Residence requirements for Partners – Richmond Chambers

Posted February 19th, 2020 in chambers articles, citizenship, families, immigration, news, visas by sally

‘Unlike most visa routes, partner visas do not have any specific residence requirements or prescribed limits on the number of days of absences from the UK.’

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Richmond Chambers, 18th February 2020

Source: immigrationbarrister.co.uk

Council to review decision on admission of summer-born child after criticism from LGO – Local Government Lawyer

Posted February 19th, 2020 in children, delay, education, families, local government, news, ombudsmen, school children by sally

‘Warwickshire County Council has said it will review its decisions in two cases in which it denied parents’ requests for deferred summer-born children to start school in reception class rather than year one after receiving criticism from the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO).’

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Local Government Lawyer, 18th February 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘Outdated family-court rape views need addressing’ – BBC News

Posted February 19th, 2020 in appeals, consent, domestic violence, families, family courts, judges, news, rape, sexual offences by sally

‘A judge who dismissed a woman’s claim she had been raped, as she had done “nothing physically” to stop the alleged perpetrator, is among a number of family court judges to hold “outdated views”, a joint letter says.’

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BBC News, 19th February 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Lawyers highlight poor practice in private law cases and the impact on families – Transparency Project

‘A new research report paints a very alarming picture of the way in which some family courts are dealing with cases where there is domestic abuse, ignoring the procedures put in place by court rules. Academics at the University of Sussex conducted a survey of 88 lawyers who act in private law proceedings in Sussex.’

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Transparency Project, 14th February 2020

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Mostyn J. and ‘amicable’ divorces – St Ives Chambers

‘amicable (spelt with a little ‘a’) charged the parties £300 for helping with preparation of their divorce petition and application for decree nisi, and a further £300 for drafting a simple precedent-compliant cleanbreak order (which the parties had negotiated) together with accompanying Form A, D81, joint disclosure statement. Their letter forwarding the same to the court attracted the attention of the court and this application.’

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St Ives Chambers, February 2020

Source: www.stiveschambers.co.uk

Removal of life support after brain stem death held lawful – UK Human Rights Blog

‘In two related judgments, Lieven J considered an application made by a Hospital Trust to withdraw treatment from a child receiving mechanical ventilation to keep him alive and an application for anonymity on behalf of his treating clinicians. The Trust succeeded in both. The decision has been upheld by the Court of Appeal.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 14th February 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Judges rule that doctors can stop providing life-support treatment to brain-damaged baby – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 14th, 2020 in appeals, birth, children, doctors, families, hospitals, medical treatment, news by sally

‘A couple who want doctors to keep treating their brain-damaged baby son have lost a Court of Appeal fight.’

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Daily Telegraph, 14th February 2020

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Re W – a successful appeal against a placement and care order (and a costs order against the LA) – Transparency Project

Posted February 14th, 2020 in adoption, appeals, care orders, children, costs, families, fostering, local government, news by sally

‘The appellant is the great-aunt of J, a child who was the focus of care proceedings that began in 2017. J’s mother accepted early on that she could not care for him and the proceedings focused on assessment of his great-aunt instead. Throughout the care proceedings the great-aunt was unrepresented (and for most of it, not a party). She is a formidable woman.’

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Transparency Project, 13th February 2020

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Employees and child protection issues – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Employment Appeal Tribunal recently considered whether a probation service officer who failed to disclose a child protection issue was fairly dismissed. Ceri Fuller, Zoë Wigan and Hilary Larter analyse the outcome.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 14th February 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Branston murders: Man jailed for killing mother and her partner – BBC News

Posted February 14th, 2020 in families, imprisonment, mental health, murder, news, sentencing by sally

‘A man who strangled his mother and battered her partner with a hammer to see “how he would feel if he killed” has been jailed for at least 32 years.’

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BBC News, 13th February 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Family of UK man who died in police custody criticises watchdog – The Guardian

‘The family of a man who died in custody last month has criticised the police watchdog for failing to recommend the suspension of officers being investigated over the circumstances of his death.’

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The Guardian, 11th February 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

The President’s Call For Evidence – First Thoughts – Transparency Project

‘It was last May, not long after he had dealt with journalist and TP member Louise Tickle’s successful appeal against a wrongly imposed reporting restriction order, that the President of the Family Division announced he would be holding a ‘Transparency Review’.’

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Transparency Project, 11th February 2020

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Family In Legal Bid As Son Denied ‘Life-Saving’ Cannabis-Based Medicine – Each Other

Posted February 12th, 2020 in children, families, medicines, news by sally

‘The family of a two-year-old boy with a rare medical condition is taking an NHS Trust to court for refusing to prescribe a cannabis-based treatment they believe is helping him.’

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Each Other, 12th February 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

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

‘The crisis in private law’ – by Sir James Munby – Transparency Project

Posted February 11th, 2020 in children, families, family courts, news, practice directions by sally

‘This is a talk by Sir James Munby (lately President of the Family Division of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales) at the Conference in Edinburgh on 10 February 2020 of Shared Parenting Scotland.’

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Transparency Project, 10th February 2020

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Jamaican-born deportees mount last-minute challenges against Home Office – The Guardian

Posted February 10th, 2020 in colonies, deportation, families, government departments, immigration, murder, news by sally

‘Dozens of Jamaicans in the UK are mounting last-minute legal challenges to try to halt their deportation on a Home Office charter flight scheduled for Tuesday.’

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The Guardian, 10th February 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Lessons to be learned after judge criticised for ‘obsolescent’ views – Family Law

‘A family case has recently been the subject of an unusual level of attention from the media, both legal and mainstream, much of it reflecting badly upon the family justice system. I thought I should look at the case, in particular, the lessons that can, or cannot, be learned from it.’

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Family Law, 7th February 2020

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

‘Training is not enough’: Family lawyers target Tolson over ‘outdated’ views on consent – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Lawyers, campaigners and politicians are calling for wider action to be taken after a judge was condemned for employing “obsolescent concepts” on consent in a family case.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 6th February 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Grenfell Tower inquiry backs protection for refurbishment firms giving evidence – BBC News

‘The chairman of the Grenfell Tower inquiry has backed a request from firms that refurbished the building that evidence they give should not be used against them in criminal prosecutions.’

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BBC News, 7th February 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Helen McCourt killer’s release confirmed as mother loses legal bid – The Guardian

Posted February 6th, 2020 in bereavement, bills, disclosure, families, murder, news, parole, victims by sally

‘The killer of Helen McCourt is due to be freed from prison next week despite never revealing where he hid her remains.’

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The Guardian, 5th February 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com