Crown court backlog
More than 50 outlets have picked up our comments on the state of the crown court backlog in England and Wales, including the Independent, ITV News, Daily Mail, the Evening Standard, MSN UK, MSN New Zealand, Yahoo! UK, Germanic News, Les Actualités, the Courier, the Express and Star, the Belfast Telegraph, the Press and Journal, Guernsey Press, the Shropshire Star and the Jersey Evening Post.
A report from the inspectorates for the police, prosecutors, prisons, and probation service warned that the recruitment of 200,000 police officers "will do little to address the lack of experienced detectives." The report said that by the end of last year a quarter of crown court cases were waiting for more than a year to be heard.
Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce said "Sustained investment is needed across the criminal justice system and, as the report points out, the plan must be coordinated for the system to recover, otherwise changes in one area will have a negative impact on another."
Passport expiry
The Independent reports that DFDS ferries is being stricter than EU law in relation to passport validity for travel between the UK and the EU, only accepting passports which are no more than nine years and nine months old by the time you depart the EU. EU law stipulates that it must be no longer than ten years since a passport was issued at the time that you arrive in the EU, according to the article.
Gary Rycroft, a member of our council membership committee explains "Denying a passenger boarding by saying their passport is not valid, when it is in fact perfectly valid, is unlawful."
The article is picked up by MSN UK, MSN New Zealand, MSN Ireland, Yahoo! UK, Newsbreak, the World News, Verified News Explorer Network, Internet Explorer Channel Network and Swift Telecast.
Global Legal Centre
The Gazette looks at London International Disputes Week, where Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce gave a keynote address and highlighted the benefits of English law.
"Based on the principle of freedom of contract, English law allows businesses and individuals to tailor bespoke agreements to fit their specific needs, offering commercial flexibility. Based on the doctrine of precedent, English law also helps commercial parties predict an outcome of a legal dispute with a greater level of certainty. English law is very stable, stretching back hundreds of years and based on well-established principles. English law is transparent, with parties not having to worry that local courts will fetter their ability to exercise contractual rights.
"Our common law is familiar to the English-speaking nations around the world, from the United States to India, Canada to Hong Kong, Australia to Singapore. It is familiar to those from civil jurisdictions who have used it in their contracts and know it works. English law can also arguably evolve more quickly than statute-based law."
Early disclosure scheme
Business Fast and Business Mayor cover a report from the University of Nottingham which revealed that police and defence lawyers show a mixed understanding of pre-charge engagement (PCE). The article mentions that the Law Society has been calling for the Ministry of Justice to pay for preparatory work done ahead of PCE.
Find a Solicitor
The Guardian recommends our Find a Solicitor database in an article on how to prepare your home for sale.
Also worth a read:
- Wages fall sharply but unemployment rate drops – BBC
- Warning poorest households struggling to get £150 energy rebate – BBC
- Private papers show extent of row between Patel and police leaders – Guardian
- Northern Ireland: Truss to set out plans on post-Brexit deal – BBC
- Poor families skipping meals and unable to afford heating, charity says – Guardian