Lawyer news

• UK Anti-Slavery Disclosure Law Will Apply to Thousands of Companies - Wall Street Journal

  30-07-2015 22:19
  
  Wall Street Journal
  UK Anti-Slavery Disclosure Law Will Apply to Thousands of Companies
  Wall Street Journal
  A new rule announced by the U.K. government earlier this week will require thousands of businesses operating in the country to disclose what they are doing to root out slave labor in their supply chains. Starting in October, companies with global ...
  New UK law urges companies to reveal anti-slavery effortsFinancial Times
  UK law to fight slavery in big firm supply chainsFoodNavigator.coma
  
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• The Guardian view on cuts to the justice budget: eroding the rule of law | Editorial

  30-07-2015 20:58
  
  Reductions in legal aid and increased court fees are limiting access to justice in England and Wales. That is damaging for everyoneThe Ministry of Justice was trumpeting a minute improvement in gender diversity among judges today. True, any erosion of the white male dominance of the judiciary in Engand and Wales is progress, but only in the way that a glacier’s movement down a mountain is progress. In the courts, the percentage of women on the bench has grown from 24.5% to 25.2%; in tribunals
  
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• Legal judgments made against a person’s will | Letters

  30-07-2015 20:54
  
  Owen Bowcott illustrates the problems of “contested wills” by referring to Jarndyce v Jarndyce in Charles Dickens’ Bleak House (Report, 28 July). In the 19th century the government set up the public trust office to deal with such issues. The public trustee didn’t waste taxpayers’ money, but ensured the estate of a contested will was maintained, and charged a proportionate fee that did not affect the growth of the estate. But unfortunately the public trust office was slain at the altar
  
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• Universities and student victims of sexual assault | Letters

  30-07-2015 20:51
  
  The support that students receive from their university when they have experienced violence and sexual assault is a serious matter and a proper subject for journalistic inquiry. Unfortunately, your report (27 July) cites an example from several years ago to give a picture of our student counselling service that does not tally with the overwhelmingly positive feedback we get from students about the expertise, professionalism and genuine care that our clinical staff provide.Sexual violence and its
  
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• MoD says law must change after UK's Afghan detention policy ruled illegal - Telegraph.co.uk

  30-07-2015 20:37
  
  Telegraph.co.uk
  MoD says law must change after UK's Afghan detention policy ruled illegal
  Telegraph.co.uk
  Hundreds of suspected Taliban fighters once held by British troops in Afghanistan could sue for compensation following an Appeal Court ruling that Britain broke the Human Rights Act when holding suspects. The Government attacked the “ludicrous” finding ...en meer »
  
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• British forces illegally detained Afghan suspect, court of appeal rules

  30-07-2015 19:17
  
  Judges rule that UK acted unlawfully in detaining Serdar Mohammed for four months in 2010 before handing him over to Afghan authoritiesAn Afghan suspect was detained illegally by British forces for almost four months and denied access to a lawyer, the court of appeal has ruled.Serdar Mohammed, who was captured by UK soldiers in April 2010, was not handed over to the Afghan security services until July that year – despite regulations requiring any transfer to be within 96 hours.Continue reading
  
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• Yes, m’lud, an airline losing your luggage is awful – so is raising the issue in court | Rupert Myers

  30-07-2015 19:03
  
  Mr Justice Peter Smith raised the matter of his own lost luggage 33 times in a British Airways competition case. If all judges did this, some companies would never get a fair hearingPicture the court room. You’re a high court judge sitting on a case worth billions of pounds and you have to step down from hearing the matter because you’ve lost your calm over some misplaced luggage. Not hundreds or thousands of items of misplaced luggage, not diamonds or live tissue for human transplant, but y
  
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• James Woods sues Twitter user for $10m after being called 'cocaine addict'

  30-07-2015 17:59
  
  The Oscar-nominated actor has filed a defamation lawsuit against ‘Abe List’, who has targeted him with ‘reckless and malicious’ insultsJames Woods is taking legal action against a Twitter user who has sent defamatory tweets to the actor, labelling him a “cocaine addict”.According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Once Upon a Time in America star has filed a $10m lawsuit against a user known as “Abe List”. Woods’ actions were triggered specifically by AL’s accusation that he is a
  
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• Sara Payne: NSPCC 'Undermining' Sarah's Law - Yahoo News UK

  30-07-2015 17:57
  
  Yahoo News UK
  Sara Payne: NSPCC 'Undermining' Sarah's Law
  Yahoo News UK
  The mother of the eight-year-old girl whose murder by a paedophile led to the creation of a law intended to protect families has defended the legislation. Sara Payne contacted Sky News in response to NSPCC research which found that just one in six ...
  Sarah's Law disclosure figures spark 'postcode lottery' fearsBelfast Telegraphalle 81 nieuwsartikelen »
  
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• Action day 30: practitioner groups to meet MoJ again

  30-07-2015 17:41 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Government’s legal aid reforms, including fee cuts and duty provider contracts, will be up for discussion.
  
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• Action day 30: More talks with MoJ on Monday

  30-07-2015 17:41 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Fee cuts and duty provider contracts will be up for discussion.
  
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• Indian gangs found trafficking women from earthquake-hit Nepal

  30-07-2015 16:50
  
  Police uncover network offering women in devastated areas lucrative jobs before sending them into forced labour and sex work – often in the GulfPolice in India say they have uncovered a human trafficking network that has sent hundreds of young women from earthquake-hit areas of Nepal to the Gulf, where they were forced into manual labour and sex work.In a series of arrests 10 days ago, police at Delhi’s main airport detained two airline staff and two suspected traffickers. They also took 21
  
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• Litvinenko inquiry: Russia involved in spy's death, Scotland Yard says

  30-07-2015 16:12
  
  Barrister for Metropolitan police breaks force’s silence on poisoning death, calling key suspects ‘common murderers’Scotland Yard has contended that the Russian state was involved in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko as the force broke its silence at the inquiry into the spy’s death from poisoning.Delivering an excoriating closing speech on the penultimate day of the public inquiry, lawyers representing the Metropolitan police tore into Russia’s record on cooperation with the investig
  
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• Trafficking victims often treated as illegal immigrants first, human beings last

  30-07-2015 14:15
  
  We welcome the Modern Slavery Act, but it does not go far enough in ensuring that victims are believed, supported and treated with compassionPerhaps some of those who watched the graphic film telling the story of Abike, a Nigerian woman trafficked and sexually exploited in the UK, thought they were seeing a work of fiction. People are still shocked to think slavery exists right here under our noses. Yet Abike’s story is true and sadly, in the experience of those at the Poppy Project, all too f
  
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• UK law to fight slavery in big firm supply chains - FoodNavigator.com

  30-07-2015 13:23
  
  FoodNavigator.com
  UK law to fight slavery in big firm supply chains
  FoodNavigator.com
  New legislation will require all large firms in the UK to report on their fight against slavery in the supply chain - but experts say the 'opt out' clause means its success could be limited. Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act will require all UK and ...
  New UK law urges companies to reveal anti-slavery effortsFinancial Timesalle 64 nieuwsartikelen »
  
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• UK's leading law firms take hit from euro exposure as group's revenue climbs ... - Legal Week

  30-07-2015 13:01
  UK's leading law firms take hit from euro exposure as group's revenue climbs ...
  Legal Week
  Despite a strong showing among the UK mid-market, Legal Week's analysis of the 2014-15 financial results reported so far shows combined revenue growth of just 1.6% as euro exposure took its toll on performance. Results from the 42 top 50 law firms to ...
  
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• UK's leading law firms take hit from euro exposure as 2014/15 revenues climb ... - Legal Week

  30-07-2015 13:01
  
  UK's leading law firms take hit from euro exposure as 2014/15 revenues climb ...
  Legal Week
  Despite a strong showing among the UK mid-market, Legal Week's analysis of the 2014-15 financial results reported so far shows combined revenue growth of just 1.6% as euro exposure took its toll on performance. Results from the 42 top 50 law firms to ...
  
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• 'Disappointing' number of BME judges - but future still bright, says LCJ

  30-07-2015 12:42 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Lord chief justice says more needs to be done, following publication of 2015 judicial diversity statistics.
  
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• 'Grossly excessive' costs budget slashed by £400k

  30-07-2015 12:35 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Judge says case was ‘exceptional’ and required claims forms to be analysed with a ‘fine tooth-comb’ .
  
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• 'People got used to younger judges' says woman who joined the bench at 36

  30-07-2015 12:12
  
  Sophie Toms is a deputy district judge who made it on her first attempt. She says shortage of women in the judiciary could be down to confidence issuesSophie Toms became a judge at the age of 36. Already a partner at a South Wales law firm, she was successful the first time she applied to sit on the bench.As a deputy district judge, she hears criminal cases in magistrates courts on her own, usually 25-30 days a year. She still also practises as a legal aid solicitor. Related: More than half of j
  
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• Nephew of lawyer-activist Chen released from China prison - Yahoo News UK

  30-07-2015 12:02
  
  Nephew of lawyer-activist Chen released from China prison
  Yahoo News UK
  BEIJING (AP) — The nephew of lawyer-activist Chen Guangcheng has been released from prison after serving a three-year, three-month sentence widely seen as retribution for his uncle's daring escape from house arrest. Chen said in an email from the ...en meer »
  
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• Lawyer: Litvinenko poison may have harmed Londoners' health - Yahoo News UK

  30-07-2015 11:58
  
  Yahoo News UK
  Lawyer: Litvinenko poison may have harmed Londoners' health
  Yahoo News UK
  LONDON (AP) — The killers of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko may have harmed the health of thousands of Londoners as they trailed radioactive polonium-210 around the city, a lawyer for British police said Thursday. Richard Horwell told an ...en meer »
  
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• More than half of judges under 40 in England and Wales are women

  30-07-2015 11:50
  
  Judicial diversity statistics show improvement in gender balance but no change in percentage of those from minority ethnic groupsMore than half of all judges under the age of 40 in England and Wales are women, according to judicial statistics released on Thursday. But while the gender balance on the bench continues to improve, there has been no change in the percentage of those from minority ethnic groups.The percentage of BME judges under 50 years of age (12%) provides some encouragement for th
  
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• More than half of judges under 40 are women

  30-07-2015 11:50
  
  Judicial diversity statistics show improvement in gender balance but no change in percentage of those from minority ethnic groupsMore than half of all judges under the age of 40 are women, according to judicial statistics released on Thursday. But while the gender balance on the bench continues to improve, there has been no change in the percentage of those from minority ethnic groups.The percentage of BME judges under 50 years of age (12%) provides some encouragement for the future Related: Sca
  
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• 'Moneyball' research ranks top law firms by win percentage

  30-07-2015 10:59 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  An analytics firm has used artificial intelligence to analyse 11,647 High Court cases between 2012 and 2014 to rank the top legal performers.
  
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• UK denies Ai Weiwei full business visa based on disputed 'criminal' history

  30-07-2015 08:52
  
  British embassy officials say celebrated Chinese artist failed to declare his record on application – but supporters say he was never actually charged with a crime Related: Ai Weiwei free to travel overseas again after China returns his passport The dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has accused British authorities of turning their backs on human rights defenders after UK immigration officials rejected his application for a six-month business visa, claiming he had not declared a criminal convi
  
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• SRA to introduce new in-house regulations next year

  30-07-2015 01:22 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Plans outlined in regulator’s response to Legal Services Board paper on regulatory restrictions for in-house lawyers.
  
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• Fraudulent solicitor who faked injury victims leaves profession

  30-07-2015 01:01 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Timothy Latter pleaded guilty last year to 11 counts of fraud worth a total of £36,000.
  
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