Legal aid cuts denying vulnerable women access to justice, says thinktank – The Guardian

‘Vulnerable women in England and Wales, including survivors of domestic and sexual abuse, are being denied justice because of cuts to the civil legal aid budget, a thinktank has said.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 13th July 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Proportion of Black judges remains at 1% – Legal Futures

Posted July 14th, 2023 in diversity, equality, judiciary, news, statistics by sally

‘The proportion of Black judges in the courts and tribunals of England and Wales has remained at 1%, the same as nine years ago, while the proportion of Asian judges doubled in the same period from 3% to 6%, according to the latest judicial diversity report from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 14th July 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

“Women will suffer” warning as CA hears divorce costs funding case – Legal Futures

Posted July 12th, 2023 in appeals, costs, divorce, families, family courts, law firms, news, statistics, women by sally

‘The future of litigation funding in divorce cases – which new figures from law firms show mainly benefits women – is in the balance as the Court of Appeal hears a crucial appeal.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 12th July 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Dip in proportion of consumers shopping around for legal services – Legal Futures

Posted July 11th, 2023 in competition, consumer protection, legal services, news, statistics by sally

‘The proportion of consumers who shop around for lawyers has fallen for the first time in 12 years, but the use of unbundling is on the rise, according to new figures.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 11th July 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Children’s Commissioner for England calls for “radical rehaul” of SEND system as demand for Education, Health and Care Plans reaches new highs – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, has called for a “radical rehaul of the SEND system” and “swift implementation of the SEND Improvement Plan” after recent data from the Department for Education showed that nearly 1.2 million children in England have special educational needs support without an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP), up 4.7% in 2022.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 4th July 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Backlog of adult rape cases in courts in England and Wales hits record high – The Guardian

‘The backlog of adult rape cases in crown courts in England and Wales has risen to almost four times the level it was in 2019.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 29th June 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

End to Friday prison releases calls time on damaging race against the clock- Ministry of Justice

Posted June 30th, 2023 in bills, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, recidivists, statistics by tracey

‘Thousands of prisoners vulnerable to addiction, mental health issues or homelessness will no longer be released on Fridays as a new Bill to reduce reoffending becomes law today (29 June 2023).’

Full Story

Ministry of Justice, 30th June 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

Home Office must process asylum claim every four minutes to clear backlog by January – The Guardian

Posted June 28th, 2023 in asylum, delay, government departments, immigration, news, refugees, statistics by sally

‘The Home Office needs to process an asylum claim every four minutes between now and the end of the year if the prime minister’s pledge to clear the backlog is to be honoured, according to new data.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 28th June 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

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.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 23rd June 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Campaigners alarmed by rejection of refugees using ‘safe and legal routes’ – The Guardian

‘Campaigners have raised concerns about the high proportion of refugees seeking to join family members in the UK who have their applications rejected by the government, despite using the “safe and legal routes” touted by the home secretary.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 26th June 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Police urged to use stop and search to save more lives – Home Office

‘Police leaders must make sure their officers are confident to use stop and search powers wherever necessary, to seize dangerous weapons and prevent knife crime.’

Full Story

Home Office, 20th June 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

Home Office admits asylum plans in doubt – BBC News

Posted June 16th, 2023 in asylum, bills, delay, government departments, immigration, news, statistics by tracey

‘Plans to improve the asylum system are “in doubt” unless the Home Office takes urgent action, the department has told the government’s spending watchdog.’

Full Story

BBC News, 16th June 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Unregulated legal services firms “want more regulation” – Legal Futures

‘Most unregulated legal services firms support “some aspects of regulation” for their areas but there is not a clear case for major reform, a report for the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has concluded.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 14th June 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

UK immigration: Little evidence Albanians at risk and need asylum – BBC News

‘There is “little evidence” Albanians are at risk in their country and need asylum in the UK, a committee of MPs says. Albanian nationals should not routinely be granted asylum, the Home Affairs select committee said.’

Full Story

BBC News, 12th June 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Pandemic experience has given lawyers more confidence in tech – Legal Futures

‘The experience of the pandemic has given lawyers greater confidence in innovation and technology, leading to a “step change” in their use over the past three years, major new research has found.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 7th June 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Time from issue to trial in county court hits record high of 80 weeks – Legal Futures

‘The number of claims lodged at the county court has returned to near pre-Covid levels but the time between issue and trial has reached a new all-time high, according to the latest government figures.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 2nd June 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Black people were three times more likely to receive Covid fines in England and Wales – The Guardian

Posted June 1st, 2023 in coronavirus, fines, minorities, news, police, statistics by sally

‘Fines for breaking Covid rules were three times more likely to be handed to black people than white people, and seven times more likely to be issued in the poorest areas than the richest, research commissioned for Britain’s police chiefs has revealed.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 31st May 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Met Police misreports intimate searches of children – BBC News

Posted May 25th, 2023 in children, London, news, police, statistics, stop and search by tracey

‘The Met has admitted it misreported the number of intimate searches that were carried out on children. In 2021, the Met Police carried out 269 “More Thorough Searches that expose Intimate Parts” on children. It previously reported the number as 99.’

Full Story

BBC News, 25th May 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

CPS ‘cherrypicking’ cases to prosecute, say senior police chiefs – The Guardian

‘Two of Britain’s most senior police chiefs have accused prosecutors of “cherrypicking” cases to prosecute in court and warned that victims were being let down.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 18th May 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

CPS Says: Conviction rates play no part in deciding whether or not to charge a case – Crown Prosecution Service

‘Conviction rates play no part in CPS decision making – so we know a story this week “CPS failing victims by cherry-picking cases” may have caused concern.’

Full Story

Crown Prosecution Service, 19th May 2023

Source: www.cps.gov.uk