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.’

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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.’

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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.’

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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.’

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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.’

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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 sally

‘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.’

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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.’

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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.’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 19th May 2023

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Overhaul UK fertility law to keep up with advancements, expert says – The Guardian

Posted May 15th, 2023 in medical treatment, news, pregnancy, statistics by sally

‘A leading fertility expert has said the law should be overhauled so that rapid advancements in reproductive science do not stall.’

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The Guardian, 14th May 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Armed forces complaint ‘used as weapon against me’ – BBC News

‘Four years on from submitting a complaint alleging she had been raped while in the armed forces, “Jane” is still awaiting a decision and says it was used as a “weapon” against her.
She told the BBC that colleagues knew things about the confidential process “they should never have known”. Her concerns are not unique, according to a report by the ombudsman for armed forces complaints.’

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BBC News, 4th May 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Police reviewing how it treats indecent exposure after Wayne Couzens scandal – The Guardian

‘Police are to formally review whether they should take indecent exposure more seriously amid emerging evidence that people who commit such crimes can escalate their offending, the Guardian has learned. It comes after it was revealed Wayne Couzens, the then-Metropolitan police officer who raped and murdered Sarah Everard, had committed a series of offences where he had exposed himself before the murder.’

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The Guardian, 2nd May 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

One in ten private family law applications involve non-parents, research finds – Local Government Lawyer

Posted April 27th, 2023 in child arrangements orders, families, family courts, news, reports, statistics by sally

‘Research published by Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (Nuffield FJO) has found that private family law applications involving non-parents are diverse, and “circumstances may overlap with public law cases”.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 26th April 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

More Than One Person A Month Has Died In Custody This Year – Each Other

Posted April 25th, 2023 in death in custody, news, police, prisons, statistics by sally

‘According to the charity Inquest, since the beginning of the year, six people have died in police custody or otherwise following contact with the police. Last year, 301 people died in prison custody and in 2021 there were 191 deaths in police custody.’

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Each Other, 21st April 2023

Source: eachother.org.uk

Student complaints in England and Wales at record levels, watchdog says – The Guardian

Posted April 20th, 2023 in complaints, education, news, statistics, universities by sally

University students made a record number of complaints last year to the higher education watchdog in England and Wales, which expressed concern about “increasing levels of distress among students who are struggling to cope”.

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The Guardian, 20th April 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Research Demonstrates Juries Convict in 58% of Rape Cases, on Average – Pump Court Chambers

Posted April 13th, 2023 in chambers articles, juries, news, prosecutions, rape, statistics by sally

‘Over the period 2007 to 2021, the jury conviction rate for all rape charges stood at an average of 58%, with a high of 75% in 2021, according to new research published in the Criminal Law Review[1]. In 2007, the jury conviction rate was 55%. This research was commissioned by senior judiciary following public concerns that the jury conviction rates for rape were extremely low, and analysed 5,623,800 criminal charges from January 2007 to December 2021, not just including sexual offences.’

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Pump Court Chambers, 9th March 2023

Source: www.pumpcourtchambers.com

The Not-So-Beautiful Game – Pump Court Chambers

Posted April 13th, 2023 in assault, chambers articles, news, sport, statistics, threatening behaviour by sally

‘In February 2023, BBC Radio 5 Live released the results of a questionnaire canvassing the experiences of 927 grassroots referees. The statistics make for grim reading, although will come as little surprise to anyone who has played Sunday league football.’

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Pump Court Chambers, 9th March 2023

Source: www.pumpcourtchambers.com

More than one in 10 salaried judges bullied in last two years – Legal Futures

Posted April 13th, 2023 in bullying, judiciary, news, statistics by sally

‘More than one in 10 of salaried judges have been bullied in the two years, double the figure for fee-paid judges, research commissioned by the judiciary has found.’

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Legal Futures, 13th April 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Police in England and Wales less likely to face discipline under new complaints system – The Guardian

Posted April 11th, 2023 in complaints, disciplinary procedures, news, police, statistics by sally

‘Police officers in England and Wales accused of violent and sexual misconduct are less likely to face disciplinary action under the revamped complaints system than the previous discredited regime, figures suggest.’

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The Guardian, 11th April 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Statistics watchdog rebukes Sunak over inaccurate asylum backlog figures – The Guardian

Posted April 5th, 2023 in asylum, government departments, immigration, news, ombudsmen, refugees, statistics by sally

‘Rishi Sunak and his immigration minister have been scolded by the UK statistics watchdog for using inaccurate figures to back up spurious claims about asylum seekers.’

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The Guardian, 5th April 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Grooming gangs and ethnicity: What does the evidence say? – BBC News

‘The prime minister says victims of grooming gangs have been ignored because of political correctness.’

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BBC News, 4th April 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk