Court infrastructure report
Local Government Lawyer and Oxford Mail continue coverage of the Law Society’s recent report on the state of court infrastructure and the impact of disrepair on court delays and backlogs.
The piece outlines our five-step plan aimed at resolving delays and backlogs.
Rwanda asylum ruling
LexisNexis (£) reports on the Law Society’s response to the High Court’s ruling that the Rwanda asylum removal policy is lawful.
End-of-year review
Jonathan Goldsmith, chair of the Law Society’s Policy & Regulatory Affairs Committee, outlines this year’s most important developments and our reactions to each event – as reported in the Gazette.
Solicitors Indemnity Fund
Legal Futures mentions the Law Society in discussing the SRA’s plan to shut down the Solicitors Indemnity Fund and replace it with an in-house scheme.
“In its response to the consultation, the Law Society said the SRA’s in-house scheme ‘will ensure consumer interests are protected’ as the new proposals were intended to ‘replicate the same access to, and scope of, indemnity as SIF.’”
Backlogs in rape cases
Police Professional cites the Law Society’s research on court backlogs to highlight the impact of these delays on rape cases in England and Wales.
“According to the Law Society, by June 2021 these closures had contributed to a backlog of more than 386,000 cases in the magistrates’ courts and – because every serious case starts off with a brief hearing in a magistrates’ court – more than 58,000 delayed Crown Court cases, including many rape cases.”
Delivery rights
Gary Rycroft, a member of the Law Society’s Council Membership Committee, spoke to The Money Edit about legal grey-areas to watch out for in food delivery apps.
Gary is quoted: “Strictly speaking, what is happening with fees not being disclosed until the last stage in the ordering process may not be unlawful, but it is sneaky and certainly not within the spirit of the law, which was drafted so that consumers have the legal right to make informed choices.”
He is also mentioned in Good Housekeeping advising on customer’s parcel delivery rights.
Also worth a read:
- New SRA transparency rules – Gazette, Legal Futures
- Prison staff training for immigration detainees – Gazette
- High number of vacancies in Dominic Raab’s office – Independent
- Increased diversity & inclusion within legal profession – Legal Futures
- Transgender reform in Scotland - BBC
- Debate over second referendum in Scotland – Times (£)