‘Great deal more to do’: senior judges report on diversity progress – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Senior judges have praised the progress made so far by a strategy to improve diversity on the bench since it was unveiled a year ago. However, the first annual update report stops short of guaranteeing higher numbers of judges from underrepresented groups next year, with the judiciary’s diversity chief acknowleding “there is a great deal more to do”.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 12th November 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Legal Ombudsman admits recovery will take longer than expected – Legal Futures

‘Performance at the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) will get worse before it gets better as the complaints-handler has admitted recovery will take longer than it anticipated.’

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Legal Futures, 8th November 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Lord Chief Justice warns government over ‘value of the rule of law’ in courts funding plea – The Independent

“In his annual report, published on Friday [5th November], Lord Burnett of Maldon warned that the only way to cut record waiting times was to run crown courts at full capacity for the ‘foreseeable future’.”

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The Independent, 5th November 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Toning down the theatrics: Barristers “less aggressive” in remote hearings – Legal Futures

“A significant number of expert witnesses who have been appeared in court remotely over the past 18 months say barristers have been “less aggressive” in their cross-examination.”

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Legal Futures, 5th November 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Guest blog: “Perhaps now it is time for more direct action” at the criminal Bar – Bar Council

Posted November 5th, 2021 in barristers, budgets, criminal justice, news, pupillage, statistics by michael

“My Chambers took part in this year’s Bar Council Pupillage Fair, which took place in the wake of reports highlighting the fact that the Criminal Bar is haemorrhaging members, with 11% of juniors reportedly having left criminal practice in the three years leading up to the Covid pandemic. There are, as yet, no statistics for falling retention rates during and as a result of the pandemic itself. No doubt they will represent a clear measure of the worsening state of our Criminal Justice System [CJS].”

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Bar Council, 4th November 2021

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Highest ever number of rapes recorded in England and Wales – The Guardian

Posted November 5th, 2021 in coronavirus, domestic violence, news, rape, sentencing, sexual offences, statistics, victims, women by michael

“Police have recorded a record number of rape offences in England and Wales, according to official figures.”

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The Guardian, 4th November 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Honour-based’ offences soared by 81% in last five years – The Guardian

‘The number of “honour-based” abuse (HBA) offences recorded by English police forces has soared over the past five years, figures suggest. According to data from the 28 out of 39 constabularies that responded to freedom of information (FoI) requests, the number of HBA cases – including offences such as rape, death threats and assault – rose from 884 in 2016 to 1,599 last year, a rise of 81%.’

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The Guardian, 31st October 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Research reveals rapes and assaults admitted to by male UK students – The Guardian

Posted October 29th, 2021 in consent, news, rape, sexual offences, statistics, universities by tracey

‘The first survey examining sexual violence by male UK students has shone a light on misogyny at universities, with scores admitting to rape, sexual assault and other forcible acts.’

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The Guardian, 29th October 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

“A step in the right direction” – legal leaders seek positives from Budget – Legal Futures

‘Legal leaders hailed funding for the justice system announced in yesterday’s Budget as “a step in the right direction”, even though it will not even return the Crown Court backlog to pre-Covid levels.’

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Legal Futures, 28th October 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Significant Rise In Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate Crime Since 2015 – Each Other

‘In 2014-15, there were 6,363 reports of hate crimes based on sexual orientation. Comparatively, in 2020-21, there were 19,679 reports. For 2014-15, 598 transphobic hate crimes were reported but in 2020-21, 2,588 were reported.’

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Each Other, 25th October 2021

Source: eachother.org.uk

Police sexual misconduct: ‘No place’ for officers who abuse authority – BBC News

‘Police officers and staff who abuse their position for a sexual purpose have “no place in policing and will be found out”, a watchdog has warned.’

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BBC News, 26th October 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Do Employers Discriminate Against People Without Degrees? – Each Other

Posted October 25th, 2021 in education, employment, equality, human rights, news, statistics, universities by tracey

‘In 1999, then Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged that by 2010 half of all under-30s should go on to university, with the aim, in part, of bettering their chances of securing rewarding and well-paid jobs. The target was first met in 2017/2018 and now nearly 60% of sixth form leavers progress on to a degree course. However, in the age of the pandemic, is university really the best route into employment from both a practical and human rights perspective?’

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Each Other, 22nd October 2021

Source: eachother.org.uk

Jailing of most mothers for non-violent crimes should stop, says report – The Guardian

‘The imprisonment of many mothers serving sentences for non-violent and relatively minor crimes should be ended and community women’s centres used instead, according to research that has found separation can increase the risk of children being exploited and cost hundreds of thousands of pounds for just a single case.’

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The Guardian, 25th October 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

England and Wales court backlog crisis ‘to go on for several years’ – The Guardian

‘The backlog of cases in criminal courts in England and Wales is likely to be a pervasive issue for several years, severely affecting victims, witnesses and defendants, the National Audit Office has said.’

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The Guardian, 22nd October 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

ULEZ: New pollution charge zone to begin in London – BBC News

‘In less than a week, ULEZ will become ULEX. If you live in London and drive an older diesel or petrol car, radical changes are just around the corner.’

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BBC News, 19th October 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Is Prevent a waste of time? – Daily Telegraph

‘As the counter-terrorism programme comes under scrutiny again following the killing of Sir David Amess, is it fit for purpose?’

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Daily Telegraph, 18th October 2021

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

BSB signals tougher approach to transparency rules compliance – Legal Futures

Posted October 20th, 2021 in barristers, consumer protection, fees, internet, news, statistics by sally

‘Approaching one in 10 chambers admit failing to comply with the Bar Standards Board’s (BSB) service and price transparency rules, with the regulator now set to toughen up its approach to enforcement.’

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Legal Futures, 29th October 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

BSB promises to tackle ‘ageing’ bar – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 18th, 2021 in barristers, diversity, news, pupillage, statistics by tracey

‘The Bar Standards Board has warned that there could be “real challenges” ahead if the average age of barristers continues to rise, following a study which found that 40% of barristers are now over 50 years old.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 15th October 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Thousands of potential trafficking victims held in immigration centres, data shows – The Guardian

‘More than 4,500 people have been held in immigration detention in England and Wales before being released into the community and only then identified as potential victims of trafficking, official figures for the past five years show.
Charities claim the figures demonstrate a “detain first, ask later” attitude that runs counter to the fight against modern slavery and suggest others are probably being deported without having been referred for support. They fear the situation will be exacerbated by the nationality and borders bill, which they say makes it harder to identify victims.’

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The Guardian, 18th October 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Right to request’ flexible work not granted for half of UK’s working mothers – The Guardian

Posted October 15th, 2021 in employment, equality, families, flexible working, news, sex discrimination, statistics, women by tracey

‘Half of the UK’s working mothers do not get the flexibility they ask for, while those that do work flexibly face discrimination, according to a survey.’

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The Guardian, 15th October 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com