Innocence tax
BBC writes about the wrongly convicted individuals who do not qualify for legal aid and spend thousands to prove their innocence – otherwise known by campaigners as the ‘innocence tax’.
Chair of the Criminal Law Committee Stuart Nolan said: “you're innocent and you're taxed by the state - you have to pay for your defence when you shouldn't, I would say.”
Backlog in fraud cases
Biggleswade Today, Bedford Today, Luton Today, Leighton Buzzard Observer continue coverage of unprecedented delays in fraud cases.
Law Society President Lubna Shuja: "The long waiting time for fraud cases to come to trial may in part be due to the complexity of the cases, especially as they often involve a number of defendants.
"Such cases often are long trials which require weeks of court time. This means they are more difficult for listing officers to schedule.
"They inevitably take longer to reach trial than simpler, single defendant cases might, especially now with the huge backlogs in the criminal courts."
SRA takes control of scheme
The Times Brief mentions the Law Society in a piece about the Solicitors Regulation Authority formally taken over the management of the Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF).
Law Society President Lubna Shuja responded: “We are delighted the SRA will continue to provide consumers with the vital protections of the SIF.
“This move followed extensive lobbying from the Law Society on behalf of solicitors and their clients, urging the SRA to work with us, the insurance industry and wider stakeholders to find a sustainable solution to the issue of run-off indemnity cover and long-term consumer protection.”
Fixed recoverable costs
New Law Journal covers our concerns over the extension of fixed recoverable costs (FRC).
Law Society President Lubna Shuja said: “There are too many unanswered questions around how the regime will work in practice.
The government’s intention with these reforms has been to provide certainty for litigation costs, but the lack of clarity emerging from the reforms will surely lead to years of satellite litigation. At the very least, the government needs to provide further guidance in support of the rules.”
New Lady Chief Justice
The Press and Journal reports on Dame Sue Carr becoming Lady Chief Justice.
Law Society President Lubna Shuja said: “We look forward to working with Dame Sue Carr as she takes office.
“This is a historic moment which I am proud to witness.
“I hope it will lead to further progress on women’s representation within the judiciary.
“Around a third of judges in our courts are women, with even fewer in the senior judiciary.”
Legal ethics
Gazette Editor Paul Rogerson writes on legal ethics, mentioning Law Society President Lubna Shuja picked a good year to choose legal ethics as the theme of her presidency.
Employer protections for carers
Max Winthrop, Chair of our Employment Law Committee, spoke to BBC Radio Essex (from 3:20:05) about employment rights when someone has to take a lot of time off work to care for a loved one.
Also worth a read: