Judges’ sentencing remarks in eight Crown Courts are to be filmed but not broadcast, the Ministry of Justice and Lord Thomas, the Lord Chief Justice, have announced. The pilot will allow television cameras into the Crown Court for the first time. The three-month pilot will take place in the Old Bailey and the Crown Courts at Southwark, Manchester (Crown Square), Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Leeds and Cardiff. Lord Thomas said the cameras would film only the judge and not court staff, victims, witnesses, defendants, advocates or other court users.
25 March 2016
Cameras in Crown Court
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Birketts—Nathan Evans
Commercial and technology team in Cambridge strengthened by partner hire
Andrew & Andrew Solicitors—Shikha Datta
Hampshire firm appoints head of new family department
Latham & Watkins—Sarah Lightdale
Firm strengthens securities practice with partner return
NEWS
From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed
Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
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