Long wait for justice
Law Society of England and Wales president I. Stephanie Boyce is quoted in the Gazette and the Times (£) in the wake of the publication of criminal justice scorecards. The Times zooms in on the lengthy wait for justice by rape victims. She said the backlog in the courts had been caused by years of underfunding in the justice system – compounded by the effects of the pandemic.
"Some trials are being delayed until 2023 meaning a traumatised victim can be left waiting years to see their assailant locked up while an innocent defendant can find their life in limbo while they wait to clear their name."
Family law and legal aid
I. Stephanie Boyce writes in the Gazette about how legal aid must be restored for family law cases and is also quoted in another piece in the Gazette on our response to the government's Victims' Law consultation.
Hack continues to hit house buyers
The November cyber attack on one of the largest conveyancing operations, Simplify, has left many house buyers high and dry reports the Times (£).
Sarah Dwight of our conveyancing and land law committee is quoted on the subject of whether or not it's wise to switch conveyancers.
Undiverse judiciary
Legal Futures reports on the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) publishing its six-monthly diversity update, with vice president Lubna Shuja quoted.
Judicial diversity is also covered by the New Law Journal, with Stephanie quoted.
Title fraud
Inside Conveyancing reports on new guidance to help homeowners avoid property title fraud, with Stephanie quoted.
Anti-money laundering
A think tank report recommending an overhaul of anti-money laundering (AML) legislation is covered by Law.com (£).
Law firms allocate "substantial costs and resources" to comply with their AML and financial crime obligations, said a Law Society spokesperson.
Premature release
The Times picks up on the Gazette's story about the growing problem of prisoners being wrongly released because outsourced security firm employees fail to understand the meaning of sentences.
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