Barristers “under pressure” to agree not to act against big clients if they want their work – Legal Futures

‘Barristers need to resist pressure from big clients and government departments to agree not to act against them in the future if they want instructions, the Bar Council has said.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 11th November 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.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

Ex-prison officer jailed for selling George Michael stories to the Sun – The Guardian

‘A former prison officer has been jailed for 12 months for selling stories about George Michael’s time behind bars to the Sun.’

Full story

The Guardian, 3rd November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Freedom of Information Act misused by media to create stories, says Grayling – The Guardian

Posted October 30th, 2015 in freedom of information, government departments, media, news by sally

‘A Conservative cabinet minister has signalled a crackdown on the “misuse” of freedom of information requests as a means of researching stories for journalists.

Full story

The Guardian, 29th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Daily Mail owners challenge damages award to Paul Weller over photos of singer’s children – The Independent

‘The media’s right to publish images of the children of celebrities when they are out in public has re-emerged after the owners of the Daily Mail challenged an award of £10,000 in privacy damages to singer Paul Weller last year.’

Full story

The Independent, 27th October 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Human rights group challenges Government’s change to ministerial code – Daily Telegraph

‘Rights Watch UK describes the Government’s bid to the change the code – which sets out standards expected from ministers – to disregard international law was ‘seriously concerning’.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 26th October 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Ban media from naming sex abuse suspects before charge, says top lawyer – The Guardian

‘A former top prosecutor has said parliament should pass a law banning the media from naming suspects in sex abuse cases until they are charged.’

Full story

The Guardian, 20th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Court of Appeal considers damages for privacy breaches – data protection to follow suit? – Panopticon

Posted October 21st, 2015 in appeals, compensation, damages, data protection, interception, media, news, privacy by sally

‘This week, the Court of Appeal is grappling with a difficult and important question: how do you value an invasion of privacy? In other words, where someone has suffered a breach of their privacy rights, how do you go about determining the compensation they should receive?’

Full story

Panopticon, 20th October 2015

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

The Sun’s ‘cleavage week’ ads escape ban – The Guardian

Posted October 21st, 2015 in advertising, complaints, jurisdiction, media, news, ombudsmen, photography, women by sally

‘A competition in the Sun inviting readers to submit a photo of their cleavage for the chance to win £1,000 has escaped a ban from the advertising watchdog.’

Full story

The Guardian, 21st October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Government accused of trying to water down Freedom of Information Act – The Guardian

Posted October 20th, 2015 in freedom of information, legislation, media, news by sally

‘The government has been accused of a “cynical and dangerous” attempt to water down important freedom of information legislation in a campaign uniting journalists and supporters of press freedom launched on Monday.’

Full story

The Guardian, 19th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Investigative journalism to be ‘stopped dead in tracks’ by ‘menacing’ laws after Leveson Inquiry – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 16th, 2015 in freedom of expression, media, news by sally

‘Leveson’s Illiberal Legacy: Report into implications of Crime and Courts Act warns of ‘most substantial threat to press freedom in modern era’.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 15th October 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Courts likely to look for evidence that journalists have verified alleged defamatory statements, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 16th, 2015 in defamation, evidence, media, news, Privy Council, public interest by sally

‘Journalists seeking to rely on the new ‘public interest’ defence to a claim of defamation will still have to be able to prove that they have taken steps to verify the accuracy of what they have published, an expert has said.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 15th October 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Sun journalists cleared of paying police for stories – BBC News

‘Sun journalists Chris Pharo and Jamie Pyatt have been cleared of aiding and abetting a police officer to commit misconduct in a public office.’

Full story

BBC News, 15th October 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ex-MP Tim Yeo sues Sunday Times over ‘cash for advocacy’ claims – BBC News

Posted October 13th, 2015 in codes of practice, defamation, media, news, parliament by tracey

‘A former Conservative MP has told a court his reputation had been “trashed” by a national newspaper which alleged he breached parliamentary codes of conduct.’

Full story

BBC News, 12th October 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Lord chief justice: security services cannot be above the law – The Guardian

‘The accountability of MI5 and MI6 and the question of whether they are fully subject to the rule of law lie at the heart of attempts by the media to sweep away the secrecy surrounding a major terrorism trial, the lord chief justice said on Monday. In a series of remarks that disclosed publicly for the first time the role that the UK’s security and intelligence agencies played in imposing secrecy on the trial of Erol Incedal, a London law student, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd told the court of appeal that public confidence in the way they do their work was a key issue in the case.’

Full story

The Guardian, 12th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Finance & Divorce Update October 2015 – Family Law Week

‘Edward Heaton, Principal Associate and Jane Booth, Associate, both of Mills & Reeve LLP analyse the news and case law relating to financial remedies and divorce during September 2015.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 11th October 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Judge criticises ‘chaotic’ rules on media coverage of divorce disputes – The Guardian

Posted September 29th, 2015 in divorce, injunctions, judges, media, news, regulations, reporting restrictions by sally

‘Regulations concerning media reporting of how divorcing couples divide up their disputed assets are chaotic, a senior family court judge has acknowledged.’

Full story

The Guardian, 28th September 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

IPCC reform: the challenges – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 25th, 2015 in complaints, consultations, media, news, ombudsmen, police by sally

‘Keen observers of UK policing issues will be forgiven for having missed one of the biggest stories of the year so far: the planned complete overhaul of the police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), including the introduction of a national police ombudsman supported by regional ombudsmen.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 23rd September 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Newspapers join forces and tell David Cameron not to water down Freedom of Information law – The Independent

Posted September 23rd, 2015 in freedom of information, government departments, media, news by sally

‘The UK’s major national newspaper groups have joined forces and told the Government not to water down freedom of information transparency laws.’

Full story

The Independent, 22nd September 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Mark Blake spared jail after leaking stories to newspaper – BBC News

‘An ex-official who leaked stories about an immigration centre has been spared jail to care for his two children.’

Full story

BBC News, 21st September 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk