The ‘Deepcut Inquest’ into the death of Sean Benton has adjourned today until closing legal submissions are heard in May. The inquest has heard evidence from over 130 witnesses since it began in January 2018. Bridget Dolan QC and Jamie Mathieson are Counsel to the judge Coroner. John Beggs QC, Cecily White and Paul Spencer of Serjeants’ Inn represent interested persons.
Sarah Clarke QC prosecutes in groundbreaking FCA case in which “Fake Forex Trader” Alex Hope was convicted and sentenced for Perverting the Course of Justice relating to breaches of his Restraint and Confiscation Order. Sarah has already successfully prosecuted the same defendant for his original multimillion pound Ponzi fraud. The case has received widespread media […]
What a mesh! | Birmingham | 19 March 2018 Mamta Gupta and guest speaker Dr Wael Agur (who recently appeared on BBC’s Panorama) will give a talk on vaginal mesh going into the reasons as to its use along with the risks and benefits, the relevant guidance in the UK and the controversy with using this product. The seminar […]
The Companies Court has dismissed a £21.5 million claim brought against BCA Trading Limited, a subsidiary of BCA Marketplace plc, a FTSE 250 company. The claim arose following BCA’s purchase in 2014 of 51% of the shares in Tradeouts Limited from Tradeouts’ founder, David Brown, and his business partner. Tradeouts was a digital platform connecting […]
After a record-breaking year for entries, the six-strong Shoosmiths team led by partner Laura Harper and including associate, Carol Isherwood, is up against other leading London-based media and entertainment law firms and is the only shortlisted team based outside of the capital – a first for a national legal practice. Music Week has been the […]
Russell Broughton was accused of a punishment shooting which involved the shooting of a man in the legs with a sawn-off shotgun at point blank range. On Thursday 1 March, after a trial lasting nine days at Birmingham Crown Court, he was unanimously acquitted by the jury on all counts after a retirement of less […]
Matthew Brook of No5 Barristers’ Chambers led the prosecution of a 17-year-old who was ‘hours away from committing an act of atrocity’ in a Cardiff terror plot. The trial at Birmingham Crown Court heard that Lloyd Gunton had earlier researched the security arrangements of a Justin Bieber concert on the day he was arrested. The teenager, […]
A criminal linked to a £140k Asda cocaine bust has been jailed for his part in a drugs and ammunition racket. Michael Osbourne, 38, of Barnett Close, Wolverhampton, had been on bail for a drugs offence committed in January 2017 on the car park of Asda in Small Heath involving two other men. Osbourne pleaded […]
John Butterfield QC of No5 Barristers’ Chambers has opened the case for the prosecution in a drugs trial that is expected to last six weeks at Worcester Crown Court. The court heard that Mohammed Nasar was a drugs gang leader dubbed ‘the puppet master’ who orchestrated a conspiracy to bring cocaine in bulk to the streets […]
Since 15 December 2017, police forces have been able to bring or continue disciplinary proceedings against former police officers where certain conditions apply: (A) Where an officer resigns or retires after an allegation of gross misconduct comes to the force’s attention; (B) Where an allegation of gross misconduct comes to the force’s attention within 12 […]
Barristers from No5 Barristers’ Chambers are prosecuting a £1m benefits fraud ring at Wolverhampton Crown Court. Harpreet Sandhu is leading Simon Hunka in the prosecution of a criminal gang who hatched a conspiracy to defraud through a sham maternity allowance racket. The gang made at least 165 fake applications for the benefit payout in four years, Mr Sandhu […]
The Sikh Federation has called for an independent investigation into the “totally unnecessary” prosecution of two brothers who were arrested during a protest at a Sikh temple. A recent trial at Birmingham Crown Court heard that 55 protesters were detained after armed police were deployed to the temple in Leamington Spa on September 11, 2016. […]
Avon & Bristol Law CentrePro bono initiative of the year The news that 90 people a month had died after being declared fit for work by the Department for Work and Pensions made headlines last summer. But while campaigners and the opposition called for an overhaul of the welfare system, law students at the Avon & […]
Industrial disease specialist Roberts Jackson has gone through a period of massive transformation following a £15m cash injection from private equity firm NorthEdge Capital two years ago. At at time when more firms than ever before are seeking to diversify their strategies to increase profitability, Roberts Jackson’s clear focus on industrial diseases has proven to […]
Last November Irwin Mitchell announced that it was acquiring southeast firm Thomas Eggar. The deal gave the northern-focused Irwin Mitchell an additional six offices in the south of England and has boosted the firm’s turnover to £250m.
Q: What has been the most important case in the world of divorce law in the past 12 months and why?
Change is not a term widely used in connection with McDermott Will & Emery (MWE). But with Andrew Vergunst about to take on the top London job, as well as a new global strategy, the firm could be set for a turnaround.
What next for Withers and its managing director Margaret Robertson?
Private client issues such as inheritance tax, wills and trusts are top of the political agenda right now, and lawyers should prepare themselves for change. The creation, protection and distribution of wealth was a key campaigning issue for all the political parties in the run up to last week’s general election, with Labour and the […]
Julian Ribet, Levison Meltzer Pigott Nominated by a multitude of peers, Levison Meltzer Pigott partner Julian Ribet is one of a handful of specialist family law arbitrators in the country, spearheading the newly created Institute of Family Law Arbitrators. The institute was set up by a number of family law and arbitration groups to promote […]
In our first in-depth look at our awards shortlisters, the private wealth contenders show how they have shined in the face of globalisation and tougher legislation The trend running through this year’s Private Wealth Team of the Year entries for The Lawyer Awards, sponsored by Duke and Rawson, is internationalisation. Of the five shortlisted entries, three are […]
By Sarah Green The power of the court (or otherwise) to order that a property be sold on divorce during the course of proceedings has often been the subject of debate. The default approach has tended to be to wait until a final hearing, where it is clear that the court has power to make […]
My home is my castle. Unfortunately, the Austrian Supreme Court (“OGH”) doesn’t think so. The Austrian Civil Code (ABGB) entitles property owners to prohibit all emissions that exceed the local norm and have a substantial effect on the customary use of their property. Here are some rulings that the OGH has made since 2011…
On 20 July 2017, a burglar sneaked into a family’s flat in Hungary, grabbed whatever valuables he could find, and disappeared without a trace. At least that’s what he thought. Unfortunately for the burglar, his crime was recorded by the family’s baby monitor. The family handed the video over to the police and the burglar […]
The term “Vento bands” has been a known shorthand to Employment Law practitioners ever since the case of Vento v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police (No2) [2003] IRLR 102 was heard by the Court of Appeal. That case established three broad bands of compensation in cases in which an award for injury to feelings […]
By Jennifer O’Neill and Aoife Bradley Jennifer O’Neill’s review of recent changes to Irish immigration law and policy will be of practical assistance to employers based in Ireland or overseas, that wish to engage non-EEA employees, or to relocate employees to Ireland…
With fortunes being won and lost in the space of months, cryptocurrencies are on everyone’s minds and it is inevitable that they are going to form a significant new asset class in many future divorces. But how prepared are lawyers and the courts to deal with them?