The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) has set up a new website called Official Injury Claim; an online portal for low-value (i.e. under £5,000) road traffic accident (RTA) personal injury claims. The service is set to start in early April 2020.
The costs of litigation in the recent case of Bates v Post Office have climbed above £35 million, a number which many have termed “excessive”.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has issued new guidance for employers regarding the use of non-disclosure agreements. The watchdog has declared that it is “calling time” on non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) being used to cover up discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
The major international trading hub faces a harsh recession following the announcement of an extradition bill to China and the ongoing China-US trade war. Increasingly violent protests over a 5-month period have caused chaos, hindering business and discouraging tourists. The economy has shrunk by 3.2% during the three months to September, compared to the previous quarter. Whilst the bill has since been halted by city leader Carrie Lam, many protesters claim this move is “too little, too late”.
Since early June there have been protests in Hong Kong in response to a proposed bill which would allow extradition to China for crimes such as murder and rape. Extradition is the act of sending an individual back to the country or state in which a crime was committed. This is especially controversial due to the “special status” of Hong Kong which is a result of the “One Country, Two Systems” framework; a framework which gives Hong Kong an element of autonomy from China. Whilst the bill has now been formally withdrawn, it is unlikely to quell the anger of the protesters.
Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield speaks about her personal experiences with domestic abuse in the Parliamentary debate for passage of the New Domestic Abuse Bill.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has ordered Ryan Beckwith, a (now former) senior partner at Magic Circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, to pay £235,000 after an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.
Extinction Rebellion threatens judicial review of the police’s ban on their protest.
According to data collected by Nockolds Solicitors, 721 applications were made to censure or remove attorneys in England and Wales in 2018/19 after an increase in people acting with power of attorney on behalf of vulnerable people.
Peter Herbert, the chair of the Society of Black Lawyers, is suing the Ministry of Justice for racial discrimination. This raises long-standing concerns about the judiciary’s composition and will potentially trigger more substantive discourse on diversity in the legal profession.