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06 September 2023
Issue: 8039 / Categories: Legal News , Construction , Health & safety , Property
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RAAC concrete in court

Harrow Crown Court closed in August after surveyors present on the site for improvement works warned the building could collapse due to the use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

The Ministry of Justice has said it will take steps to find alternative sites for cases listed at the court.

RAAC, which was used to build courts, schools and hospitals from the 1950s to the 1990s, has exceeded its viable lifespan and now poses a serious risk. According to the Health and Safety Executive, it ‘is liable to collapse with little or no notice’.

Issue: 8039 / Categories: Legal News , Construction , Health & safety , Property
printer mail-details

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Thackray Williams—Lucy Zhu

Thackray Williams—Lucy Zhu

Dual-qualified partner joins as head of commercial property department

Morgan Lewis—David A. McManus

Morgan Lewis—David A. McManus

Firm announces appointment of next chair

Burges Salmon—Rebecca Wilsker

Burges Salmon—Rebecca Wilsker

Director joins corporate team from the US

NEWS
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Disputing parties are expected to take part in alternative dispute resolution (ADR), where this is suitable for their case. At what point, however, does refusing to participate cross the threshold of ‘unreasonable’ and attract adverse costs consequences?
When it comes to free legal advice, demand massively outweighs supply. 'Millions of people are excluded from access to justice as they don’t have anywhere to turn for free advice—or don’t know that they can ask for help,' Bhavini Bhatt, development director at the Access to Justice Foundation, writes in this week's NLJ
When an ex-couple is deciding who gets what in the divorce or civil partnership dissolution, when is it appropriate for a third party to intervene? David Burrows, NLJ columnist and solicitor advocate, considers this thorny issue in this week’s NLJ
NLJ's latest Charities Appeals Supplement has been published in this week’s issue
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