LoretoLaw

Sentencing, Stephen Lawrence and the Rule of Law

2012-01-05T08:47:00.000Z

Mr Justice Treacy's sentencing remarks in the Stephen Lawrence case are now available to view. As students - have a read and see if you can identify aggravating and mitigating factors referred to by the judge.

The BBC also have a good clip here from an interview prior to the sentences being passed in which a barrister explains how the judge will approach matters.

As the offences in question were prior to Schedule 21 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 on sentencing for murder - the Act does not apply to Dobson and Norris. Accordingly they were sentenced as juveniles, under the law which applied at the time. Whilst some have expressed concerns that this means shorter sentences than they would receive under the modern law, it is in accordance with the rule of law that laws should not have retrospective effect. In other words, if a law is to be applied it should have been in force at the relevant time.

£10m tax bill? Forget it!

2011-10-11T17:53:00.004+01:00

Ooops....

....appears to be have been the essence of the agreement between Goldman Sachs and an Inland Revenue official according to this story. My question to A2 Contract Law students is: in principle, would you expect such an agreement to be legally binding? Why/why not? Which case does it remind you of?

Comments please!

EasyDispute

2011-09-29T11:40:00.000+01:00

This story about the (still) part-owner of EasyJet and entrepreneur Stelios Haji-Ioannu starting up a new airline has obvious contract law implications.
The Telegraph article says:

In a "comfort letter", Sir Stelios undertakes among other things not to "acquire an interest in any other airline" in the European Economic Area or Switzerland for two years, in return for £300,000 annually for five years.

We haven't reached this part of the syllabus yet... but if any Loreto Manchester A2 student can tell me what type of contractual issue this raises and provide a case, there may be a small prize!

Note I said "may".... once a lawyer....

Back to the Future: A Modern Legal Apprenticeship

2011-09-27T17:44:00.000+01:00

As AS Law students will no doubt be about to learn, a legal education can be an expensive business when you factor in the cost of a degree as well as GDL/LPC/BVC depending on your chosen route into the profession. Perhaps it's not too surprising then to see that lawyers themselves are now arguing that the time is right for a new route into the profession in the form of Modern Legal Apprenticeships. Strangely, these almost hark back to the old days of doing your "articles" by on-the-job training. For an example, see the scheme run by prestigous firm Pinsent Masons in conjunction with ILEX.

Another example of reform to the legal training process is shortened law degree programmes such as the one offered by the College of Law (if you want to find out more about this, they are holding a web seminar, or "webinar", on 5th Oct - click here for details).

Acceptance Mega MindMap!

2011-05-26T09:22:00.000+01:00

Law of Contract Special Study Paper 2011

2010-12-01T20:00:00.001Z

Open publication - Free publishing

Oceanbulk Shipping v TMT Asia

2010-11-16T19:18:00.005Z

A big boat, yesterday.

This case, decided recently in the Supreme Court, makes useful reading for Contract Law students.

The court can consider the objective facts of the parties pre-contractual negotiations when trying to work out the true intentions of the parties - but NOT those negotiations entered into on a "without prejudice" basis.

Until now, that is. It appears that "without prejudice" negotiations may now be admissible if it helps the judge work out the intentions of the parties in order to rule on exactly how the contract should be constructed.

It may help A2 students to think of such negotiations as representations, but ones that carry a rider effectively saying "don't rely on this". This allows the parties to speak freely when negotiating.

So is it a good idea to create an exception to the without prejudice rule? Is this fair, or not? What's the impact on certainty? Have a think!

Oceanbulk is also a case where the Court took into account the (persuasive) decision of a lower Court - namely the Court of Appeal in Unilever v Proctor & Gamble [2000] 1 WLR 2436.

If this case seems dry to you, you might want to consider the damages at stake - between three and four hundred million dollars. Yikes!

Great article on dissenting judgments...

2010-11-16T18:59:00.000Z

...from the Guardian here. Essential reading for all A level law students!

AS students - we will be looking at dissenting judgments in the new year.

Promissory Estoppel

2010-10-22T09:47:00.000+01:00

There's a podcast and article on this tricky topic for A2 Contract Law students here. It's very detailed but you may wish to give it a go!

Radmacher v Granatino - we want pre-nup!

2010-10-20T20:35:00.002+01:00

The Supreme Court has today made a landmark ruling by a margin of 8 to 1. They have decided that pre-nuptial agreements between spouses will now have "decisive weight" when it comes to divorce. This is not quite as far as saying that "pre-nups" will be legally binding, but it's not far off. The Court will look at fairness on a case-by-case basis, but the old presumption that pre-nups are not worth the paper they are written on now appears to be dead and buried.

It has also saved German heiress Katrin Radmacher (above) an awful lot of money!

AS students: this is an example of judicial law-making. Should judges be deciding things like this, or should it be left to Parliament? It's also an example of a decision overruling the previous case law to create a new legal principle - you will look at the judicial precedent system in the new year. Thirdly, it is a really good example of the law changing with changing societal values and of law reform, as the Law Commission are currently looking into this matter and will report on it in 2012.

A2 students: this is also an example of changing contract law. The presumption of the Court is usually that social and domestic agreements are not legally binding - but it appears not any more where pre-nups are concerned. So - are the Court prioritising freedom to contract when they should be protecting the weaker party? Will the fairness requirement solve this, or is "fairness" too vague a concept to rely on if one party is almost pressured into accepting a pre-nup as a condition of marriage? These concerns are detailed further in this article.

You can read more on this here and here.

"I am not prepared to grant any relief"...

2010-10-13T19:35:00.000+01:00

...so said Mr Justice Floyd in the High Court today, making a ruling that sees the owners of Liverpool FC, Gillett and Hicks, lose their battle to stop the sale of the club, clearing the way for it to be sold to the company that owns the Boston Red Sox, New England Sports Ventures.

As this is a matter of company law and also involves the interests of the bank to whom the owners owe serious amounts of wedge, the venue was the High Court, Chancery Division. You can read an account of the proceedings here, and watch a video.

Gillett and Hicks have been refused permission to appeal by the trial judge, but given the amount they stand to lose, I wouldn't be surprised if they make an application to the Court of Appeal for permission as a last throw of the dice.

Eversheds Unlocked

2010-09-05T07:51:00.003+01:00

For our new AS law students it's important to be aware of the many CV-boosting opportunities that are available to sixth form students with an eye on a legal career. In particular, Pathways to Law is a fantastic opportunity. It was through this programme that our very own Bilal Muhammad progressed to take part in Eversheds Unlocked . Bilal shows what you can do whilst still at College if you have the drive and determination!

To watch a short video about Eversheds Unlocked, click here .

Help... or pity?

2010-06-11T18:07:00.002+01:00

The Law Society, as part of their drive to promote solicitors in general to the public, have re-launched this ad campaign:

What do you think? Is it better than their previous effort (below), which some described as pitiful?

Comments very welcome!

A2 Law Exam Dates

2010-06-11T14:54:00.000+01:00

Thursday, 17th June (PM): A2 Law of Contract
Friday, 25th June (AM): Special Study Paper Resit

Good luck...

2010-05-28T08:34:00.002+01:00

...to all Loreto College law students taking their AS exam papers this afternoon.

if you're doing Sources of Law, remember to link to the source!!!

Get revising

2010-05-15T07:34:00.005+01:00

Just found this revision website (thanks to Richard Green from Wood Green School in Witney) - good for planning a revision timetable, activities, revision cards.... oh, and good for procrastination too I suppose!

The more I look at this site the better it seems - for starters, there are a whopping 394 law rresources on there, from flashcards to quizzes and crosswords. There are also law study groups, or you could create your own.

Let me know what you all think.

Revision flashcards - judicial precedent

2010-04-25T07:33:00.009+01:00

Quizlet is a good site for making revision flashcards and testing yourself -here's a set I have prepared on judicial precedent...

clicky.

BCA v Singh

2010-04-15T09:33:00.010+01:00

...is an important recent ruling of the Court of Appeal that has several interesting applications for AS law students.

Singh is a journalist who published an article in the Guardian newspaper that was critical of chiropractors, and in particular of claims that their treatment was effective for things such as prolonged crying in infants. He was subsequently sued for libel by the British Chiropractors' Association.

The judge at first instance found that Singh's assertion that chiropractors "happily promote bogus treatments" meant, to paraphrase "deliberately untruthful". Libel law requires a defendant to prove the truth of such a statement - this is a reversal of the usual burden of proof. Obviously, based on that finding, Singh would struggle to prove his allegation to be true.

However, Singh's view was that the judge was wrong on this, and he therefore appealed to the Court of Appeal, whose recent judgment supports Singh's view, which is that his article was comment rather than a statement of fact. Although this was only a preliminary ruling, the BCA have now discontinued their action against Singh.

There are several points for you to note here:

Firstly, the campaign for libel reform is a great example of influcences on law reform - in this case, pressure groups. All parties have now committed in their manifestos to consider the issue.

Secondly, the judges in the Court of Appeal relied in part on an American case, Underwager v Salter. This is an example of the persuasive effect of foreign judgments on English courts.

Thirdly, there are links here to the rule of law, and in particular to the idea that everyone is equal before the law. Some say libel law is used by the rich as a muzzle to silence their critics, effectively using the huge costs of defending a libel action to force critics to back down, or risk bankruptcy.

Mistake picture quiz - answers!

2010-04-12T22:16:00.001+01:00

As requested....!

Mistake Picture Quiz Answers

Illegality and Restraint Picture Quiz

2010-04-12T21:34:00.002+01:00

Illegality And Restraint Picture Quiz

Panayiotou v Sony Music International

2010-03-31T15:41:00.002+01:00

This case is an interesting extra for A2 Law of Contract students.

Have a look at the following powerpoint presentation for a summary!

Panayiotou V Sony Music International

A day with a barrister!

2010-03-26T13:05:00.008Z

On the 5th of December 2009, we were fortunate to shadow Ms Henshaw (right), a qualified barrister. It was an eye opening experience, as we got an insight to how the legal system really works.

The day started with us reporting to Chambers where Ms Henshaw was based at 9.00AM. We were asked to prepare evidence for the case that was to be heard in court later on that day. Our job was to research the area which the defendant in question was arrested. We had to provide maps, which would be presented to the judge to show that the area was rural.

On our way to Manchester Crown Court Ms Henshaw took the opportunity to brief us on the case that we were about to hear. She also informed us that we were not permitted to discuss the case matters within the court premises, due to right of privacy to protect the information given in confidentiality. We had to go through the normal procedure at court which included going through a security check as they were very particular about what was brought into the court premises. Ms Henshaw took us to a room where barristers kept their belongings and prepared themselves for the day’s work, we were very excited as we got to meet other barristers.

The case was about a man who was arrested in the rural area of Hertfordshire (London).

He was said to have been wandering along the road, when a police officer stopped and search him, discovering 3 knives in his possession. It was Ms Henshaw's job to prove that he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time and was on an adventure to strengthen his survival skills as he mentioned that he was a big fan of Ray Mears. She stated that there was no obligation for hime to be sectioned in this case under section 2 of the Mental Health Act.

The prosecutor said that the defendant had no lawful reasons to carry 4 knives around the public area. The court considered key issues such as the fact that he had a medical history of mental illness.

He had 2 stand knives and 2 kitchen knives. He was dressed in a black hooded jacket and also had tracksuit on. We questioned if he was only approached because he fitted in with the stereotype of boys with hoodies being suspicious, he was arrested in a rural area and as he had problems with his speaking at the time, he couldn’t respond to the police officer and also could not be interviewed. The courts had to decide if he had a good enough reason to be carrying the knives.

We noticed that the jury hearing the trial were all white with one exception. Their age ranged within 30-45. There were 7 females and 5 males and when asked to take an oath, 10 were religious, that swearing with the bible while the remaining two chose to affirm.

In our opinion, we think they gave a fair verdict as it we were truly convinced he wasn’t guilty. We also noticed that the judge knew the jury from a different case and made us question whether it might have affected the overall verdict.

We had a brilliant experience and we would like to thank Miss Henshaw for taking the time to let us shadow her!

Timi Ola and Priscilla Marfoa

PS Miss Henshaw is currently on a sabbatical. As part of this she is looking at the legal systems and human rights in the countries she visits (including, to date, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand, with Uganda, amongst others, to come) Read her blog here.

Judicial Precedent Picture Quiz

2010-03-26T13:01:00.002Z

Judicial Precedent Picture Quiz

A2 Law of Contract - Mistake -guess the case!

2010-03-12T20:25:00.001Z

Mistake Picture Quiz

View more presentations from Andy Howells.

Congratulations!

2010-03-12T19:40:00.006Z

A big WELL DONE to our Loreto Law students for their brilliant module results at AS and A2.

Particular congrats go to Nicole McCrann and Ellen Driscoll, who topped the year, scoring 120 and 119 out of 120 respectively.

Well done girls!

Congrats also to all students who passed, particularly if you met or exceeded your minimum target grades. Some of our students with MTGs of E or U got grade As which shows how hard people are working!

If hard work got you a good result - keep doing it! If you are disappointed with your result, remember this feeling and use it as motivation to achieve your potential next time out!

Got what it takes?

2010-03-11T06:38:00.008Z

On the 14th of April we are taking 30 of our lucky students to a Manchester city centre law firm for a day as part of the Today's Children, Tomorrow's Lawyers scheme.

Click here for a video to see if you've got the skills it takes to be a successful lawyer, and see below for information on interview techniques... they may come in handy one day!

2010-03-10T19:45:00.002Z

R (Quintavalle) v Secretary of State for Health

2010-03-04T17:46:00.008Z

Quintavalle is a great example of the court taking a purposive approach to interpreting legislation.

The case concerned whether or not licensing the creation of live human embryos by a process called cell nuclear replacement (CNR) was prohibited under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. The process had been challenged by a pro-life organisation.

The Act defines an embryo as “a live human embryo where fertilisation is complete”. CNR is a cloning process and does not involve fertilisation; Dolly the sheep was created this way! CNR had not been thought of when the Act was passed.

The House of Lords found that the purpose of the Act was to protect live human embryos created outside the human body, and that the relevant section of the Act addressed this, rather than how the embryos were created.

They ruled that Parliament could not have intended to distinguish between embryos created by fertilisation and embryos created by CNR, as at the time CNR was not known to be possible. The House of Lords decided that Parliament could not have intended to leave embryos created by CNR unregulated.

So, the Act applies. On a strict reading of the wording, the Court then ruled that CNR was not illegal.

This decision echoes the approach in Royal College of Nursing v DHSS, where subsequent medical and scientific developments are held to be within the scope of Parliament’s intention.

A point to note is that the learned judges referred to extrinsic aids such as the Warnock Report into Human Fertilisation and Embryology and the White Paper that followed it.

Can deterrence ever be fair?

2010-02-12T08:35:00.005Z

The concept of deterrence when it comes to sentencing refers to sentencing someone with the objective of putting that person off crime (individual deterrence) or sending a message to society at large (general deterrence).

There's a thoughtful post on this here in reference to the sentence passed in the case of former Met Police Assistant Commissioner Ali Dizaei (see video clip below for one view on his case).

What do you think? Can deterrent sentencing be justified, or is it unfair and inconsistent to sentence in this way in one case, but not in others?

Views please!

Life as a law undergraduate

2010-02-10T12:51:00.005Z

I'm really grateful to former Loreto law student Mesrah Azam for agreeing to do a guest post for the blog on what it's like to study Law at MMU:

"Heyy to everyone who actually checks out this blogspot ;) You are all probably wondering how uni life is like, or even what the law course at university is like. In my experience, university life is something you will enjoy. Obviously since you have done A-level law, you will find it much easier in your 1st year, because you go through the same topics as you did in your 1st year and 2nd year of A-level. But you also get opened to new views and new criticisms of the law.

I've even start reading quality newspapers such as the Independent, and I can ensure you that the only paper I read back in college was the Metro on the bus! You may find some times during university life that it is hard or too much reading to do, but my advice to you all is that do not whatsoever think that you have the easy route, you have always got to be reading over your work and doing that little extra background reading, trust me you will feel much more confident throughout your academic period.

Honestly there are lecturers who will never let you have the easy way, so you have to prove to them and yourself that u can do it! But do not for one minute think you can get away having the easy route, because it is true when people say, if you want something so badly, you are the one who has to put the effort in, nobody else just you!

Other than the academic side, you have to most definitely actually have a life :P University life comes once in a lifetime when you're young, so take this opportunity and have some fun!!! :D

Taking a new step is always scary, but if you have that full on confidence in you then I can guarantee you that you will succeed and have the time of your life!! Besides if you are really stuck then I'm sure Mr Howells can help you out! Best of luck to you all with all your studies ahead of you! :) and most importantly HAVE FUN!! :D (Mesrah)"

Students at Crown Court

2010-02-05T13:47:00.002Z

Court Visits

2010-01-22T11:03:00.005Z

Mr Howells' classes will be visiting Minshull Street Crown Court the week after next.

Thursday Morning class - LWAS-V1-09: Thursday 4th February

Friday Morning class - LWAS-Z2-09: Friday 5th February.

Meet at 9.45 outside Court.

Minshull Street Crown Court is near Piccadilly Station:

View Larger Map

For more details, watch this space!

ECHR rules s44 Terrorism Act stop and search illegal!

2010-01-12T13:23:00.006Z

In a case with serious implications for the use of the Terrorism Act 2000, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has ruled in the case of Gillan and Quinton v UK that the use of stop and search powers under s44 Terrorism Act 2000 is illegal.

The rumour is that the Metropolitan Police have been told to suspend the use of such searches pending further guidance from the government, which may have to amend or repeal the existing law.

The judgment referred to the lack of controls over how the powers are used, that no reasonable suspicion is required, and statistics showing that the power is disproportionately used against black and asian males. Also, since the Act was introduced, the total of searches recorded by the Ministry of Justice went from 33,177 to 117,278.

A serious blow for government policy on terrorism. Guardian article here.

The true motivation behind the Civil Procedure Rules?

2010-01-12T13:19:00.002Z

Cartoon from Queen's Counsel, The Times.

A2 Revision classes

2010-01-12T12:02:00.002Z

Fri 23rd Jan at 1.00 in W111
Mon 25th Jan at 1.00. in W111

More sessions to come... watch this space!

Is it ok to ban people with mental illness from juries?

2010-01-11T11:01:00.007Z

Mental health charity Rethink are launching a campaign to have the rule on this changed, arguing that it is both unfair and discriminatory. They point out that there's a difference between having treatment for mental illness and being so severely mentally ill that you cannot understand a trial... which seems like a fair point to me. They also say that some 750 people a month are barred from jury service because they are receiving treatment for a mental illness, including people as intelligent as Stephen Fry (pictured), who says this about it:

"There are thousands of people with mental health problems who are willing and perfectly capable of serving on a jury but who find themselves rejected solely because they see a doctor from time to time for support or medication. Exclusion purely on the grounds of treatment for a mental health problem is unfair and discriminatory, and eliminates a whole tranche of law abiding, competent individuals who should be entitled to play their part in the justice system."

Reform's proposal is that, rather than a blanket ban on those being treated for mental illness, jury service should be based on each individual's "capacity" as defined in the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Quick revision question: which other groups cannot serve on the jury, and why?

There's a new poll now up on this too... vote now!

Legal Profession - Revision podcast

2010-01-06T14:40:00.002Z

Because I know you are all missing my dulcet tones in the snow...

Legal Profession - Training Process

Andy Howells' Podcast

AS Law Revision Classes 2010

2010-01-04T12:08:00.013Z

ALL LESSONS IN W111 AT 1PM UNLESS STATED

4/1/10 – ADR

5/1/10 – Criminal Courts

6/1/10 – Magistrates

7/1/10 – Juries

8/1/10 @12.00 - Criminal Courts
8/1/1 @1.00 - Legal Profession

11/1/10 – Police Powers

12/1/10 – Sentencing

13/1/10 @12.00 - Bail
13/1/10 @1.00 - Civil Courts
a
AS LAW EXAM - 9.00 ON THURSDAY 14TH JANUARY 2010!
PS ta to Doug Belshaw for the pic - via Chris Guillebeau

Christmas quiz

2009-12-24T12:09:00.001Z

Have a go at the Times Legal Quiz of the weird and wonderful 2009.

Happy Christmas!

Harpist guilty of handling stolen goods

2009-12-07T18:51:00.007Z

Jemima Phillips, official harpist to Prince Charles, was found guilty of handling stolen goods at Gloucester Crown Court today, having already admitted fraud. Apparently the cause of her offending is drug-related.

She has been told that a prison sentence is likely, and was granted Bail until the sentencing hearing. Story on video from the BBC here.
Questions for AS students:
1. Who will have decided her guilt?
2. What grounds for appeal are open to her?
3. Would you have given her bail or not, and why?
4. What do you consider an appropriate sentence to be, and why?

Sources of Law resit help

2009-12-07T11:11:00.002Z

Next Monday, 14th December, at 1.00 there is a revision class for ALL A2 students who are re-sitting Sources of Law. This will take place in W111.

There will be two more revision classes for Sources of Law in the first two weeks back after Christmas. This is important as the topic of Statutory Interpretation will be covered, which is essential knowledge for the January exam.

OCR Exam Dates - January 2010

2009-12-07T11:02:00.004Z

AS Law
English Legal System
Thursday 14th January, 9.00 am
Sources of Law resit
Thursday 14th January, 9.00 am

A2 Law
Law of Contract Special Study paper - Thursday 28th January, 9.00 am

Solicitors struck off

2009-12-05T08:07:00.007Z

The High Court has ruled that the Solicitors' Disciplinary Tribunal was correct to strike off two partners in law firm Beresfords in relation to their handling of sick miner's claims under the Coal Health Compensation Scheme run by the government.

AS students - this is an example of the power of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal to strike off solicitors from the roll if they find them guilty of serious misconduct. They can also impose a fine, suspend solicitors, or reprimand them.

The equivalent organisation for Barristers, the Senate of the Inns of Court, has similar powers.

Police "arresting people just to get their DNA"?

2009-11-24T11:48:00.006Z

Sound unlikely? Well, it's one of the conclusions drawn by the independent Human Genetics
Commission as part of their report into the DNA Database entitled "Nothing to Hide, Nothing to Fear?".

The report suggests that, according to one former senior police officer, arrests are now made for every possible offence with one goal of this being to record as many people's DNA as possible.

The report is a very critical one and suggests that Parliament should decide as to the role of the database, and particularly on the issue of keeping innocent people's DNA.

The Times illustrates the potential absurdity of this by highlighting the case of Tesfaye Smith (below) who had a DNA sample taken after a friend's father accused him of stealing Pokemon cards when Tesfaye was 12 years old.

For AS level students, a comment about the alleged overuse of the power to arrest for all offences introduced when PACE was amended by SOCPA 2005 would be a nice way to show ther examiner you have your finger on the pulse!

Manage your college work using the web

2009-11-22T13:50:00.004Z

Soshiku is a cool web app which allows you to manage your homework, revision etc using the web or even from your mobile. Worth a go? Things only get tougher between now and the exams - might this help you to stay on top of stuff? Give it a go and let me know.

Exclusion Clauses

2009-11-20T14:26:00.004Z

A2 students - as you know, your January Special Study Paper is all about exemption clauses - this term covers both limitation and exclusion clauses. (Click the link above for a sneak preview of the paper!)

Those of you looking for a high grade could do worse than print, read and make notes on this guide to exclusion clauses from Insite Law, which is also a good site for free contract law resources generally!

One of the good things about the article is that it contains links to original judgments - good practice for university study, and useful if you are struggling to understand a case - read the judgment carefully to get your answer from the horse's mouth!

Lord Chief Justice - podcast

2009-11-20T13:02:00.003Z

Interesting interview here with the Lord Chief justice - good insight on both sentencing and the civil courts - both relevant topics for A level students!

By the way, his name is Lord Igor Judge - or "Judge Judge" to his colleagues, presumably.

The hazards of granting bail...

2009-11-19T19:21:00.005Z

Great post here on the Magistrate's Blog about the difficult decisions facing Magistrates when deciding whether or not to grant Bail. Have a read!

In this case, the accused was in court on charges of threatening to kill his former partner. He was granted bail on condition that he did not approach her or go near her home.

As AS Law students will know, bail may only be refused if there are substantial grounds that the accused would: re-offend, fail to surrender to bail, or interfere with witnesses, or be refused bail for his own protection.

In this case, no such grounds were present. Bail was granted. The accused then went out and, it is alleged, stabbed his former partner to death.

Magistrated do not have a crystal ball, and must apply the law on the evidence in front of them. One AO2 criticism of the law on bail is that the accused will sometimes offend whilst out on bail - sometimes with tragic consequences like these.

Of course, the media then put the boot in - like this.

Garrow's Law...

2009-11-02T16:07:00.003Z

is a new series on BBC1 based on the Old Bailey trial records. It shows the development of our modern adversarial system of justice and might be an eye-opener as to how the courts once worked - or didn't! It's based on pioneering Eighteenth-century Barrister William Garrow's career. Watch here!

The "super injunction" they didn't want you to see...

2009-10-21T13:16:00.002+01:00

...has now been published by the Guardian. Have a look here.

DNA database - victory for our rights, or foolish lefty hand-wringing?

2009-10-19T21:19:00.010+01:00

Looks like the government have dropped plans to retain the DNA data
of innocent people on their database for between 6 and 12 years.

This follows a European Court of Human Rights ruling that keeping such data indefinitely was unlawful in the case of S and Marper v UK (2008).

Current developments are an interesting insight into the passage of a bill through parliament (which we will look at next year as part of Sources of Law) as the government is having to make concessions to its opponents in order to get the majority of the Policing and Crime Bill past Parliament.

Do you think that such data should be kept on people or not, and why? Are we striking the right balance between police powers and civil liberties?

Comments please...

Trafigura and super-injunctions

2009-10-19T09:01:00.009+01:00

Can't believe I haven't blogged this yet... this has been a massive week for the law, freedom of speech and social media.

Should a company be allowed to obtain an injunction restricting the press from reporting something, AND restricting the press from reporting the injunction itself?

Oil-trading company Trafigura have been in hot water, accused of dumping potentially toxic waste off the Ivory Coast, which was alleged to have caused illness and injury to many people.

They commissioned a scientific report into the matter, and then attempted to keep it secret, presumably not liking the contents, which included the idea that the dumping of waste could hace caused effects such as severe burns to the skin and lungs, eye damage, permanent ulceration, coma and death (although the report was expressed in cautious terms).

Clearly those people suing Trafigura for personal injury would have liked to see this report!

Last month Trafigura paid residents of Abidjan in Ivory Coast £30m plus costs in a confidential out of court settlement.

Before the settlement announcement, Trafigura's lawyers Carter-Ruck obtained a super-injunction from Court, banning the press not only from revealing the existence of the Minton report, but also from telling anyone about the existence of the injunction. They also attempted to stop reports of questions about this matter that were asked in Parliament.

As a result Trafigura and their lawyers have been accused of trying to gag Parliament and infringe on freedom of speech. Another feature of this case was the pressure applied by people using Twitter, who were outraged by the injunction!

Read Charlie Brooker on this here.

Gwen Henshaw at Loreto

2009-10-16T16:54:00.007+01:00

We were privileged today to have a visit from Criminal barrister Gwen Henshaw from Central Chambers in Manchester. We were treated to a fantastic talk about what it means to be an advocate in the criminal courts. The talk was attended by about 100 students - thanks for the turnout everyone! We also had a really interesting question and answer session; Gwen was bombarded with questions and we ended up running out of time!

Miss Standing and I would like to say a really big thankyou to Gwen for giving up her valuable time for coming to speak to us. It provided the students with genuine insight and inspiration. Thanks Gwen!

Law personal statements

2009-10-14T19:37:00.001+01:00

Anyone at Loreto who would like any help with their personal statements for law at uni can get in touch with me, Miss Vollam or Miss Standing for advice. In the mean time, here's some sound guidance from the lovely chaps at allaboutlaw: clicky....

Routes into the legal profession

2009-10-14T19:17:00.004+01:00

All about law is a really good website for law students that's just had a revamp.

There's a really good interactive diagram of routes into the legal profession. There may well be more ways in than you thought - for AS study with OCR, you only really need to know the graduate path... but for your own life, you need to know that there's more than one way to skin a cat!

Listen...

2009-10-14T16:12:00.003+01:00

...to this interview by legal blogger Charon QC with the Chief Executive of BPP law school for an insight into the academic and vocational stages of training to be a solicitor or barrister.

You could even take notes. Should I hold my breath?

Got what it takes?

2009-10-12T09:55:00.003+01:00

...to become a top city solicitor?

Listen to this podcast of top legal blogger Charon QC talking with Lynn Johansen of Clifford Chance. A lot of what she says about the application and training process applies to most city law firms.

Meanwhile, there's another podcast here about the College of Law opening a new branch right here in Manchester. Some of you may end up studying there one day! Have a listen to find out what it might be like...

Supreme Court's first case

2009-10-09T17:52:00.000+01:00

...watch here.

UK Supreme Court blog

2009-10-09T10:02:00.006+01:00

Just noticed that solicitors from Olswang (big London law firm) and barristers from renowned human rights barristers chambers Matrix have set up a blog tracking the new Supreme Court, so you can keep an eye on what they are up to... clicky

A new way of dealing with divorce...

2009-10-09T09:50:00.004+01:00

...is called the collaborative approach. Instead of fighting through the courts, the parties are encouraged to settle their differences through a more amicable negotiation process. After success in family law, we may see more of this approach spreading throughout the courts. Divorce does not (apparently) have to be hell on earth...

Shortly we will be looking at ADR on the course - collaborative law is a great example!

You can listen to a Radio 4 programme about collaborative law here.

The future of the legal profession?

2009-10-07T13:33:00.002+01:00

The Barristers

2009-10-07T13:27:00.003+01:00

...was a fly-on-the-wall documentary made last year with unprecedented access to the Bar. Have a look here - the whole series is on YouTube in 10-minute clips!

Magistrates

2009-10-01T11:21:00.004+01:00

Middle aged, middle class and middle minded - or is this just a stereotype?

Date for your diary!

2009-09-29T13:33:00.004+01:00

On Friday 16th October at 1.00pm we are lucky to have a visit from Gwen Henshaw, a barrister from Central Chambers in Manchester.

Miss Henshaw has cleared space in her very busy shcedule tot alk to us about her life and work as a barrister. It is essential that all AS Law students attend, as well as any A2 students considering a career in the legal profession.

Miss Henshaw will be taking questions at the conclusion of her talk so get your thinking caps on and come up with some good ideas!

Jury finds Audenshaw boys not guilty... in only 45 minutes!

2009-09-17T19:57:00.003+01:00

The two teenagers charged with plotting a Columbine-style massacre at Audenshaw High School were acquitted by a Crown Court Jury after only 45 minutes of deliberations yesterday. It makes you wonder whether the whole case was a waste of public money... should the CPS have brought the prosecutions at all?

Story here.

Watch the boys give their reaction to the verdict on the BBC here. See what their headteacher had to say about it here.

Below is Sky News' coverage of the boys' reaction:

Supreme Court podcast

2009-09-16T21:19:00.003+01:00

Radio 4 report - listen here.

Really good programme on the Supreme Court on Radio 4 this Sunday at 5pm too.

The New Supreme Court

2009-09-10T08:31:00.019+01:00

...replaces the House of Lords as the highest court in our domestic hierarchy this year. The Supreme Court will sit for the first time in October 2009.

Radio 4 had an interesting discussion of the possible impact of this new institution this week - list en here. (Only available for 6 more days on iPlayer).

The BBC discuss fears over the court's new role here. Have a look at some stunning photos of the new building here, and read a potted history of the Law Lords.

Follow us on twitter

2009-09-08T09:28:00.001+01:00

Click the link on the right!

Role model?

2009-09-08T09:14:00.005+01:00

Some people have all the talent, don't they? Eniola Aluko, for one. 3 goals in the European Championships for England... and a career with city law firm Simmons Cooper Andrew to boot (excuse the pun)!

Students - can you imagine just how much work Eniola has put in to achieve these two massive successes?

Aluko's long term aim is to become a barrister, and who would bet against her given her current achievements?

Moral - if you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything. Even if we can't all play for England!

Can kids be criminals?

2009-06-18T09:47:00.005+01:00

There's a really good discussion on Radio 4's Law in Action programme here, or download the free podcast of it here.

Can younger children know right from wrong?

Can they anticipate the true consequences of their actions?

Can they understand complicated court proceedings?

So, what do you think the age of criminal responsibility should be? 10? 12? 14? 18? Thousands of crimes are committed by the under 10s, but are we demonising our kids?

Complete the poll on the right - but read the article or listen to the discussion first!

Trips to Employment Tribunals

2009-06-16T15:31:00.009+01:00

We are off to the Employment Tribunals next week!

Mr Howells' Thurs morning class - meet outside the Tribunals at 9.20am

Mr Howells' Thursday afternoon class - meet outside the Tribunals at 1.40pm

See map below! Travel directions are here.

View Larger Map

MMU Law Talk/LNAT talk

2009-06-04T15:12:00.005+01:00

Manchester Metropolitan University are coming into College to talk to AS students about studying Law at degree level.

This is taking place on Wednesday 10th June at 1.00pm in the Theatre. Tickets are available from Mr Howells, Miss Standing or Jarra in the Study Centre.

If you are even vaguely considering studying law at any University, this event will be well worth attending!

LNAT Talk - 18th June

Miss Standing will be giving a talk on the National Admissions Test for Law (LNAT) and personal statements for law students at 1.00 in the Theatre on Thursday 18th June. Again, if you are considering studying law at University, this will be very useful for you, as many Universities require applicants to take this test. Miss Standing will also cover UCAS personal statements for law students.

See you all there...

Court trips

2009-06-02T14:59:00.007+01:00

Mr Howells and Miss Standing's shared group - Wednesday 10th June, morning - meet at Court at 9.45.

Mr Howells' Mon/Thurs group - Thursday 11th June, afternoon - meet at Court at 1.30pm.

Mr Howells' Tues/Thursday group - Thursday 11th June, morning - meet at Court at 9.45 am.

Minshull Street Crown Court is near Piccadilly Station:

View Larger Map

For more details, watch this space!

A Time Comes

2009-05-31T13:27:00.011+01:00

Have a look at this documentary about the "Kingsnorth Six", the environmental activists who were put on trial and acquitted of criminal damage in relation to their protest against pollution at Kingsnorth coal-fired power station in 2007. A good example of pressure groups, and of jury equity! You can also read an article by the barrister who defended the Kingsnorth Six here.

What exactly does the Privy Council do?

2009-05-21T11:06:00.007+01:00

Interesting article on this strange body here. Crying out for reform?

Law reform body Justice say that “the lack of accessibility and transparency of the Privy Council means that almost no one understands its processes”.

The Privy Council for AS Law Students has two functions - as a Court, (the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council) and as a body that meets to issue Orders in Council. Orders in Council often concern matters of national security, or the implementation of European Directives.

The judges who sit in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council are the same people that make up the Law Lords. As it is outside the hierarchy of the Courts, Privy Council decisions are persuasive only but the case of R v James and Karimi (2006) shows us that the Court of Appeal will sometimes follow a Privy Council decision over one of the House of Lords - in this case, the Privy Council's decision in Jersey v Holley (2005) was preferred to the House of Lords' decision in R v Smith (Morgan James) (2001)

The picture above (by artist Ptolemy Dean) shows the chamber where meetings of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council take place - although they will move to the new Supreme Court building next year.

New Poll now up

2009-05-05T19:32:00.005+01:00

AS law students - which topic are you most confident about for the Sources exam? Poll on the right.

Also don't forget to sign up for the LoretoLaw mailing list! Put your email address in the box on the left, then respond to the email you get sent. Easy.

Justice on Trial

2009-05-05T18:11:00.005+01:00

The Guardian has just begun a campaign called Justice on Trial, aiming to highlight cases where there is a major concern that a miscarriage of justice has taken place. (Pictured here is Sally Clark, who was wrongly convicted of shaking her two baby sons to death on the basis of now discredited medical evidence).

Miscarriages of justice do not appear to have gone away, as the recent case of the Cardiff Three shows.

There's a good short film to watch (but be warned - it contains some strong language from the start) and a fantastic slideshow of some of the higher-profile miscarriages of justice that have taken place over the years.

The exam doctor is here...

2009-05-05T10:54:00.003+01:00

..and here's his advice on how to revise effectively, from the School Gate blog:

Ten minutes is all that it takes with the ‘10-minute rule’ whenever you get stuck.

o Ditch those four-hour sessions you planned, where only 10 minutes actual work is done.

o Start with the 10 minutes you know you will do. Then have a 10-minute break and start again.

o Anyone can do that. So can you.

o When working work and when relaxing relax. The two don’t mix. Remember that.

o No texting friends, looking out of the window or playing with the cat. And your room can wait for another few years to be tidied.

o So now you have started, doubled the time you normally work in an evening and had a 10-minute break, all within the first half hour.

o Increase the working periods to 30 or 40 minutes and keep the breaks at 10 or less.

o Sorted? Well ‘ish’ at least. Don’t think about it, just do it – now!

o Congratulate yourself for having done it. You’ve made a start.

o Staring into space won’t help but the ‘10-minute rule’ will whenever you have difficulty in starting something you don’t want to do.

Have a watch of the below:

EU Commissioners

2009-04-20T11:00:00.016+01:00

There are 27 Commissioners at the European Commission - one from each Member State.

Our current representative there is Baroness Catherine Ashton, who replaced Peter Mandelson on the 6th October 2008 - although usually Commissioners serve a full 5-year term. She is pictured here meeting with the Chinese Minister for Commerce.

Baroness Ashton is the EU Trade Commissioner - so her duty is to serve the EU as a whole and represent the interests of the EU with our global trading partners. Quite a responsibility!

This is an important role these days as the credit crunch means other countries are taking steps to protect their indistries, sometimes by taxing EU imports. China has even banned some EU goods! You can watch an interview with Baroness Ashton about this here (although it may not work on the College computers - try at home!)

As a reminder, the Commission's main jobs are to:

propose policies and draft proposals for changes in EU law;
take any Members State that do not obey EU rules to court at the ECJ;
administer the EU and implement the budget.

Finally, the following video is an interview with Baroness Ashton at this year's European Business Summit:

Leila Deen - custard queen!

2009-04-15T19:30:00.006+01:00

Loretolaw's poll on whether Leila Deen should have faced charges after sliming Lord Mandelson sees a 55% to 45% win for those voting "no". Perhaps the police were listening as she has escaped with just a caution for disorderly behaviour under Section 5 of the Public Order Act.

Play Leila Deen the Custard Queen here - no, on second thoughts you are all supposed to be revising!

Job opportunity

2009-04-01T15:33:00.004+01:00

Brown Dunne and Gray Solicitors have several positions available for Paralegals/Litigation Executives in their busy Altrincham office.

They specialise in personal injury accident claims and need more staff as they are expanding.

Legal qualifications are not essential. Applicants must have the ability to listen and learn together with good organisational skills.

Start date - June/July 2009.

If you are interested in this you can email your CV to recruitment@bdglaw.co.uk or send it by post - see Mr Howells for the address or email me ahowells@loreto.ac.uk .

This position might suit any A2 students who are interested in law but not going straight on to university in September.

Easter Revision dates

2009-04-01T12:31:00.004+01:00

Here are the revision dates for AS and A2 law over Easter. If you need to resit an exam, and/or got a U, or just want to achieve your potential, you really must attend! Lessons start at 9am.

Tuesday 14th April - AS English Legal System – Police, Bail, Sentencing, Criminal Courts – all day, W111, Miss Standing

Wednesday 15th April - A2 Special Study – all day, W111 - Miss Standing

Thursday 16th April - A2 Law of Contract Paper - all day, W111 - Miss Standing

Thursday 16th April - AS English Legal System – Juries, Magistrates, Legal Prof, Civil Courts, ADR - all day, W110 - Mr Howells

Friday 17th April - AS Sources of Law - all day, W110 - Mr Howells

Be there!

Judges reject robes that make them look like "Star Trek characters"

2009-03-27T15:40:00.004Z

...even though they were designed by former designer of the year Betty Jackson, pictured below with the Lord Chief Justice. Story here.

Another miscarriage of justice

2009-03-18T19:03:00.006Z

Sean Hodgson has been released from prison after 27 years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. He's one of the longest serving prisoners in the penal system, is mentally ill and DNA evidence was used to clear his name.

The Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) ruled that his conviction was unsafe and should be quashed after the case had been urgently referred to court by the Criminal Cases Review Commission.
Hodgson was suposed to have had DNA tests many years ago. Unbelievably, when he asked for DNA tests in 1988 he was told no DNA material had been kept!

Recently he saw this advert (right) and thought he'd give it one last try. Bet he's glad he did!

Read about the background to this here.

The Times archive shows how they originally reported the case here.

Cyclists without helmets partly to blame for injuries?

2009-03-15T17:33:00.009Z

The case of Smith v Finch (2009) in the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court appears to indicate that the idea of contributory negligence - which sees compensation reduced for those partly at fault for their own injuries - is extended to helmetless cyclists, although the defendant must show that not wearing a helmet contributed to the injury sustained. You can read the judgment here.

This is even though there is no legal compulsion to wear a helmet. The judge took the view that this did not matter.

This is an example of a judge reasoning by analogy to create an original precedent. In this case, the judge referred to Lord Denning's decision in Froom v Butcher (1976) which established the idea that occupants of a car are partially reposnsible for their own injuries if such injuries are caused by not wearing a seatbelt.

In Smith, the claimant could not prove that if the cyclist was wearing a helmet injury would have been prevented - so in fact no deduction will be made from the substantial damages likely to be awarded to the defendant in respect of his serious injuries. As a result, the judge's comments about contributory negligence and cycle helmets are arguably obiter dicta, meaning that they are persuasive in effect rather than binding.

Many cylists are really upset at the implications of this decision - they feel that this ruling potentially blames victims. What do you think?

PS: this article comments that the judge in Smith seems to have departed from the obiter comments of the judge in A (a child) v Shorrock (2001) where the judge attached no fault for the failure to wear a helmet.

Time for parliament to step in and clear things up? Or will we have to wait for a case to get to the Court of Appeal?

English Legal System Podcast

2009-03-09T20:01:00.008Z

Although it's from August 2007 this is a really useful listen for AS students. Dr Penny Derbyshire is a legal academic and writer based at Kingston University and an expert on the English Legal System and juries in particular.

Includes relatively new cases on EU Law, the Law Commission, Civil Courts, Judicial review and much more. Listen to it with a pen and paper and note down some extra cases to help you on your way to higher grades!

In other news, the College of Law is opening a new branch in Manchester - so you can study there to be a solicitor or barrister, as you can already with BPP, Man Met and so on. Charon QC interviews Tricia Chatterton about this here.

Mandelson slime attacker arrested

2009-03-08T18:05:00.003Z

Legitimate political protest against the third runway at Heathrow, or criminal act? Technically it's assault, so should the police have arrested Leila Deen of Plane Stupid ?

Views please!

An overview of contract law

2009-03-08T08:56:00.002Z

Professor Robert Upex on the basics. Not an exciting video, but an accurate one and a good starting point for revision for A2 Law of Contract students.

A modern miscarriage of justice...

2009-03-04T08:30:00.004Z

When we teach police powers we often explain the need for PACE, etc by reference to various miscarriages of justice in the 1970s such as the Guildford Four and Birmingham Six. The implication is that, post-PACE, miscarriages of justice are a thing of the past. The following story gives the lie to this idea:

Three men were jailed in Cardiff in 1990 for the murder of a 20-year old girl (pictured).

All three were subsequently released, with the real perpetrator admitting to the murder and getting life imprisonment in 2003.

Subsequently, three witnesses from the original trial were convicted of perjury (lying in court) at the original trial.

Now 13 police officers are to be charged with perverting the course of justice. it is alleged that they "moulded, manipulated and fabricated" evidence.

Full story here.

Riz Ahmed on liberty

2009-02-27T11:49:00.002Z

Is he right?

Airedale NHS Trust v Bland

2009-02-26T16:22:00.007Z

In 1991 there was a disaster at Hillsborough football ground during the F.A. cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

96 people died as a result. The Taylor Report found that the deaths were caused by a failure of police control when they opened a gate to allow thousands of fans into an already-full terrace. Fans were crushed against the fences at the front of the terrace, which had been put there to prevent hooliganism.

One of the victims of this tragedy was Anthony Bland, who sustained severe crush injuries including crushed ribs and two punctured lungs, leaving him in a persistent vegetative state. He was 18 at the time. Although he could not see, hear or feel anything, his brain was still functioning. The doctors were of the opinion that Anthony would not recover.

The doctors , together with Anthony's parents, applied to court for a ruling that the doctors would not be guilty of murder if they stopped feeding him.

This was a new situation, which required the judges to create an original precedent. The judges reasoned by analogy. They decided that the feeding tube was effectively medical treatment which was no longer working. They confirmed that they would not find the doctors guilty if they stopped this "treatment".

You can read the full judgment in this case here.

Have a look at the Hillsborough Justice Campaign site too.

Labour peer jailed for dangerous driving

2009-02-25T13:26:00.005Z

What IS going on with the House of Lords at the moment?

At least this case confirms the rule of law - even life peers like Lord Ahmed are not above the law.

On the other hand, he only got 12 weeks and his conviction was not related to being involved in a fatal crash, but to sending long text messages to a journalist earlier on the same journey. The last text was sent only two minutes before the crash - I wonder whether he was still looking at his phone? How the mighty are fallen...

It's not been a great few weeks for the reputation of the upper House. Should we keep it or bin it? What do you think?

Debbie Purdy loses euthanasia appeal

2009-02-20T18:46:00.003Z

Although Debbie Purdy lost her appeal to try to force the Director of Public Prosecutions to issue clear guidelines on when someone assisting another to commit suicide will be prosecuted, the Lord Chief Justice did indicate that the courts are likely to throw any such prosecution out.

He also stated that it was not for judges to issue guidance on this, but up to parliament. AS students - this is an example of judges being wary of setting precedents on important issues that they consider best left to our elected representatives.

Gordon Brown has said that he will not change the law - so at present, any person in such an incredibly difficult situation will have to rely on hints made by a judge rather than clear guidance from the DPP or a change in the law.

Precedent in Action!

2009-02-12T12:34:00.004Z

We will shortly be studying Judicial Precedent as a Source of Law.

Some areas of our law originate entirely from judicial precedent (law made by judges). One example of this is the law of negligence, much of which can be traced back to the landmark decision in Donoghue v Stevenson made by the House of Lords in 1932. In this case, Mrs Donoghue found a snail in her bottle of ginger beer. It made her ill, so she sued the manufacturer, claiming they owed her a duty of care - previously a concept limited to only a few areas such as road accidents.

The ratio decidendi in a case refers to the reason for the decision; that part of the judgment that creates a binding precendent that all other judges from equal or lower courts must follow.

In Donoghue, the ratio can be found in Lord Atkin's judgment, and in particular in the following passage:

"You must take reasonable care to avoid acts or omissions which you can reasonably foresee would be likely to injure your neighbour.

Who, then, in law is my neighbour?

The answer seems to be - persons who are so closely and directly affected by my act that I ought reasonably to have them in contemplation as being so affected when I am directing my mind to the acts or omissions which are called in question."

This principle has been followed in hundreds of subsequent cases. The concept of a duty of care now extends to lawyers and their clients, doctors and their patients, and so on.

For example, this week the accountancy firm Moore Stephens is being sued for damages of £117 million for negligence, as it is alleged they did not audit a company properly which then went bankrupt.

Also. the NHS is expected to pay out £700 million in negligence payments to claimants in 2009 -all because of a snail in a bottle of ginger beer in 1928!

The Taxpayers' Alliance

2009-02-10T16:54:00.007Z

...are a very successful pressure group.

For the effect a well-organised and well-funded group can have, read Polly Toynbee's critical article here.

Question: do the Taxpayers' Alliance really represent all taxpayers, or just those of a certain political view?

By the way - anyone who has done Bad Science in General Studies will recognise some of the statistical tricks the Taxpayers' Alliance seem to use!

There is also a clear link here to the role of the media in influencing the law - some newspapers consistently give the TPA coverage (look at all the Daily Mail stories quoting them, for example) allowing them to influence voters - which is just what pressure groups are for, whether you agree with their politics or not!

Great article here on how a group far to the right of the Tories manage to get so much publicity - three articles a day in the national press, compared to only a few per year achieved by the opposing Tax Justice Network...

Finally, have a look at the alternative "Real" Taxpayers' Alliance for a different view!

Prison staff "to blame" for prisoner's death?

2009-02-10T10:50:00.010Z

A truly shocking story in The Times today.

A Coroner's Court jury found that a prisoner at Rye Hill Prison in Warwickshire was allowed to hang himself in a prison staff where staff were not being properly trained and were not experienced enough.

This despite the prisoner's mother alerting staff to marks on the prisoner's neck on a previous visit to her son. He had been exhibiting some strange, troubled behaviour before his suicide.

Thinking point: what are the possible consequences of allowing private companies, which exist to make a profit, to run prisons? The prison in this case was run by Group 4 Securicor which has a chequered history in relation to their prisons.

Thinking point 2: is prison the right place for mentally ill convicts? Is prison picking up some of the slack from the closure of many mental health hospitals over the years? Read a report into suicide in prisons here.

This case is also an example of the use of juries in the Coroner's Court.

Inquest, a pressure group, has called for proper treatment for mentally ill inmates.

Privity of Contract

2009-02-06T15:47:00.005Z

A2 students - Justin Santiago has recently posted on privity of contract here. Please read the article and make notes of the key points for next week.

Pressure Groups

2009-02-05T15:35:00.008Z

...are one of the influences on law reform. Here are some examples:

Fathers 4 Justice - Father's rights
Liberty - Human rights and individual freedom
Amnesty International - Human Rights
Plane Stupid - Climate Change
Mothers Against Violence - does what it says on the tin
Stonewall -Gay, Lesbian and Transgender equality
Countryside Alliance - Campaigns on rural issues
Greenpeace - the environment
The Fawcett Society - campaigns for sexual equality

TASK for AS Group W2 (Monday Am, Thurs PM class): Write 150 words outlining the aims of one of these groups. What changes to the law would they like to see?

Email your answer to Mr Howells in time for the start of the next lesson...

Also, have a look at the BBC's documentary on Fathers 4 Justice below:

Teacake "not a biscuit" shocker!

2009-02-05T08:59:00.003Z

Believe it or not, this issue has been at the heart of a multi-million pount VAT dispute between the taxman and Marks & Spencer.

Story here on Sixthformlaw's blog!

Law Maker

2009-02-04T11:08:00.002Z

Play this game - can you steer a piece of legislation through Parliament?

There are three different scenarios for you to have a go at - do you have what it takes to be a legislator?