THIS ISSUE
What does this term of Parliament have in store?
The shocking, lurid reporting of British backpacker Grace Millane’s murder trial serves as a reminder that the ‘rough sex’ defence continues to be used to trivialise violence against women and deny victims justice.
Lady Hale retires from the Supreme Court this month, leaving a trove of case law with ‘massive breadth’, writes family lawyer & NLJ columnist David Burrows in this week’s NLJ
Irrelevant details about a victim’s sexual history are not a defence to murder or assault, says Claire Christopholus
The Law Commission has launched its proposals for reform of leasehold, which it claims could potentially save homeowners millions of pounds
Nottingham Law School has won a contract to provide solicitor apprenticeships to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
David Cooper breaks down the costs ruling in Monex
Malicious prosecution of civil claims—a difficult claim to pursue. Kathryn Garbett & Mehmet Karagoz report
With a new Government sworn in, Michael Zander provides an update on what has changed from the No 1 Bill
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Freeths—Rachel Crosier
Projects and rail practices strengthened by director hire in London
Bird & Bird—Gordon Moir
London tech and comms team boosted by telecoms and regulatory hires
DWF—Stephen Hickling
Real estate team in Birmingham welcomes back returning partner
NEWS
The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 transformed criminal justice. Writing in NLJ this week, Ed Cape of UWE and Matthew Hardcastle and Sandra Paul of Kingsley Napley trace its ‘seismic impact’
Operational resilience is no longer optional. Writing in NLJ this week, Emma Radmore and Michael Lewis of Womble Bond Dickinson explain how UK regulators expect firms to identify ‘important business services’ that could cause ‘intolerable levels of harm’ if disrupted
Criminal juries may be convicting—or acquitting—on a misunderstanding. Writing in NLJ this week Paul McKeown, Adrian Keane and Sally Stares of The City Law School and LSE report troubling survey findings on the meaning of ‘sure’
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has narrowly preserved a key weapon in its anti-corruption arsenal. In this week's NLJ, Jonathan Fisher KC of Red Lion Chambers examines Guralp Systems Ltd v SFO, in which the High Court ruled that a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) remained in force despite the company’s failure to disgorge £2m by the stated deadline
As the drip-feed of Epstein disclosures fuels ‘collateral damage’, the rush to cry misconduct in public office may be premature. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke of Hill Dickinson warns that the offence is no catch-all for political embarrassment. It demands a ‘grave departure’ from proper standards, an ‘abuse of the public’s trust’ and conduct ‘sufficiently serious to warrant criminal punishment’
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