Government identifies justice system’s keyworkers – Legal Futures

‘Legal professionals involved in court and tribunal hearings, as well as those advising people deprived of their liberty or on executing wills are ‘keyworkers’, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said.’

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Legal Futures, 23rd March 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

No whiplash rules until May as clock ticks down to launch – Legal Fututes

‘Personal injury law firms and insurers look unlikely to have sight of the new rules governing the whiplash portal until May as they were not signed off at this month’s meeting of the Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC), it has emerged.’

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Legal Futures, 17th March 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Early advice enthusiast takes on legal aid brief at MoJ – Legal Futures

Posted March 4th, 2020 in barristers, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, news, select committees by sally

‘A criminal law barrister who has called for the restoration of legal aid for early advice has become the new minister at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) responsible for legal aid.’

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Legal Futures, 4th March 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

MoJ: Three months is enough to prepare for whiplash reforms – Legal Futures

‘Three months should be enough time for personal injury law firms and defendant insurers to be ready for the whiplash reforms, the government official leading the work said yesterday.’

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Legal Futures, 3rd March 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Whiplash reforms delayed as MoJ removes claimants’ safety net – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Justice secretary Robert Buckland QC MP has finally confirmed that the RTA portal for whiplash claims is being delayed.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 27th February 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

New support plan to improve jails – Ministry of Justice

‘A new intensive support programme will help challenging jails to improve safety and rehabilitation, Prisons Minister Lucy Frazer announced today (28 February 2020).’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 28th February 2020

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Civil Justice Council proposes rule changes to ensure consideration of vulnerability of people in civil proceedings – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Civil Justice Council has proposed rule changes that would further ensure that all civil judges, parties and advocates consider vulnerability of people involved in civil proceedings.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 24th February 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Peer calls for regulation overhaul as CMA plans review – Legal Futures

‘A solicitor peer has urged the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to act now and simplify the legal regulatory regime, saying nothing will change if it is left to the profession.’

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Legal Futures, 26th February 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Court rejects judicial review over failure to extend QOCS – Litigation Futures

‘The High Court has rejected a challenge to the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) failure to extend qualified one-way costs shifting (QOCS) to discrimination claims in the county court.’

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Litigation Futures, 20th February 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

New setback in race to begin whiplash reform in April – Legal Futures

‘The Civil Procedure Rule Committee last week put off approving the rules for the new whiplash portal until next month, it is understood, making the April start-date all-but impossible.’

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Legal Futures, 10th February 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Two in five prisons in poor condition, watchdog finds – The Guardian

‘The government is failing in its efforts to improve prison conditions, with record levels of safety breaches and “huge” backlogs in repairs, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has found. The National Audit Office said plans to “provide and maintain safe, secure and decent prisons” had not been carried out.’

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The Guardian, 7th February 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Crimes unreported as public lose faith in police – BBC News

‘Victims are no longer reporting some crimes to police because so many offenders are never brought to justice. A new report said the public are losing faith in the criminal justice system and have “rumbled” that police do not have the capacity to investigate.’

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BBC News, 7th February 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

White men still dominate judiciary, says Justice report – The Guardian

Posted January 29th, 2020 in diversity, equality, gender, judiciary, Ministry of Justice, news, statistics by sally

‘Progress to improve diversity in the judiciary is too slow and there has been stagnation in the appointment of BAME judges, according to a damning report by an influential law reform group whose head warns that senior roles are still “dominated by white men”.’

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The Guardian, 29th January 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

High number of prison deaths are preventable, says damning new report – The Guardian

Posted January 22nd, 2020 in inquests, mental health, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, standards, statistics, suicide by sally

‘The persistently high death toll in prisons is a “national scandal”, with too many deaths avoidable, according to a new report published on Wednesday.’

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The Guardian, 22nd January 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Proportion of UK prisoners with drug problem doubles in five years – study – The Guardian

Posted January 20th, 2020 in drug abuse, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, statistics by sally

‘The proportion of prisoners developing a drug problem in custody has more than doubled in the past five years, research suggests.’

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The Guardian, 20th January 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Serious crime victims wait longer for justice after court days cut – The Guardian

Posted January 13th, 2020 in budgets, courts, delay, Ministry of Justice, news, statistics, victims by tracey

‘Victims of serious crime now wait almost a year-and-a-half for the suspects to go on trial while judges sit “idle” after the government cut their sitting days – despite Guardian analysis finding almost half of all crown courtrooms in England and Wales are empty each day.’

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The Guardian, 13th January 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Proposals for changes to Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme “do not address fundamental issues of sustainability”: Law Society – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 8th, 2020 in consultations, fees, housing, Ministry of Justice, news, repossession by sally

‘A Ministry of Justice consultation on proposed changes to the Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme (HPCDS) fails to address the fundamental issues of sustainability, the Law Society has claimed.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 7th January 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Judge sues MoJ claiming racial discrimination – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 12th, 2019 in bias, harassment, judges, Ministry of Justice, news, race discrimination by tracey

‘A district judge is suing the Ministry of Justice and two supervising judges for unconscious bias, harassment, victimisation, micro-aggression and discrimination after a complaint was made against him by an appellant in one of his cases.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 11th December 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Number of criminals given immediate custodial sentences at lowest level for a decade – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 15th, 2019 in criminal justice, fines, imprisonment, Ministry of Justice, news, sentencing, statistics by tracey

‘The number of convicted criminals who are sent straight to jail is at its lowest level for a decade, despite crime rising steadily over the same period, the latest figures have revealed.’

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Daily Telegraph, 14th November 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Mother to sue justice ministry after probation errors led to son’s murder – The Guardian

‘The Ministry of Justice is to be sued by the mother of a five-year-old boy who was murdered by her boyfriend after an inquest concluded that defects in the probation system contributed to his death.’

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The Guardian, 9th November 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com