Mortgage possession claims
Dudley News and Bolton News one other news outlet reports that renters and mortgage holders were at risk of losing their homes last year, with some facing repossession. The figures from the Ministry of Justice show 104 mortgage possession claims were made in Dudley in the year to March, 14 of which led to a property being repossessed by a bailiff.
Law Society President Nick Emmerson said: "We are concerned about the number of people who are at risk of becoming homeless. With the cost-of-living crisis and high interest rates, many are struggling with rent and mortgage payments and are at risk of losing their homes."
Courts backlog
Jurist News reports that The Bar Council has called for an inquiry into the backlog of cases in criminal courts.
Law Society President Nick Emmerson said: ““Victims, witnesses, defendants and lawyers will turn up only to find their cases have been delayed.” Emmerson added, “What is crystal clear is the prison spaces crisis is a consequence of the government’s approach to justice including over a decade of underfunding our criminal justice system, which also sees chronic shortages of judges and lawyers, huge backlogs of cases and crumbling courts.”
inews also reports on the impact of delays in court. Head of justice at the Law Society, Richard Miller, said court delays were being worsened further by courtrooms being shut at least 100 times every week for “emergency” repairs.
“Sometimes it’s part of the ceiling falling in or a leak, the physical state of the courts is a physical and ongoing crisis,” Richard Miller said.
“Every single part of the system is beyond breaking point. We don’t have enough solicitors to represent people in police stations, we’ve got cases where you’ve got no judges or no barristers, we’ve got prisons full beyond bursting, probation is so stretched they can’t deal with those being released.”
Solicitors’ Compensation Fund
Global Legal Post covers the SRA proposal for a threefold increase in mandatory payments to the solicitors’ compensation fund following the collapse of Axiom Ince. Law Society CEO Ian Jeffery described the increases as “unfortunate” but underscored the fund’s importance to consumers, saying it provided “crucial protection and reassurance”.
AI and legal contracts
North Wales Business writes a piece on how AI services can be used for legal contracts and cites our report on the typical cost of legal services for court disputes.
Housing Benefit
Daily Mail looks at what help is available for those who are elderly and struggling to pay rent. The article also explores how to challenge a housing benefit decision and mentions our Find a Solicitor tool.
Also worth a read:
- Crime and punishment: how 14 years of Tory rule have changed Britain – in charts – Guardian
- Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda admission sparks legal action from detained asylum seekers – Guardian
- Online Safety Act not ‘job done’, Molly Russell’s father warns next government – Standard
- Open prisons and AI could reduce jail population, says ex-minister – Times (£)
- Covid fines of £34mn issued since pandemic in England and Wales – FT (£)
- Receptionist who couldn’t pronounce law firm’s name claimed she was disabled – Telegraph (£)
- Tories vow to make ‘biological sex’ protected characteristic under Equality Act – inews
- BBC Breakfast’s Sally Nugent remembers Rob Burrow: ‘A giant of a man’ – Standard