The Ministry of Justice has launched a new online tool that allows people to see the length of time it takes for cases to be heard in courts across England and Wales, enabling them to see how the justice system is working where they live. The Open Justice website gives detailed court-by-court data relating to family, civil and criminal court proceedings. This is the latest initiative from the Ministry of …Read More
Department of Work and Pensions defeated in Supreme Court
The DWP lost its appeal in the Supreme Court, against a ruling of the Court of Appeal, over the dividing line between between defined benefit and defined contribution pension schemes. The ruling now means that the department will have to reconsider its legislation to ensure that pensions are protected where money purchase pension schemes run up deficits. For more information on the ruling and for advice as to how this …Read More
The Government plans to enshrine in law the right of both parents to have access to their children in divorce settlements.
The Government plans to enshrine in law the right of both parents to have access to their children in divorce settlements. According to the Office for National Statistics one in three children lives without their father and campaign groups have for a long time pressed for a change in the law, so that courts would be forced to give access rights to fathers as well as mothers in divorce settlements. …Read More
Government plans to make civil justice cheaper, quicker and less daunting
They include plans to simplify the majority of cases, modernise and streamline the county court system and free up the High Court to only deal with especially complex cases. Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke said: ‘I want to make the system as easy and transparent as possible. I want people to be able to resolve their disputes cheaply and simply through the courts’ very successful mediation service, and I want judges …Read More
The Charities Act 2011 comes into force on 14 March 2012
The reason for this new Act of consolidation is that charity legislation has long been criticised for being disparate and hard to understand; a new Act that consolidates charities legislation in one place was seen by the Government as a way of making charity law more accessible to the general public and third-sector organisations. Although the new Act does not change the law, during 2012 Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts …Read More
Law Society welcomes delay to Government’s civil litigation reforms
The reforms that relate to ‘no win, no fee’ arrangements were expected to be implemented this October, but are now due in April 2013. Law Society chief executive Mr Desmond Hudson said: ‘The delay will give a welcome breathing space for the Ministry of Justice to now properly consider the damaging effect these changes to ‘no win, no fee’ agreements will have on access to justice, particularly for middle England …Read More
No fault divorces ‘should be standard’ says senior family law judge
‘No fault’ divorces should become the standard means for couples to separate rather than proving that one side is responsible for the breakdown, according to the most senior family law judge in England and Wales. Sir Nicholas Wall, president of the high court’s family division, said the time for allocating blame for the failure of a marriage, as encouraged by an adversarial court system, had now passed. There are ‘no …Read More
The Solicitors Regulation Authority announces it has licensed first three Alternative Business Structures
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has announced that it has licensed its first three alternative business structures (ABS). The trio comprises Co-operative Legal Services, John Welch and Stammers, and Lawbridge Solicitors Limited. An ABS is a business providing regulated reserved legal activities but which has either, or both, non-lawyer owners and managers. Traditionally law firms have had to be owned and managed only by lawyers. The non-lawyer ownership and management …Read More
Queen’s Speech: Plans to transform the Justice System
Over the next year the courts and tribunals service will be reformed to increase efficiency and transparency, while the judicial appointments process will be reformed to encourage greater judicial diversity. Measures will also be put in place to protect free speech, and to make the security services more accountable, by allowing civil courts to consider all information relating to a case – even where national security prevents it from being …Read More
Children and Families Bill introduced in the Queen’s Speech
A new Children and Families Bill has been announced in the Queen’s Speech of May 9th. The Bill will implement plans to introduce more flexible parental leave following an independent report in May 2011 that recommended that the right to request flexible working be extended to those with parental responsibility for children up to the age of 16. The development of the Children and Families Bill will also introduce legislation …Read More