Thousands of high-risk offenders in UK ‘freed into homelessness’ – The Guardian

‘Thousands of high-risk convicted criminals, including those classed as violent and sexual offenders, were being released from prison in England into homelessness, increasing the likelihood of their reoffending, inspectors warned.’

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The Guardian, 8th July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Windrush: at least five who applied for compensation die before receiving it – The Guardian

‘At least five people have died before receiving the Windrush compensation they had applied for, the government has revealed, reigniting concern about the slowness of the scheme.’

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The Guardian, 7th July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Stop and search stats may thwart diversity push, UK police warned – The Guardian

‘Efforts to improve diversity among police officers are at risk of being thwarted by the disproportionate use of stop-and-search powers against black men, a senior policing watchdog has warned.’

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The Guardian, 2nd July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Figures reveal low level of negligence claims against barristers – Legal Futures

Posted July 3rd, 2020 in barristers, negligence, news, professional conduct, statistics by sally

‘The average barrister only makes one notification of a possible professional negligence claim every 20 years, figures from the Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund (BMIF) have revealed.’

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Legal Futures, 3rd July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Criminal cases backlog could take a decade to clear, watchdog warns – The Guardian

‘The backlog of untried cases in the criminal justice system – which has ballooned during lockdown – could take a decade to clear, an official watchdog has warned.’

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The Guardian, 30th June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

SRA to launch project on BAME student underachievement – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is set to begin a multi-year project to increase understanding of why Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) students perform worse than white students.’

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Legal Futures, 19th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Police in England and Wales six times more likely to fine BAME people in lockdown – The Guardian

‘Police enforcing the coronavirus lockdown in England and Wales were more than six times more likely to issue fines to black, Asian and minority ethnic people than white people, figures show.’

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The Guardian, 16th June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Unrealistic’ appeals system fails prisoners who have been victims of abuse – report – The Guardian

‘One month window to challenge convictions in England and Wales means women who have experienced trauma are unfairly criminalised, campaigners say.’

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The Guardian, 17th June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

90% of law firms “breaching transparency rules” – Legal Futures

‘The news comes with the regulator planning to step up its checks.’

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Legal Futures, 15th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Racism contributed to disproportionate UK BAME coronavirus deaths, inquiry finds – The Guardian

‘Racism and discrimination suffered by Britain’s black, Asian and minority ethnic people has contributed to the high death rates from Covid-19 in those communities, an official inquiry has found.’

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The Guardian, 14th June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Youth justice: exposing a system that is failing our most vulnerable children – The Guardian

‘Children in the Dock was an investigation into the youth justice system in England and Wales that involved the Guardian’s Manchester team spending a month monitoring every case at Greater Manchester youth court. Among other things, they found that the proportion of BAME children in court had doubled in eight years, and revealed that youth cases now take 40% longer than in 2010.’

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The Guardian, 13th June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

EHRC urges compulsory disability training for lawyers – Legal Futures

‘Disability awareness should be a professional requirement, and a mandatory element of criminal lawyers’ CPD, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has recommended.’

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Legal Futures, 15th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

New claims in High Court bounce back above 2019 level – Litigation Futures

Posted June 15th, 2020 in coronavirus, courts, dispute resolution, news, statistics by sally

‘High Court activity has already recovered to pre-Covid-19 levels following a sharp slump during the height of the outbreak, new research has found.’

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Litigation Futures, 15th June 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

What It’s Like Being A Black Lawyer Working In The UK’s Criminal Justice System In 2020 – Elle Magazine

‘Abimbola Johnson is a Black criminal defence barrister, whose experience of the justice system in the UK brings recent events in the US even closer to home.’

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Elle Magazine, 5th June 2020

Source: www.elle.com

Coronavirus: Police fines for lockdown breaches fall as measures ease – BBC News

Posted June 12th, 2020 in coronavirus, emergency powers, enforcement, fines, news, police, statistics by sally

‘More than 17,000 fines for alleged breaches of coronavirus lockdown laws have been issued in England and Wales.’

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BBC News, 11th June 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

There have been no successful prosecutions for deaths in British police custody since 1969 – here’s why – The Guardian

‘Black people account for 3% of the population, but 8% of deaths in custody. As a former chief prosecutor, I know this is only the end point of a system that disproportionately suspects, arrests, convicts and imprisons BAME people.’

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The Guardian, 11th June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Covid-19 being used to “stall” brain injury claims – Litigation Futures

‘Just over a quarter (26%) of defendants are using Covid-19 as an excuse to stall brain injury claims, despite guidelines urging the parties to take a consensual approach, research has suggested.’

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Litigation Futures, 9th June 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

NHS Resolution expands mediation panel – Litigation Futures

‘NHS Resolution has added one provider to its mediation panel following what it said was a “highly competitive retender” process that saw the existing three reappointed.’

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Litigation Futures, 9th June 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Neville Lawrence: black people still second-class citizens in Britain – The Guardian

‘Father of Stephen Lawrence says police’s promises to change have not been met.’

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The Guardian, 9th June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

New instructions “returning to pre-lockdown levels” – Legal Futures

Posted June 9th, 2020 in coronavirus, legal services, news, solicitors, statistics by sally

‘New instructions have been running at about 70% of the pre-lockdown level over the past two and a half months, but there are definite signs of a revival, with conveyancing roaring back, new figures have shown.’

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Legal Futures, 9th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk