Law in Practice

Paul Marshall considers the legal concept of a homeless person and some lawyers who have volunteered at Christmas explain how readers can help  

The dessicated calculus of vulnerability has yet to find its Jonathan Swift. 

In April, the Government introduced charges into the criminal courts. These charges have proved controversial and there are calls for an urgent review. The Chairman of the Bar, Alistair MacDonald QC, explains the profession’s concerns  

One of the last acts of the Coalition Government was, without any sort of debate, to slip into legislation criminal court charges payable by defendants.  

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.  

The Criminal Bar has just received a Better Case Management Information Pack. Peter Hungerford-Welch explains the background to its arrival, the new case management system and what this means for counsel  

In January 2015, the Review of Efficiency in Criminal Proceedings  by Sir Brian Leveson was published.  

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.  

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”.  

The Howard League for Penal Reform is campaigning for an immediate review of the criminal courts charge. Here its director of campaigns, Andrew Neilson, explains why  

A man, 22, of no fixed abode.  

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. 

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 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.