Quarterly criminal court stats
Official criminal court statistics for October to December last year released yesterday were covered by the Telegraph (£) and also Yahoo. At the end of the quarter, there were 58,818 outstanding Crown Court cases and 369,261 outstanding cases in the magistrates' courts.
Law Society of England and Wales president I. Stephanie Boyce said: "The government's botched response to the Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid sent out a clear message that the Ministry of Justice is simply not serious about tackling the crisis in the criminal justice system.
"The proposed 9% fee increase for hard-pressed criminal defence solicitors is woefully inadequate. They will continue to leave the profession in their droves unless the government changes tack urgently."
Also in Legal Futures
Visit of Ukrainian bar president
The Times (£) spoke to Anna Ogrenchuk, president of the Ukrainian Bar Association, mentioning she has met with Stephanie and Mark Fenhalls from the Bar Council.
Undiverse judiciary
The Gazette reports on the review of the Judicial Appointments Commission's statutory consultation process.
I. Stephanie Boyce said the commission should stop trying to justify a 'failed' process and engage with what it actually delivers. "There is no doubt that applicants from under-represented backgrounds are much less likely to be successful in making it through judicial selection.
"We know a diverse pool of candidates is applying – not least from among the much more diverse solicitor profession. They're just not making it through the process in the same numbers. It is time for the whole appointments system to be overhauled to deliver a more diverse judiciary."
LSB business plan response
The Law Society's response to the Legal Services Board business plan is recorded in Today's Conveyancer.
'No fault' divorce
Vice president Lubna Shuja writes in Eastern Eye (page 18) about 'no fault' divorce, which comes into force on 6 April.
"Introducing a law which removes blame culture around divorce can only be good for the couples who are considering divorcing"
Also worth a read:
- PM backtracks over LGBT conversion practices ban after backlash – Guardian
- Energy price rises hit millions – BBC
- Banks say plans to sanction all Russian nationals would breach equality laws – City AM
- UK military chief weighs in on Ukraine invasion – Evening Standard
- Criminal defence solicitor cops £25k fine – Gazette
- Hong Kong: the judges staying on – IBT
- Obvious April Fools story – Roll on Friday