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01 July 2021
Issue: 7939 / Categories: Legal News , In Court
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#ThinkBeforeYouPost

The Attorney General has warned against social media posts that prejudice trials, following a rash of incidents

One woman streamed more than an hour of her partner’s Crown court trial to Facebook. In February 2021, she received a four-month suspended sentence and a costs bill of £500.

Another woman posted information and photographs that she said were of Jon Venables (a court order forbidding identification of Venables has been in place since 2001), and got an eight-month suspended sentence and a £10,000 costs order for her troubles. Contempt proceedings for breaching the same court order have been brought against a further eight people.

Attorney General Michael Ellis QC this week launched a #ThinkBeforeYouPost campaign to highlight the dangers of posting prejudicial information online. Contempt attracts punishment of a fine or up to two years in prison.

Ellis said: ‘A mis-judged tweet or post could have grave repercussions and interfere with a trial.’

Issue: 7939 / Categories: Legal News , In Court
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Ward Hadaway—Barnaby Rosenthall

Construction lawyer returns to Ward Hadaway in Teesside role

Bird & Bird—Shahin Baghaei

Bird & Bird—Shahin Baghaei

Bird Bird hires leading legal transformation expert

NEWS
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

How forcefully can a litigant criticise a public authority before robust advocacy crosses the line into unreasonable conduct? 
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