Lawyer news

• Diana, Meghan and the tabloid press: Harry finally gets his day in court

  04-06-2023 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The Duke of Sussex has made it his life’s work to change the British media landscape. He’ll get his chance this week in the phone hacking case against the Mirror GroupThe Duke of Sussex is due to give evidence at the high court in London on Tuesday in a joint case he, and many other alleged victims of historic phone hacking, have brought against Mirror Group Newspapers.It is believed to be the first appearance in the witness box of a senior royal since the 19th century, although in 2
  
  Read more

• Why was it so hard for our judiciary to admit they’d jailed an innocent man for 16 years? | Rowan Moore

  04-06-2023 10:32 via theguardian.com
  
  The death last week of Birmingham Six victim Hugh Callaghan reminds us that unfettered power can lead to abusesHugh Callaghan, a former welder, a follower of Aston Villa football club, born in Ardoyne, Belfast, died late last month aged 93. A man who loved music, he was singing to his nurses until shortly before his final heart attack. He was a gentle, generous individual whom I was lucky enough to meet. He had every right to pass a quiet life, but he spent 16 years in prison for a crime he did
  
  Read more

• The reckoning that wasn’t: how the largest US power firm avoided a trial for a deadly wildfire

  03-06-2023 19:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Families of victims who died in the 2020 Zogg fire hoped to hold PG&E accountable, but as it has done before, the company agreed to a settlementIt was supposed to be a public reckoning. On Tuesday, America’s largest utility was set to go on trial in an effort to hold it accountable for sparking a wildfire that claimed the lives of four people.Family members of the victims of the 2020 Zogg fire planned to face PG&E executives as the company stood trial in a northern California court
  
  Read more

• Why two luxury London homes are at the centre of Pakistan’s turmoil

  03-06-2023 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The unrest that engulfed the country after Imran Khan’s arrest is linked to valuable properties in the British capital. They have raised concerns about the UK’s status as a haven for political elites and their moneyWhen the former prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan was arrested last month, it triggered uproar across the country, with days of protest and violence. The unrest was not limited to Islamabad: it also spilled over into the streets of London.Such was the disruption at one
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• ‘The judge went absolutely berserk’: my life as a barrister in badly behaved Britain

  03-06-2023 16:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Some friendly advice for anyone unused to appearing in court: don’t call his lordship ‘mate’; do put out your cigaretteI came to the end of my degree and thought: “Oh my goodness, I’ve got to get a job. What can I do?” It was a combination of enjoying drama, theatre and public speaking, as well as spending time looking at books, that led me to train as a barrister. There are certainly lots of theatrics in court.Traditionally, you never wash your wig. When you
  
  Read more

• Crowdfunding aspiring barrister ‘gobsmacked’ by legal sector response

  02-06-2023 18:02 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Mature student has already secured a full-time pupillage but sought help online for funding.
  
  Read more

• Why does Rishi Sunak want to limit scope of Covid inquiry?

  02-06-2023 14:58 via theguardian.com
  
  As Boris Johnson hands over WhatsApp messages, PM is going to high court to stem remit of public inquiry first set up by Cabinet OfficeUK politics live – latest updatesWhen Boris Johnson first announced a public inquiry into Covid, many observers saw it as an attempt to kick difficult questions into the long grass. Two years on, in a twist that may well amuse the former prime minister, that long grass is littered with political bear traps for Rishi Sunak.Such are the complexities of this w
  
  Read more

• Bar chief uneasy with lawyers acting as 'ethical gatekeepers'

  02-06-2023 12:52 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Nick Vineall speaks out against international efforts to impose a public interest consideration.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• FCA chief vows to withstand lawyers' 'aggressive diversionary tactics'

  02-06-2023 11:48 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Joint executive director of enforcement questions what using ‘skills to block an inquiry’ will achieve.
  
  Read more

• Troubled firm put up for sale after investor talks collapse

  02-06-2023 11:00 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Plexus Law says funding agreed to support the business has now been withdrawn.
  
  Read more

• Mother sues firm after solicitor son took his own life

  02-06-2023 10:28 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  London solicitor died within days of finding out he was being made redundant.
  
  Read more

• Migration bill amendment modifies judicial 'safeguard'

  02-06-2023 10:11 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Lord chancellor would be granted power to make tribunal procedure rules so government can keep to desired timetable.
  
  Read more

• Nine newspapers’ truth defence put the focus on Ben Roberts-Smith’s reputation. It worked | David Rolph

  02-06-2023 03:27 via theguardian.com
  
  Once a defamation trial begins, it is not possible for the plaintiff to control what may come out in court, as the Victoria Cross winner learnedBen Roberts-Smith loses defamation caseListen to Guardian Australia’s Ben Roberts-Smith v the media podcastGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastJustice Anthony Besanko’s dismissal of Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation claim against the Sydney Morning Herald, the Age and the Canberra Times is a complete vi
  
  Read more

• Nine newspapers’ truth defence put the focus on Ben Roberts-Smith’ reputation. It worked | David Rolph

  02-06-2023 03:27 via theguardian.com
  
  Once a defamation trial begins, it is not possible for the plaintiff to control what may come out in court, as the Victoria Cross winner learnedBen Roberts-Smith loses defamation caseListen to Guardian Australia’s Ben Roberts-Smith v the media podcastGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastJustice Anthony Besanko’s dismissal of Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation claim against the Sydney Morning Herald, the Age and the Canberra Times is a complete vi
  
  Read more

• Why the Ben Roberts-Smith verdict is not a complete victory for journalism | Hugh Riminton

  01-06-2023 22:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Nine could still face a bill into seven figures, experts say, amid concerns that fear of expensive legal action could discourage future investigationsFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesBen Roberts-Smith’s personally disastrous defamation case is not the complete victory it seems for Australian journalism.The gruelling five-year legal battle will leave the Nine stable out of pocket by a seven-figure sum, even after payment of costs.Hugh Riminton is national affairs ed
  
  Read more

• Legal funder's clear-up costs mount as director fails to cooperate

  01-06-2023 18:10 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Administrators also bogged down dealing with thousands of Affiniti-backed client matters.
  
  Read more

• Fund the services that support rape victims | Letter

  01-06-2023 17:24 via theguardian.com
  
  The help of independent sexual violence advisers can stop many victims from withdrawing from the justice system, but they need to be properly resourced, says Sally PlumbThe article about rape complainants dropping out of the justice system (Nearly 70% of rape victims drop out of investigations in England and Wales, 30 May) rightly sets out the appalling difficulties in pursuing prosecution, and the Labour party’s proposed solution to offer free legal advice. All this is good and right, but
  
  Read more

• Solicitor who forged client's £3,000 court win struck off

  01-06-2023 17:10 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Order purported to show client had been awarded £3,000 over the removal of Japanese knotweed.
  
  Read more

• News focus: Big Tech's rare victory on data protection

  01-06-2023 15:44 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  With the strike-out of a claim against Google UK over alleged misuses of private information relating to medical records, and following the ruling in Lloyd, action against Big Tech just got tougher.
  
  Read more

• Civil court delays the 'worst on record'

  01-06-2023 13:52 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  At Dartford the wait now extends to a remarkable 829 days.
  
  Read more

• SRA ready to hold its own public disciplinary hearings

  01-06-2023 13:41 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Regulator prepared to exercise power for cases where fines are below £25,000.
  
  Read more

• Solicitor discussions unveil 'unlawful' Home Office policy

  01-06-2023 12:05 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  A recent judgment found the detainment of two mothers and their children over NHS debts was unlawful.
  
  Read more

• Lawyers expose unlawful use of coercive powers by Home Office

  01-06-2023 12:05 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Detention of two mothers and their children over NHS debts was 'humiliating and distressing'.
  
  Read more

• Ben Roberts-Smith committed war crimes in my country – his targets are the forgotten victims of Australia's Afghan war | Shadi Khan Saif

  01-06-2023 09:03 via theguardian.com
  
  The judge in Roberts-Smith’s defamation case found he committed murder. Will Australia remember the names of those Afghans whose deaths sat at the centre of testimony?With a federal court judge finding Ben Roberts-Smith – the country’s most decorated soldier – either murdered or was complicit in and responsible for the murder ofunarmed civilians while serving in the Australian military in Afghanistan – Australia must now turn its attention to the real victims of thi
  
  Read more

• Solicitor suggested scheme to client 'which amounted to benefit fraud'

  01-06-2023 07:00 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal finds solicitor’s actions caused ‘immense harm to the profession’.
  
  Read more

• Law firms open in Dublin as Unified Patent Court launches

  01-06-2023 07:00 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  One-stop shop for patent litigation excludes UK following Brexit.
  
  Read more

• Danny Masterson, star of That ’70s Show, found guilty of rape

  31-05-2023 23:35 via theguardian.com
  
  47-year-old actor, who allegedly drugged women’s drinks, faces up to 30 years in prison after jury finds him guiltyDanny Masterson, the actor best known for his role in That ’70s Show, was found guilty of two counts of rape on Wednesday in a Los Angeles retrial in which the Church of Scientology played a central role.The jury of seven women and five men reached the verdict after deliberating for seven days spread over two weeks. They could not reach a verdict on the third count, that
  
  Read more

• Armie Hammer will not face sexual assault charges in Los Angeles case

  31-05-2023 23:05 via theguardian.com
  
  LA county district attorney’s office will not proceed with charges due to ‘complexity of the relationship’ between accuser and actorActor Armie Hammer will not face any charges in the sexual assault case brought against him in 2021.The star of The Social Network was accused of rape and physically abusive behaviour by a woman who he had been in an on-and-off relationship for four years. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• UK spies to be investigated over claims they were complicit in torture of CIA prisoner

  31-05-2023 18:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Investigatory powers tribunal to examine complaint brought by Mustafa al-Hawsawi, who was torturedwhile detained by CIAThe UK’s intelligence agencies are facing a rare judicial investigation after a tribunal said it would look into allegations that British spies were complicit in the torture of a prisoner held by the CIA.The investigatory powers tribunal (IPT) said late last week it would examine a complaint brought by Mustafa al-Hawsawi, a Saudi citizen who was tortured between 2003 and 2
  
  Read more

• MoJ confirms fixed costs uplift for vulnerable parties

  31-05-2023 17:34 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Defendant lawyers had warned that addition could offer claimants unnecessary ‘windfall’.
  
  Read more

• Judgment day: Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial to conclude with dramatic finale

  31-05-2023 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  One of the most costly trials held in Australia will conclude on Thursday afternoon, with significant implications for the media and the SAS regimentListen to Guardian Australia’s Ben Roberts-Smith v the media podcastGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastJudgment in the defamation trial brought by Ben Roberts-Smith VC – Australia’s most decorated living soldier and a man accused of murdering unarmed civilians while serving in Afghanistan &ndas
  
  Read more

• Lawyers line up to advise over Phillip Schofield affair

  31-05-2023 16:46 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Television presenter apologised directly to his own lawyers for misleading them.
  
  Read more

• Ban for veteran solicitor who blamed WFH for communication failure

  31-05-2023 15:39 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Lesley Wilkinson did not tell her client their claim had been struck out.
  
  Read more

• Court of Appeal clears up leasehold confusion

  31-05-2023 13:01 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Law Commission identified 'conflicting' case law on right of shared ownership leaseholders to take control of building management.
  
  Read more

• News focus: Employment law is changing fast

  31-05-2023 12:06 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  A Brexit bonfire of employment laws has been narrowly averted for now. But battle has been joined on the streets and in the courts over far-reaching new legislation designed to undermine and curtail strikes.
  
  Read more

• North Carolina’s gerrymandered districts set stage for 2024 Republican wins

  31-05-2023 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  State’s congressional delegation likely to go from even split to 10-4 or 11-3 in favor of GOP despite fewer registered RepublicansMillions of North Carolina residents are likely to be placed in congressional districts where the outcome of elections is all but predetermined, following the state supreme court’s April ruling to allow partisan gerrymandering.The ruling will permit the state’s legislature, which is controlled by Republican supermajorities in both chambers, to draw n
  
  Read more

• Law Society hails free trade deals

  31-05-2023 11:38 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Agreements with Australia and New Zealand will break down barriers for UK lawyers, says Chancery Lane.
  
  Read more

• Solicitor struck off after trying to hide SRA probe from co-director wife

  31-05-2023 11:17 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal found Surrey solicitor of more than 20 years acted dishonestly.
  
  Read more

• Kathleen Folbigg ‘anxious and confused’ over continued imprisonment as Labor supports release motion

  31-05-2023 10:54 via theguardian.com
  
  An inquiry is considering whether the NSW governor should exercise mercy after hearing evidence suggesting her children had died of natural causesFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastKathleen Folbigg is anxious and confused as to why she remains in prison, her lawyer says, as pressure mounts on the New South Wales attorney general to release her.Folbigg, who has always maintained her innocence, has spen
  
  Read more

• Scope of privilege raised in Mirror Group hacking case

  31-05-2023 10:04 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Evidence from the solicitor was interrupted due to concerns about client privilege.
  
  Read more

• Kathleen Folbigg ‘anxious and confused’ over continued imprisonment as Greens call for release

  31-05-2023 03:53 via theguardian.com
  
  An inquiry is considering whether the NSW governor should exercise mercy after hearing evidence suggesting her children had died of natural causesFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastKathleen Folbigg is anxious and confused as to why she remains in prison, her lawyer says, as pressure mounts on the New South Wales attorney general to release her.Folbigg, who has always maintained her innocence, has spen
  
  Read more

• Court disallows £25,000 claimed for instructing leading counsel

  31-05-2023 02:01 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Defendant argued junior counsel was ‘more than qualified’ to conduct trial on her own.
  
  Read more

• CBI sought legal advice over possible insolvency after misconduct scandal

  30-05-2023 20:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Business lobby group requested guidance on insolvency among other restructuring optionsBritain’s most prominent business lobby group has sought guidance on possible insolvency as it battles for survival in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations.The legal advice was requested by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) before the publication on Wednesday of a prospectus setting out plans to turn around the organisation. Members will be asked to decide on its future in a confidence vot
  
  Read more

• CBI seeks legal advice over possible insolvency in wake of scandal

  30-05-2023 20:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Business lobby group requests guidance on restructuring options as it battles for survival after sexual misconduct allegationsBritain’s most prominent business lobby group has sought guidance on possible insolvency as it battles for survival in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations.The legal advice was requested by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) ahead of the publication on Wednesday of a prospectus setting out plans for a turnaround of the organisation. Members will be ask
  
  Read more

• Cross-party parliamentary groups unite in the name of justice

  30-05-2023 17:34 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Labour and Conservative MPs to chair new all-party parliamentary group.
  
  Read more

• Cross-party parliamentary groups merge in the name of justice

  30-05-2023 17:34 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Labour and Conservative MPs to chair new all-party parliamentary group.
  
  Read more

• 'Robust' DWF says cost reductions set to save £15m a year

  30-05-2023 16:53 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Shares climb as firm issues upbeat trading statement to London Stock Exchange.
  
  Read more

• DWF says costs reductions likely to save £15m a year

  30-05-2023 16:53 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Firm upbeat in latest trading statement to the London Stock Exchange.
  
  Read more

• Nearly 70% of rape victims drop out of investigations in England and Wales

  30-05-2023 16:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: MoJ statistics unearthed by Labour as party presses Rishi Sunak to improve conviction ratesUK politics live – latest updatesNearly 70% of rape survivors dropped out of the justice system in the fourth quarter of last year, according to official government data.Amid court delays, low police conviction rates and fears over the trauma of reliving the crime in court, 69.2% of those subjected to a serious sexual assault withdrew from investigations.In the UK, Rape Crisis offers suppo
  
  Read more

• Serco fined £2.25m after custody officer killed in court

  30-05-2023 15:27 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  The employee suffered brain injuries after being kicked twice by prisoner.
  
  Read more

Follow @Lawyer_UKnws on Twitter!