THIS ISSUE
Why the coronavirus excuse for delay won’t hold water with the commercial courts for much longer, according to Sarah Murray
The Post Office scandal is just one example of miscarriage of justice in a system which is no longer fit for purpose, says Jon Robins
With all the chaos of remote working, home schooling and other disruptions during the pandemic, it is not surprising that lawyers and litigants struggling with deadlines have cited COVID-19 as an excuse, Sarah Murray, head of dispute resolution at Stevens & Bolton, writes in this week’s NLJ.
The shocking wrongful convictions of sub-postmasters has been described as ‘the biggest miscarriage of justice in British legal history’.
Gaps in provision remain as Domestic Violence Bill clears final hurdle
Barristers and advocates have warned against widespread adoption of remote hearings post-pandemic.
The High Court has clarified that a test for capacity from an 1870 case remains good law, in a bitter wills dispute between two siblings.
Proposals to allow electronic versions of bills of lading, bills of exchange and other documents have been launched by the Law Commission.
Lawyers welcomed the news that the European Parliament ratified the UK’s Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) with the EU last week, but warned questions remained unresolved.
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva
Group partner joins Guernsey banking and finance practice
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Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson
London labour and employment team announces partner hire
Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly
Double partner appointment marks Belfast expansion
NEWS
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not done enough to protect the future sustainability of the legal aid market, MPs have warned
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
Boris Johnson’s 2019 attempt to shut down Parliament remains a constitutional cautionary tale. The move, framed as a routine exercise of the royal prerogative, was in truth an extraordinary effort to sideline Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC dissects how prorogation was wrongly assumed to be beyond judicial scrutiny, only for the Supreme Court to intervene unanimously
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