Barristers first in queue as court access scheme goes national – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 9th, 2019 in barristers, courts, news, pilot schemes by tracey

‘A pilot scheme enabling legal professionals to enter courts and tribunals without the need to pass through security is to be rolled out across England and Wales – but only for barristers initially. The “professional-user access scheme” has already been piloted at 10 courts and will be extended to an additional five courts this month. HM Courts & Tribunals Service said it expects the service to be operating nationwide by next year. The five new courts will be; Manchester Minshull Street, York Crown Court, Reading Crown Court, Guildford Crown Court and Cardiff Crown Court.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 8th May 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Food outlets ‘should list all ingredients’ says food agency – BBC News

Posted May 9th, 2019 in allergies, food, health & safety, labelling, news, pilot schemes by tracey

‘Food outlets should list all ingredients in order to protect customers with allergies, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has proposed. The FSA has recommended ministers adopt strict new rules, which include highlighting the 14 major allergens.’

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BBC News, 8th May 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Facial recognition wrongly identifies public as potential criminals 96% of time, figures reveal – The Independent

‘Facial recognition technology has misidentified members of the public as potential criminals in 96 per cent of scans so far in London, new figures reveal.’

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The Independent, 7th May 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Grayling probation changes ‘took unacceptable risks’ with public money – The Guardian

‘Chris Grayling’s widely derided changes to the supervision of a quarter of a million offenders in the community were rushed through at breakneck speed, taking “unacceptable risks” with taxpayers’ money, a spending watchdog has said.’

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The Guardian, 3rd May 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Rape cases ‘could fail’ if victims refuse to give police access to phones – The Guardian

‘Victims of rape and serious sexual assault who refuse to give police access to their mobile phone contents could allow suspects to avoid charges, two top officials have said.’

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The Guardian, 29th April 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘The White Book is wrong’ – Vos offers clarity on disclosure rules – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 16th, 2019 in civil procedure rules, disclosure, news, pilot schemes by tracey

‘The chancellor of the High Court has made clear all existing cases must be subject to new disclosure procedures – and not as advised in the lawyers’ bible on litigation.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 16th April 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Vos: Disclosure pilot applies even if order made before January 2019 – Litigation Futures

Posted April 15th, 2019 in civil procedure rules, disclosure, news, pilot schemes by michael

‘The disclosure pilot applies to all Business and Property Courts proceedings, including cases where a disclosure order was made before 1 January 2019, the Chancellor of the High Court has ruled. Sir Geoffrey Vos said the newly published White Book was wrong on this point.’

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Litigation Futures, 15th April 2019

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Ethical impacts from AI “unimaginable”, says EU think tank – Legal Futures

‘Artificial intelligence (AI) software poses risks to society including tracking and identifying individuals, ‘scoring’ people without their knowledge, and powering lethal autonomous weapons systems, an influential EU group has warned.’

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Legal Futures, 11th April 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Parliament, not judges, should be helping separated parents – McFarlane – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 10th, 2019 in dispute resolution, divorce, families, judiciary, news, parliament, pilot schemes by sally

‘Resolving straightforward relationship difficulties between separated parents should not be a matter for judges, the president of the family division has said.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 10th April 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Divorce to be wholly online “within months” – Legal Futures

‘Every family law practitioner will have felt the effects of court modernisation in their daily practice within a year, with the remaining parts of the divorce process moving online within months, the president of the Family Division has declared.’

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Legal Futures, 8th April 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

LGA warns on funding as modern slavery referrals made by councils rise tenfold in five years – Local Government Lawyer

‘The number of referrals of potential victims of modern slavery made by councils has soared tenfold in five years, the Local Government Association has warned.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 18th March 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘In probation, we’re poorly paid and the caseloads are unmanageable’ – The Guardian

‘Chris Grayling’s 2013 reforms have cost more, yet failed to cut reoffending or reduce staff shortages.’

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The Guardian, 13th March 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

“Comprehensive and historical” safeguarding review – Salisbury Diocese – Law & Religion UK

Posted February 22nd, 2019 in child abuse, children, Church of England, news, pilot schemes by tracey

‘The Diocese of Salisbury has begun a pioneering safeguarding review – one that will include piloting the next stage of Past Case Reviews for the whole of the Church of England.’

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Law & Religion UK, 19th February 2019

Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com

Before facial recognition tech can be used, it needs to be limited – The Independent

‘New research on facial recognition technology trials by police calls for tighter regulation to protect human rights.’

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The Independent, 21st February 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Voter ID trials are dangerous. That’s why I’m taking the government to court – The Guardian

Posted February 13th, 2019 in elections, equality, identification, local government, news, pilot schemes, statistics by sally

‘In May, I will be asked to show ID to vote in local elections in Essex. This discriminatory plan risks undermining democracy.’

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The Guardian, 13th February 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Knife offenders to wear GPS tags in London pilot scheme – The Guardian

Posted February 11th, 2019 in electronic monitoring, London, murder, news, pilot schemes, police, recidivists, statistics, weapons by tracey

‘Knife crime offenders in London will be tagged with tracking devices upon their release from prison in an attempt to reduce violence in the capital, the mayor has announced.’

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The Guardian, 11th February 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Family courts next to test video hearings – Legal Futures

Posted January 28th, 2019 in consultations, family courts, judiciary, live link evidence, news, pilot schemes by sally

‘A test in the family courts will be the next step in exploring fully video hearings, against a backdrop of widespread concern about the technology among judges, it has emerged.’

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Legal Futures, 28th January 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Analysis: New Practice Direction signals further step forward for online divorce – Family Law

‘Emma Chowdhury, of the International Family Law Group, discusses new Practice Direction FPR 2010 PD 36L whichs allow some litigants in person to pilot the next stage of the online divorce system.’

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Family Law, 24th January 2019

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Court costs capped at £80,000 under voluntary pilot in England – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 11th, 2019 in costs, costs capping orders, news, pilot schemes by sally

‘Court costs will be capped at £80,000 should parties opt into a pilot that gets underway in the business and property courts (BPCs) in England next week, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 10th January 2019

Source: www.out-law.com

Public test of UK settlement scheme for EU nationals to begin – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 10th, 2019 in brexit, employment, immigration, news, pilot schemes by sally

‘The settlement scheme for EU nationals seeking to maintain their right to live and work in the UK once it leaves the EU will be extended to more individuals later this month, the government has announced.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 8th January 2019

Source: www.out-law.com