Society seeks conveyancers’ views for climate risk practice note
By Monidipa Fouzder >> (20 September 2024) The Law Society wants to know how conveyancers handle climate risks to inform new guidance on the expanding legal risks around climate change and solicitors’ duties. After issuing guidance on climate change last year, Chancery Lane is drafting a further practice note that would provide practical details for conveyancers on what […]
‘No fault’ evictions back on parliamentary agenda
By Monidipa Fouzder >> (11 September 2024) ‘No fault’ evictions will be banned under proposed legislation being introduced by the government today to ‘level the playing field’ between tenants and landlords. The government said today that the Renters’ Rights Bill will go further than ever before in strengthening tenants’ rights. As well as banning section 21 […]
Former top judges tell government to reverse sentence inflation
By Monidipa Fouzder >> (6 September 2024) Five of the former most senior judges have intervened in the debate over the prison population crisis to urge the government to reverse the trend of locking people up for longer – declaring that ‘radical solutions’ are required to tackle the prison population crisis. Today’s report from the Howard […]
CourtWatch London releases guide to observing magistrates courts
By Bianca Castro >> (30 August 2024) Anew guide has been published by a magistrates’ court observation project to help others set up similar schemes. CourtWatch London first reported on its volunteers’ findings earlier this year. Some 82 trained volunteers observed Highbury Corner (pictured above), Thames and Croydon magistrates’ courts. Volunteers were encouraged to attend a […]
Thinktank proposes replacing SFO with new serious economic crimes office
By Michael Cross >> (27 August 2024) The number of successful cyber attacks against UK law firms rose by 77% in the past year to 954, up from 538 the year before, according to a new study of the threat. Chartered accountants Lubbock Fine said that the wave is driven by criminals seeing law firms as […]
No mercy for litigant in person who had not bothered with the rules
By John Hyde >> (21 August 2024) The High Court has once again shown no mercy on a litigant in person who failed to appreciate the civil procedure rules. The claimant in Christodoulides v Holbech had applied for an oral hearing to revisit a provisional assessment of his barrister’s bill. Those costs had been charged in a previous […]
Revival of Early Dawn contingency mechanism illustrates long-term neglect of criminal justice system, Law Society says
By Gazette Reporter >> (19 August 2024) Today’s announcement of the revival of ‘Operation Early Dawn’ to manage prison capacity pressure is a symptom of long-term neglect of the criminal justice system, the Law Society has said. HM Prison and Probation Service today said it had reactivated the contingency mechanism to ensure that enough prison places […]
Peers to probe court interpreting services
By Michael Cross >> (12 August 2024) The quality of interpreting and translation services in the courts will come under scrutiny in the House of Lords this autumn. An inquiry by the Lords Public Services Committee announced last week is seeking views following growing concerns about language services. According to the announcement, the committee seeks to understand the experience […]
Marriage ban for prisoners serving whole-life orders
By Charlie Moloney >> (2 August 2024) Prisoners serving whole-life orders will no longer have the right to get married under a measure signed into law by the lord chancellor. The measure, in the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, was pledged by former justice secretary Dominic Raab in March last year. This followed widespread anger over […]
Speed up means test reforms, new government urged
By Monidipa Fouzder >> (22 July 2024) Only people living in very deep poverty will be eligible for legal aid next year if means test thresholds are not lifted sooner and adjusted to reflect recent inflation, according to fresh research commissioned by the Law Society. In May 2022 – a year before the previous government finally […]
