Supreme Court backs civil law test for police disciplinary proceedings – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The Supreme Court has ruled that the civil law test should be applied in police disciplinary proceedings and that public confidence is better served in doing so.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 5th July 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Stephen Lawrence’s mother says decision not to charge police over murder inquiry ‘disgraceful’ – The Independent

‘Stephen Lawrence’s mother says a decision not to charge four retired officers over their handling of the original murder investigation has caused her immense distress and she will challenge it.’

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The Independent, 6th July 2023

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Elderly black man who was punched by police officer wins judicial review – The Guardian

‘The high court has overturned a decision by the police watchdog that an officer who punched an elderly black man in the face had no case to answer.’

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The Guardian, 4th July 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Retired judges “should be regulated” if they return to practice – Legal Futures

Posted June 29th, 2023 in judiciary, legal services, news, professional conduct, retirement by sally

‘Retired judges who engage in legal work after their retirement, whether advocacy or litigation, should be regulated by the Bar Standard Board (BSB) or Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), academics have argued.’

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Legal Futures, 29th June 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Guidance clarifies use of psychologist expert witnesses in Family Courts to tackle “lack of understanding” of titles and qualifications – Local Government Lawyer

Posted June 27th, 2023 in expert witnesses, family courts, news, professional conduct by sally

‘The British Psychological Society (BPS) and the Family Justice Council (FJC) have issued guidance on the use of psychologists as expert witnesses in the Family Courts, which seeks to fix a “lack of understanding and awareness” that has seen the use of titles in the Family Court System that have “no specific meaning, nor are they protected or regulated”.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 26th June 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Misconduct: ‘No simple explanation’ for race bias in complaints – Law Society’s Gazette

‘”Socio-cognitive biases” could account for the over-representation of Black, Asian and minority ethnic solicitors in complaints about potential misconduct raised with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 23rd June 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Stephen Lawrence: BBC names new suspect in UK’s most notorious racist murder – BBC News

Posted June 26th, 2023 in BBC, inquiries, London, murder, negligence, news, police, professional conduct, racism by tracey

‘A major suspect in the Stephen Lawrence murder is publicly named today for the first time, after a BBC investigation.’

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26th June 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

The Bar Standards Board issues a consultation on proposed amendments to widen its powers to protect the public – Bar Standards Board

‘The BSB has today issued a consultation document seeking views on proposed changes which would widen the powers of the BSB and of Disciplinary Tribunals.’

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Bar Standards Board, 22nd June 2023

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Ex-judges “need guidance or regulation” on post-retirement work – Legal Futures

‘The Post Office’s use of two former senior judges in its defence of the sub-postmaster prosecutions indicates the need for guidance or regulation on what judges do in retirement, it has been argued.’

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Legal Futures, 19th June 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Avon and Somerset Police ‘institutionally racist’, chief constable says – BBC News

‘A chief constable says she believes her own force is “institutionally racist”. Sarah Crew said she came to that conclusion after applying a series of criteria to Avon and Somerset Police following a report into the local criminal justice system.’

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BBC News, 16th June 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Police watchdog for England and Wales demands new powers amid trust crisis – The Guardian

Posted June 9th, 2023 in disciplinary procedures, news, ombudsmen, police, professional conduct by tracey

‘The head of the police inspectorate in England and Wales has demanded sweeping new powers to compel police forces to tackle what he described as the worst crisis in law and order in living memory.’

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The Guardian, 9th June 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Judicial review challenge settled in “sleeping councillor” planning case – Local Government Lawyer

Posted May 31st, 2023 in judicial review, local government, news, planning, professional conduct by sally

‘Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council has settled a judicial review challenge over a decision which saw the council’s planning committee rescind a planning refusal because the applicant claimed a councillor appeared to be asleep during the meeting.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 30th May 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Police officer found guilty of more than 100 child sex abuse offences – Daily Telegraph

‘A police officer has pleaded guilty to more than 100 charges of inciting children to engage in sexual activity online.’

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Daily Telegraph, 30th May 2023

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Met police put spit hood on 90-year-old woman and pointed Taser at her – The Guardian

‘A 90-year-old black woman was handcuffed and had a spit hood placed over her head and a Taser pointed at her by the Metropolitan police.’

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The Guardian, 30th May 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Law firms and preventing sexual harassment in the workplace – Kingsley Napley Employment Law Blog

‘Sexual harassment in the workplace has attracted growing concern globally over the past five years. The House of Commons Women and Equalities Select Committee (WESC) inquiry in July 2018 triggered a parliamentary debate around the need for stricter duties for employers to prevent unwanted sexual behaviour at work. In parallel, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has prioritised tackling sexual misconduct in law firms and recent changes to its Codes of Conduct emphasise the expectation on firms to foster a culture of zero tolerance to counter-inclusive behaviours, including sexual misconduct.’

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Kingsley Napley Employment Law Blog, 23rd May 2023

Source: www.kingsleynapley.co.uk

Wayne Couzens could have been identified as a sex offender in 2015, report says – The Guardian

‘Wayne Couzens escaped being identified as a sex offender six years before he murdered Sarah Everard, despite police having the registration of a car he had allegedly used to flash passersby, as well as his name and address, an official report has revealed.’

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The Guardian, 23rd May 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK crime agency to pursue up to 100 lawyers accused of helping traffickers – The Guardian

‘The National Crime Agency is preparing to pursue up to 100 lawyers it believes are helping traffickers abuse modern slavery laws to secure asylum for people entering the UK.’

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The Guardian, 18th May 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

No cab-rank rule breach – yet – for barrister signatories of eco-resolution – Legal Futures

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) will not take action against barristers who have committed not to prosecute climate protestors or work for fossil fuel companies – at least until they actually refuse instructions.’

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Legal Futures, 18th May 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Lord Sentamu: Former Archbishop of York told to step down from Church – BBC News

‘The former Archbishop of York has been forced to step down from his Church of England role after a review into how he handled a child sex abuse allegation.’

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BBC News, 14th May 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Warnings over NHS data privacy after ‘stalker’ doctor shares woman’s records – The Guardian

‘The confidentiality of NHS medical records has been thrown into doubt after a “stalker” hospital doctor accessed and shared highly sensitive information about a woman who had started dating her ex-boyfriend, despite not being involved in her care.’

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The Guardian, 14th May 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com