Blog
Contact and the Coronavirus: COVID-19 and its Impact on Separated Families
About 7 ½ weeks after the first reported coronavirus case in the UK, and after some 6,000 confirmed cases, the Prime Minister addressed the nation confirming that in an attempt to halt the spread of the worldwide pandemic the public were being told to stay at home in order to stop the disease spreading. He […]
The Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Bill
The Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Bill was introduced into Parliament on the 3rd February 2020, as ‘emergency legislation’ in response to the Streatham Hill terrorist attack that took place on 2nd February 2020. This terrorist incident followed two other attacks by men who had also been convicted of terrorism offences and had recently […]
Wellbeing for the Legal Community
Imogen Robins of Pump Court Chambers discusses Wellbeing for the legal community alongside Rachel Osgood, Partner at Paris Smith LLP and award winning hypnotherapist, author and speaker Malminder Gill in this short webinar brought to you by Simon Gore Legal Conferences and Online Learning.To view please click on the window below. We hope you find […]
Employment Team – COVID-19 Coronavirus Update
These are unprecedented times and Chambers is seeing a significant increase in questions being raised by workers, employees, and employers alike. This post is intended to provide some outline guidance for the position as we see it, with links to useful information. It is not a substitute for formal legal advice – and if you […]
COVID-19 Guidance and New Modes of Working for the Legal Profession
As many of you will know, Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division and Head of Family Justice, has released national guidance on COVID-19 (click here). The guidance is intended to be followed with immediate effect by all levels of the Family Court and in the High Court Family Division, and is intended to […]
The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 – 100 years on
This year marks the centenary of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919. This ground breaking Act of Parliament, which became law on 23 December 1919, allowed women to become Solicitors, Barristers, Magistrates and Jurors for the first time. The Act begins with the defining words “a person shall not be disqualified by sex or marriage […]
The Murder of Lucy McHugh: Legal Challenges in R v Stephen Nicholson
I was instructed to defend Stephen Nicholson, aged 25, who was charged with the murder and multiple sexual offences against Lucy McHugh, a 13-year-old girl. The trial took place before Mrs. Justice May at Winchester Crown Court earlier this year. Nicholson lived as a lodger in the same house as Lucy and her family in […]
Homelessness & Offending Rates – An inextricable link
The Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA) 2017 came into effect on 3rd April 2018 and places new legal duties on local authorities so that everyone who is homeless, or at risk of homelessness, should have access to meaningful help, irrespective of their priority need status, as long as they are eligible for assistance. The Act amends […]
Case Commentary – R v O [2019] EWCA 1389
Introduction 1. In R v O [2019] EWCA Crim 1389, the Court of Appeal gave further guidance on when a conviction may be unsafe where the defendant was a Victim of Trafficking (“VOT”). The Court concluded that there is a “settled approach to these cases”. This approach requires three questions to be posed: 1) Is […]
ADR and mediation – A shifting landscape
Introduction There has in recent years been a growing emphasis on the role of ADR, with the court being increasingly willing to make costs orders based on failures to mediate. On 17th October 2017 the Civil Justice Council’s ADR Working Group published a comprehensive interim report on the existing and potential role of ADR in […]
A pupil’s view – Alejandra Llorente Tascon third-six criminal pupillage
Moving chambers as a third-six pupil can be a daunting and scary experience; however, this was not my experience of moving to Pump Court Chambers. From day one, I was made to feel welcome, valued and challenged. As a working pupil, no two days are ever the same. I often commuted to Southampton, Winchester, Portsmouth […]
Costs in fact-finding proceedings against the legally aided litigant
In the climate of the revised PD 12J and the new Domestic Abuse Bill, Mark Ablett and Alice Scott article explore the approach to costs orders in the context of fact-finding hearings under the Children Act and Family Law Act 1996. To view article which was first published in the April edition of The Family […]