Justice Matters

The Dublin system determines that asylum applications in the EU must be made in the country into which the asylum seeker first arrives. The Syrian refugee crisis exposes the system as not fit for purpose, argues Chris McWatters  

Most people following the story of Syrian refugees tramping through Europe were horrified by this September’s images of desperate families being fought off with tear gas and water cannon at the Hungarian and Croatian frontiers.  

Bob Hutchinson, who recently resigned after serving for 11 years as a magistrate, outlines the impact of CCCs on magistrates’ discretion and judicial fairness  

In April this year the Government introduced the criminal court charge (CCC) in England and Wales.  

In the second interview in this Counsel series, Melissa Coutinho speaks to family law blogger, Lucy Reed  

Lucy Reed is the creator of Pink Tape , a blog started in 2007 which led to her being one of the The Times’  top legal bloggers (March 2011) and was described in The Guardian  in May 2011 as “one of the best legal bloggers for style and content”.  

Following the Supreme Court’s decision in Arnold v Britton, are the courts returning to a more traditional approach to the construction of contracts, asks Benjamin Pilling QC  

At the heart of many commercial cases is a written agreement.  

Michael Jones outlines the highlights of The Advocate’s Gateway International Conference on addressing vulnerability in the justice system  

As a family practitioner all too familiar with the issues and obstacles involved with vulnerable witnesses, particularly children, I was anticipating taking a great deal away from the Advocacy Training Council (ATC) and The Advocate’s Gateway International Conference.  

Following the first conviction under the new law, Neelam Sarkaria and Detective Chief Superintendent Gerry Campbell ask whether legislation alone can eradicate the evil of forced marriage and protect its victims  

“Forced marriage is a gross abuse of human rights.  

The HELP Programme (the European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) supports the Council of Europe member states in implementing the European Convention on Human Rights at the national level.Simon O’Toole explains  

Over the past 20 years the international community has become aware of the deficiencies and gaps in political governance in states, the increasing power of transnational businesses, and the potential of businesses to affect negatively the rights of individuals. 

Steven Powles highlights the possible threats to democracy and the rule of law posed by the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership  

Ever since the general election, much attention has rightly focused on the government’s intention to scrap the Human Rights Act 1998.  

The Harris Review report reveals some harrowing truths about life for young people in prison, as Stephen Cragg QC reports, with comment from Frances Crook  

At the beginning of 2014, I was appointed to the Independent Advisory Panel (IAP) on Deaths in Custody, providing independent advice to the government on deaths in prisons, police stations, immigration detention centres, mental hospitals and anywhere else where the state deprived people of their liberty. 

The government’s present proposals to replace the Human Rights Act 1998 are seriously flawed, says Dominic Grieve QC MP