Blog
How can the backlog be addressed?
It is no secret that the effects of COVID 19 have had a substantially detrimental effect on the “flow” of cases through the Crown Court. Prior to the lockdown, approximately 39,000 cases were waiting to be heard; now, five months on, there are well over 41,000 by most estimates. Some trials are being listed as […]
John’s Campaign – Fighting for the Rights of Care Home Residents
John’s Campaign has been fighting for changes to the way our care homes operate since 2014, with the belief that carers should not just be allowed in, but should be welcomed. On September 9th, John’s Campaign launched a legal challenge against the Government’s guidance on care home visits during the coronavirus pandemic. Jennifer Lee, Co-Head […]
ThoughtLeaders4 HNW Divorce: The Legal Implications of Donor Insemination
From single-parent families to “blended” or extended family units, whether they be same-sex parents or opposite-sex parents, the concept of the “nuclear family” has become less prevalent, and less apt, to describe modern families in the 21st century. Today’s modern family structures include those where children are created through assisted reproductive technologies and encompass sperm/ […]
Claire Lewis v Philip Clarke & Anor [2020] EWHC 1975 (ChD)
Claire Lewis v Philip Clarke & Anor [2020] EWHC 1975 (ChD) A recent case of interest to commercial and family practitioners discussing the broad discretion the court has when approaching the valuation of shares in the context of an order for the purchase of shares following a S.994 Companies Act 2006 unfair prejudice petition; in […]
Capacity and serious medical treatment
Capacity and serious medical treatment: University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust v K & Mrs W Introduction This case concerned a young woman, K, who was assessed to lack capacity. K was diagnosed with cancer. The proposed treatment was “complex”, “intrusive” and was described as a “life-altering complexion”. An urgent application was brought to […]
Murder, Manslaughter and the Court of Public Opinion
Following the verdict of manslaughter returned against three defendants for the killing of PC Andrew Harper, news broke on 29th July 2020 that his widow had written to the Prime Minister to ask for a retrial after the jury failed to convict the three of murder. In the now infamously tragic case, PC Harper, a […]
Misuse of private information: A tort in its infancy
There has been an avalanche of commentary on the recent decision of the Supreme Court in WM Morrison Supermarkets plc v Various Claimants [2020] UKSC 12[1]. The case has provided some welcome guidance on vicarious liability in the wake of the earlier decision of Mohamud v WM Morrison Supermarkets plc [2016] UKSC 11[2], and also […]
The Magnitsky Act in the UK – A summary
Who was Sergei Magnitsky? Sergei Magnitsky, whose name is associated with laws implemented to impose sanctions on abusers of human rights, was a Russian tax advisor who died in police custody in 2009. He was arrested and charged on allegations of tax evasion after accusing Russian tax officials of defrauding Hermitage Capital Management, an investment […]
A Local Authority v JB [2020] EWCA Civ 735
In this recent decision the Court of Appeal has arguably reset the last 15 years of jurisprudence surrounding P’s capacity in regards of sexual relations. The previous case law focused on P’s ability to consent to such relations, and whether P understood the information relevant to that decision. Traditionally the ‘information relevant’ analysis took a […]
Holiday rights in the Coronavirus Pandemic
As we approach the summer, the ongoing risks and restrictions caused by the Coronavirus pandemic have meant that many of us have seen our dreams of a foreign holiday melt like a dropped ice-lolly. Consequently, the rights of would-be travellers to refunds and/or compensation for now redundant pre-booked holidays and cancelled flights continue to be […]
Capacity: Where now for the ‘Golden Rule’?
You could not make it up! Lord Templeman, the creator of the Golden Rule in his decision in Kenward v Adams (1975) The Times 29 Nov, died in 2014. He executed his last will in August 2008. He left nothing to his son Michael Templeman or his daughter in law Lesley Templeman and they challenged […]
The practical application of Practice Direction 51Z; Issues that may arise
Following the analysis by my colleague, Alice Scott, of Practice Direction 51Z a recent case from the Court of Appeal has tested the legality of PD 51Z, Arkin v Marshall (2020) EWCA Civ 620. This was a possession case to recover properties which were security for mortgage loans for which the Claimant contended sums were […]