Judiciary proposes fee ban and new name for McKenzie Friends – Legal Futures

‘England and Wales should follow the example of Scotland in banning McKenzie Friends from charging fees, the Judicial Executive Board (JEB) has proposed.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 25th February 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

“Good” appeals not being taken to EAT because of fees, former president claims – Litigation Futures

Posted February 25th, 2016 in appeals, employment tribunals, fees, judiciary, news by sally

‘The introduction of a £1,600 fee to bring a case to the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has deterred many ‘good’ appeals while having no effect on those that are ‘bad’ or ‘opportunistic’, the former president of the EAT has claimed.’

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Litigation Futures, 25th February 2016

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Judges ‘not always best placed’ to decide public interest – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Politicians are sometimes better placed than judges to decide what is in the public interest in disputes over freedom of information, the government’s most senior lawyer has said.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 9th February 2016

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

UK courtrooms do not reflect diversity of the communities they serve, judge says – The Independent

Posted February 4th, 2016 in diversity, judges, judiciary, news by sally

‘Schools and policymakers have a responsibility to address the lack of diversity in the judiciary to better reflect society as a whole, a top judge has said. The UK’s “white, middle-class, middle-aged, male” courtrooms do not represent the diverse communities they are supposed to serve, Judge Wendy Joseph QC said, emphasising her strong desire for “change”.’

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The Independent, 4th February 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

100 judges and magistrates received death threats over cases in past five years – The Guardian

Posted February 2nd, 2016 in courts, harassment, intimidation, judges, judiciary, magistrates, news, offensive weapons by sally

‘A hundred judges and magistrates have received written threats connected to cases they presided over during the past five years, the Ministry of Justice has revealed.’

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The Guardian, 1st February 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Top UK judges denounce ‘dangerous’ increase in court fees – The Guardian

Posted January 27th, 2016 in budgets, courts, fees, judiciary, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘Court fee increases that were hastily introduced to plug a £100m hole in the Ministry of Justice’s budget were based on “hopeless” evidence, according to the most senior civil judge in England and Wales.’

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The Guardian, 26th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Whistleblower judge: austerity policies have made courts dangerous – The Guardian

‘A district judge who is suing the Ministry of Justice after whistleblowing her complaints about courtroom dangers – death threats, violent claimants and hostage-taking – has spoken out for the first time about her experience of an under-resourced justice system.’

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The Guardian, 23rd January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Top judge says justice system is now unaffordable to most – The Guardian

‘Civil justice is unaffordable for most people, more people are being forced to represent themselves, and judges – whose pensions have been cut – feel underappreciated, according to the lord chief justice.’

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The Guardian, 13th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Upper Tribunal cases on fair hearings in immigration cases – Free Movement

Posted January 13th, 2016 in advocacy, bias, immigration, judiciary, news, professional conduct, tribunals by sally

‘Three recent cases on fair hearings in immigration cases, all from President McCloskey. All make interesting reading.’

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Free Movement, 13th January 2016

Source: www.freemovement.org.uk

Bar Council warns of threat to judiciary from lack of diversity among QCs – Litigation Futures

Posted January 13th, 2016 in diversity, judiciary, news, queen's counsel by sally

‘The senior judiciary “may not reflect the communities it seeks to serve” because of a lack of ethnic minority and female QCs, the Bar Council has warned.’

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Litigation Futures, 13th January 2016

Source: www.litigationfutures.co.uk

Pop culture 101: a guide for out-of-touch judges – The Guardian

Posted December 10th, 2015 in diversity, judiciary, news by sally

‘After the release of a recent survey by the Sutton Trust showing that nearly 75% of senior judges are privately educated – compared with about 7% of the general population – many assume the judiciary in England and Wales is out-of-touch with popular culture.’

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The Guardian, 10th December 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Judges must stop insulting each other, Supreme Court President warns – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 10th, 2015 in judges, judiciary, news, speeches by sally

‘While it is ‘fun’ to malign fellow lawmakers in judgements, it undermines confidence in the courts, Lord Neuberger says.’

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Daily Telegraph, 9th December 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

MoJ urged to probe impact of ‘religion-based law’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 9th, 2015 in codes of practice, equality, gender, Islam, Judaism, judiciary, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘The Ministry of Justice should issue guidance to ensure that religious and cultural tribunals comply with UK standards on gender equality and judicial independence, according to a high-profile commission into the role of religion and society.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 8th December 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Judicial system should be “more ready to accommodate academics”, Lord Neuberger says – Litigation Futures

Posted December 9th, 2015 in disabled persons, diversity, equality, gender, judges, judiciary, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘The judicial system should be “more ready to accommodate academics” who were “more notable for their quality than for their quantity”, Lord Neuberger has said.’

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Litigation Futures, 9th December 2015

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

MoJ considers specialist courts for issues such as domestic abuse – The Guardian

‘The potential for developing more US-style specialist tribunals – including courts dedicated to tackling the surge in domestic abuse cases – is being examined by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).’

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The Guardian, 7th December 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Judges will need to get to grips with AI, says Lord Neuberger – Litigation Futures

Posted December 2nd, 2015 in artificial intelligence, computer programs, judges, judiciary, news by sally

‘Judges will have to learn how to use artificial intelligence (AI), the president of the Supreme Court has said, but there is “little point” in them worrying about the possibility of being replaced by it.’

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Litigation Futures, 30th November 2015

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Emotions at work – New Law Journal

Posted November 30th, 2015 in judges, judiciary, news, professional conduct by sally

‘Dermot Feenan explores the topic of judicial tears.’

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New Law Journal, 26th November 2015

Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk

Court of Appeal: costs judges have wide discretion over costs of Solicitors Act assessments – Litigation Futures

Posted November 20th, 2015 in costs, judiciary, news, solicitors by sally

‘Costs judges have a broad discretion when considering what amount to “special circumstances” that allow them to depart from the “one-fifth” rule on the costs of a Solicitors Act assessment, the Court of Appeal has decided.’

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Litigation Futures, 19th November 2015

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

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

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