Fewer than one in six ‘hostile environment’ raids led to deportations – The Guardian

‘Fewer than one in six of more than 44,000 “intelligence-led” Home Office immigration enforcement raids on people’s homes since the introduction of the “hostile environment” policy have resulted in deportations, according to data obtained by the Guardian.’

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The Guardian, 21st February 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Number of prisoners in England and Wales on suicide watch rises steeply – The Guardian

Posted February 11th, 2021 in mental health, news, prisons, statistics, suicide by sally

‘The number of prisoners put on suicide or self-harm watch has risen dramatically over the past decade, a Guardian investigation has found, as experts warn the scale of the mental health crisis in prisons has escalated during the coronavirus pandemic.’

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The Guardian, 10th February 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Romance fraud on rise in coronavirus lockdown – BBC News

Posted February 10th, 2021 in coronavirus, fraud, identity fraud, internet, money laundering, news, statistics by sally

‘Romance fraud – scamming someone out of money by pretending to want a relationship – has been on the rise during lockdown.’

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BBC News, 10th February 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Bar Council warns of post-pandemic barrister shortfall – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted February 8th, 2021 in barristers, coronavirus, news, pupillage, statistics by tracey

‘The Bar Council has warned that the pandemic could cause a “persisting” shortage of barristers, after the number of pupillages registered last year fell by 35%.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 5th February 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

More deaths, worse care: inquiry opens into NHS maternity ‘systemic racism’ – The Guardian

Posted February 8th, 2021 in birth, equality, hospitals, human rights, inquiries, news, race discrimination, statistics by tracey

‘An urgent inquiry to investigate how alleged systemic racism in the NHS manifests itself in maternity care will be launched on Tuesday with support from the UK charity Birthrights. The inquiry will apply a human- rights lens to examine how claimed racial injustice – from explicit racism to bias – is leading to poorer health outcomes in maternity care for ethnic minority groups.’

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The Guardian, 7th February 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Almost a third of prosecutions under coronavirus laws dropped, review shows – The Independent

‘Almost a third of prosecutions under coronavirus laws have been brought incorrectly, leading to hundreds of cases being dropped, analysis has revealed. A review by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) found that 359 of 1,252 charges last year under laws brought in to aid public health measures were later withdrawn or quashed in court.’

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The Independent, 7th February 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Peer is asked to investigate the activities of extreme right and left – The Guardian

Posted February 8th, 2021 in government departments, news, political parties, statistics, terrorism by tracey

‘The government has reportedly ordered an investigation into the extreme fringes on both ends of the political spectrum, with a peer tasked with offering recommendations to the prime minister and home secretary. The review will be led by John Woodcock, the former Labour MP who now sits in the upper chamber as Lord Walney and was appointed as the government’s independent adviser on political violence and disruption last November.’

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The Guardian, 8th February 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Covid hits numbers at the Bar and starting pupillages – Legal Futures

Posted February 1st, 2021 in barristers, coronavirus, diversity, equality, news, pilot schemes, pupillage, racism, statistics by tracey

‘Covid has flattened the number of new practising barristers and hit pupillages hard, but there was a sharp rise in the proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, new figures have shown.’

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Legal Futures, 1st February 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Diversity at the Bar is gradually improving but more progress is needed, says BSB report – Bar Standards Board

Posted January 29th, 2021 in barristers, diversity, equality, press releases, statistics by tracey

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has today published its annual report on Diversity at the Bar. The report shows that the profession became increasingly diverse in 2020 and that a greater proportion of barristers disclosed their demographic data.’

Press release

Full report

Bar Standards Board, 29th January 2021

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Lack of data leaves courts “flying blind” on impact of Covid, MPs told – Legal Futures

Posted January 28th, 2021 in coronavirus, courts, HM Courts Service, news, statistics by sally

‘The courts system is failing to collect vital information about the performance of judges and trials during the Covid-19 pandemic, an expert has told Parliament.’

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Legal Futures, 28th January 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Calls to LawCare about anxiety more than double – Legal Futures

Posted January 28th, 2021 in charities, coronavirus, legal profession, mental health, news, statistics by sally

‘Calls from legal professionals about anxiety more than doubled in 2020, the chief executive of welfare charity LawCare has said.’

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Legal Futures, 28th January 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Rape victims speak out ahead of legal challenge to CPS policy – The Guardian

‘Rape victims at the heart of a landmark court case have told the Guardian they have been failed by the Crown Prosecution Service, ahead of a legal challenge to how the crime is charged and prosecuted.’

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The Guardian, 26th January 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

New survey from Bar Council finds barristers at “breaking point” – The Bar Council

Posted January 25th, 2021 in barristers, coronavirus, debts, diversity, employment, fees, mental health, news, statistics by tracey

‘The Bar Council, which represents all barristers in England and Wales, has today published findings from its most recent survey of the Bar. The findings show some signs of recovery in workload, but highlight the extreme financial and psychological hardship still facing many barristers.’

Full Story

The Bar Council, 22nd January 2021

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Financial Remedy Update, January 2021 – Family Law Week

‘Naomi Shelton, Associate, Mills & Reeve LLP considers the important news and case law relating to financial remedies and divorce during December 2020.’

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Family Law Week, 21st January 2021

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Barristers take on debt and other work to survive pandemic – Legal Futures

Posted January 22nd, 2021 in barristers, coronavirus, debts, employment, news, statistics by sally

‘Six in 10 barristers, rising to 80% of those doing publicly funded work, have taken on personal debt or used savings to get through Covid-19, Bar Council research has found.’

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Legal Futures, 22nd January 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

“Troubling inequality” persists for BAME consumers of legal services – Legal Futures

Posted January 20th, 2021 in consumer protection, equality, legal services, news, statistics by sally

‘A “troubling inequality” between BAME and White British consumers in the way they access legal services has changed little in the five years since it raised the issue, the Legal Services Consumer Panel (LSCP) has found.’

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Legal Futures, 19th January 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Female child sex abuse ‘remains taboo’ while victims struggle – BBC News

Posted January 20th, 2021 in child abuse, children, news, sexual offences, statistics, victims, women by sally

‘Victims of female child sexual abusers face “enormous stigma and shame”, according to police and charities.’

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BBC News, 19th January 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Mental Health Act reforms aim to tackle high rate of black people sectioned – The Guardian

‘Reforms to the Mental Health Act will help tackle the disproportionate number of black people sectioned, the government has announced.’

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The Guardian, 13th January 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Covid leading to four-year waits for England and Wales court trials – The Guardian

‘Defendants, victims including teenagers, and witnesses are having to wait up to four years from the time of an alleged offence to the case reaching crown court trial because of delays caused mainly by Covid.’

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The Guardian, 10th January 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Pinto: Gender parity a long way off in fraud work – Legal Futures

‘The immediate past chair of the Bar Council has welcomed work by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to ensure greater gender parity in its instructions but said female fraud barristers are “a long way from parity” with their male colleagues.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 8th January 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk