘A former salaried partner, permitted by an employment tribunal earlier this year to sue her law firm as an employee, has lost all but one of her claims.’

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Legal Futures, 9th October 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk