Archive

Legal Complaints Service postpones decision on plan to publish complaints

The Legal Complaints Service (LCS) is to postpone a decision on whether to publish details of adjudicated complaints of inadequate professional service against solicitors' firms.

Solicitors attack BBC mini-series for “appalling distortion” of justice system

The Criminal Law Solicitors Association is to write to the BBC to complain about the mini-series Criminal Justice screened last week, Solicitors Journal has learned.

No room at the inn

The Housing Act 1996 was meant to provide a safety net for the homeless but some local authorities are avoiding their responsibilities, say Jim Shepherd and Nik Antoniades

Part 36 offers following Carver

The ruling in Carver is a mandate to defendants to undersettle claims but there are ways around it, says John Coughlan

Genetic discrimination: the need for legislation

The government should take the opportunity of the Single Equality Bill to introduce legislation pre-empting the possibility of genetic discrimination, says Andrew Thompson

Update: planning and environmental law

Gregory Jones reviews cases on appeals procedure, strategic environmental assessments and green belt boundaries

Update: tax

Richard Bunker reviews issues raised over the government's 10p tax climbdown, inheritance tax, changes to penalties for return errors and offshore disclosure facilities

Anonymous and transparent

The Past few days we have heard the sound of screeching brakes being applied to the potential juggernaut of the ability to call witnesses anonymously. The House of Lords, in the case of Davis, has thrown out an ice axe to stop the slide down the slippery slope of having trials without letting the defendant know who it is who is giving evidence against them. In all but the uncontroversial set of circumstances, a timely reminder that this is not what our justice system is all about has just been issued.