Editor, Solicitors Journal

SIMON'S LAW

9 Jan 2019News

A campaign for a change in the law to force some violent offenders to make lifelong payments to the NHS has begun. The campaign follows an assault on a football fan who was left with permanent brain damage. In 2015, 47-year-old Simon Dobbin was attacked after a football match by twelve fans who were all jailed for the assault. His wife has called for a 'Simon's Law' to force such offenders to pay a percentage of their income or benefits to the NHS for life to help fund the cost of ongoing care and support for victims. The campaign is also calling for an increase in the court's sentencing powers in these types of case. BLEAK HOUSE There are 120,000 children living in temporary accommodation in England and 585,000 children are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, according to Children's Commissioner Anne Longfield. Her report, 'Bleak houses: Tackling the crisis of family homelessness in England', also revealed a further 465,000 children are either 'sofa-surfing' or in families financially at risk of becoming homeless. The report reveals children are living in converted shipping containers and office blocks, in bed and breakfast accommodation, in cramped conditions and often miles away from their schools. The figures do not include homeless children placed in temporary accommodation by children's services for which no publicly available data is available. The Commissioner made 21 recommendations to government. 21 August 2019

Legal News desk contact: editorial@solicitorsjournal.com

Latest Articles

Generative AI in law: opportunity, risk and responsibility

AI promises efficiency in legal practice, but unchecked use risks errors, sanctions, and damage to public confidence

EU moves to reset medical devices regulation

The Commission proposes structural reforms to stabilise, simplify and future-proof the EU medical devices regulatory framework

Why UK paternity leave still fails families

The UK’s paternity leave framework lags Europe, undermining families, equality and long-term economic resilience

Agent signatures fail for trust declarations

Court of Appeal rules that declarations of trust over land must be personally signed to satisfy statutory formalities

The UK anti-corruption strategy: pillar one in focus

How the UK’s latest Anti-Corruption Strategy seeks to disrupt corrupt networks, incentivise whistleblowers, and strengthen enforcement

CD&R Galaxy UK Opco Limited fined £33,438

CD&R Galaxy UK Opco Limited has agreed to a financial penalty and investigation costs following regulatory breaches identified by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Using US discovery to support English litigation

How Section 1782 offers a powerful, underused route to obtain US-based evidence for foreign proceedings

FCA priorities and predictions for 2026

A forward-looking assessment of the FCA’s recent focus and what FS regulatory lawyers can expect in the year ahead

Why judge-only trials won’t fix court backlogs

Proposals to curb jury trials risk fairness, worsen delays, and ignore the real causes of Crown Court backlogs

Regulatory progress under Martyn’s Law

Ronnie Megaughin reflects on his experience as Interim Executive Director and shares the important developments made in the regulation of Martyn’s Law over the past six months

International taskforce unveils bribery indicators

The Serious Fraud Office and Five Eyes nations release guidance to identify foreign bribery indicators for businesses

Government appoints interim commissioners to EHRC

The Government has appointed Ali Harris and Professor Shazia Choudhry as interim commissioners at the EHRC while new commissioners are recruited

Joey Barton: where online speech becomes criminal

The sentencing clarifies how courts are drawing limits on free expression in the digital age

Impecuniosity, mitigation and credit hire on appeal

The High Court clarifies the limits of impecuniosity and appellate restraint in challenges to credit hire awards

Lawyer reflects on New York courts

A London lawyer shares insights from his visit to a busy New York City Criminal Court

SJ Interview: Joelle Grogan

Dr Joelle Grogan is a legal scholar specialising in the rule of law in times of crisis. She presents The Law Show on BBC Radio 4, and is Co-Academic Director of the Rule of Law Clinic at the CEU Democracy Institute (Budapest), and a Senior Research Fellow at the UCD Sutherland School of Law. Her work focuses on constitutional accountability, emergency powers, and legal misinformation. In this interview, she examines the pressures facing the rule of law in the UK, from executive power and court delays to media narratives, emergencies, and the impact of AI on legal practice.

Justice reform risks targeting the wrong fix

As 2026 approaches, ministers eye jury trials while ignoring deeper causes of England’s criminal justice crisis