The Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) has heard that legal privileged documents between lawyers and their clients may have been targeted by MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, a disclosure which is said to be of ‘grave concern to campaigners and lawyers alike’.
‘A step backwards’: Home Secretary weighs in on SFO’s future with proposal to abolish
When Legal Business queried in September whether the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) was finally turning a corner after a year of embarrassing lows – including misplacing investigation documents and the chaotic collapse of the Victor Dahdaleh trial – the agency appeared to still be mired in controversy and questions over its future. Last month, the Home Secretary Theresa May appeared to provide an answer, as it was revealed she was considering abolishing the SFO and rolling it into the National Crime Agency (NCA), a move that some consider will ultimately dilute the attempts by the body to project a tougher image.
‘It’s not a good idea,’ said Stephenson Harwood commercial litigation partner Tony Woodcock. ‘The focus has got to be on serious and complex fraud, and properly resourcing that. I fear putting it into a far bigger organisation with a number of different responsibilities could dilute that, both as a matter of perception and as a matter of resourcing.’
House of Lords votes against Grayling over judicial review restrictions following warnings from the profession
Justice secretary Chris Grayling has been defeated in the House of Lords over plans to limit the ability of individuals and organisations to challenge public decisions in the courts, just days after the legal profession claimed it would have a ‘chilling effect’ on those seeking justice.
Guest post: Full of sound and fury on human rights – the Conservative’s British Bill of Rights
The Conservative plan for a ‘British Bill of Rights and Responsibilities’ is finally being made clear today. The tone of the proposals is harsh and uncompromising, and politically calculated to be. Lawyers will be shocked, and yes, some of their clients will be worse off. Tory Eurosceptics and tabloids will be jubilant, and potential UKIP voters impressed.
Guest post: what might the Tory human rights plan be?
Although Tory hostility to human rights law is obvious, there’s been vagueness till now about what actual policy a Conservative government would pursue. For a long time the plan was to draft a ‘British Bill of Rights’ the content of which was unclear – and the idea hasn’t gone away.
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Guest post: Let’s avoid a huge constitutional talkfest – how devolution needs to be handled
The main constitutional business that ought to be on MPs’ minds at the moment is how to deliver the party leaders’ ‘Vow’ to grant ‘extensive new powers’ to the Scottish Parliament. The extent of powers to be transferred, and particularly the extent of power over tax that will be devolved, is far more urgent and important to the future of the UK than ‘English votes for English laws’ (the principle that MPs for English constituencies should decide on proposals only affecting England).
High Court rules Lord Chancellor acted ‘unlawfully’ in legal aid reform consultation
In a stinging blow to the government’s controversial and widely condemned plans to overhaul criminal legal aid, the High Court ruled on Friday (19 September) that the Lord Chancellor Chris Grayling acted ‘unlawfully’ over his failure to disclose the contents of two key reports during the consultation process.
Guest post: The Children Act – a look at Ian McEwan’s take on law and the justice system
Fiona Maye is sixty – and a judge in the Family Division of the High Court. Her husband’s about to leave her for a younger woman, she fears, as a case comes before her that will test both her values, and her judgement. A seventeen year old is refusing desperately needed treatment that would save his life, because his religion – his parents have brought him up to be a Jehovah’s Witness – doesn’t allow blood transfusions. The hospital wants her to order the treatment be carried out in spite of his, and his parents’, opposition. What follows will test both the law and the judge herself.
Law Society foresees return to pre-recession growth for industry by 2015
The Law Society has forecasted the UK legal industry will return to pre-Lehman levels of growth by next year, according to a report published by the regulator yesterday (28 August).
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On Chancery Lane – Law Society appoints NHSLA head as successor to outgoing chief
In the days when in-house lawyers have gained increasing influence in law and business, the Law Society could be seen to have played safe in the appointment of its new head. Chancery Lane today (14 August) announced the appointment of NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) chief executive Catherine Dixon to succeed its outgoing chief executive Des Hudson, who is to retire at the end of August.
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