Increased support for the victims of crime and specialist Rape and Serious Sexual Offence units has been promised in the Autumn budget as part of the increased funding awarded to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The CPS has been given £49 million in additional funding to help them address the enormous pressure the criminal justice […]
In recent years the use of remote hearings has been crucial to the efficient and expeditious service of justice in the courts and tribunals of England and Wales but what is the future for remote hearings? When used effectively remote hearings save time and money for all involved whilst ensuring accessibility for court users for […]
In last week’s Spring Budget Chancellor Jeremy Hunt pledged £170m to improve the justice system in a bid to make it “fit for the modern era” by finding alternative ways to tackle the many cases that “should never go to court” saving significant expense. During his budget speech, the chancellor set out how the £170m […]
The Transparency Reporting Pilot (RP) has introduced the presumption that accredited members of the UK press and legal bloggers may attend and report on family hearings held in private, subject to preserving the principle of anonymity. The facilitating mechanism takes the form of a transparency order (‘TO’) acting as an injunction which details the […]
A Young Persons Appointment (YPA), also known as wishes and feelings appointments, is the new initiative launched in Surrey and Sussex to streamline the process for children and parents when an application for child arrangements is pursued. The Young Persons Appointment is more focused on the child’s views and wishes than on the pro-active pursuit […]
From the 7th of June 2022 anyone who strangles their partners in a bid to control or intimidate them will face up to 5 years behind bars for committing the UK’s new non-fatal strangulation offence. The new non-fatal strangulation offence will also apply to British nationals abroad so there is no escape for abusers even if […]
A new report claims women are being failed by the criminal justice system because it is too focused on transgender rights which is putting “trans rights ahead of women.” The report, titled Transgenderism and Policy Capture in the Criminal Justice System, was authored by the Policy Exchange think tank. While researching the paper they found the police, the […]
Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has announced he is publishing draft legislation that will put the “needs and voices” of victims “firmly at heart of the justice system”. The Bill has been designed to provide better support for victims, increase conviction rates and, many expect, pave the way for the first victims’ law. The reforms to the support for victims […]
The UK’s new economic crime bill – the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act or ECA – was recently rushed through because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine but what is the economic crime bill and what has it been passed to do? What is the new economic crime bill? In very broad terms, the ECA has been […]
Pupillage at The Bar is notoriously challenging and demanding so it’s easy to let work overtake its primary objective – to produce excellent new barristers and to make sure these barristers careers begin with a flourish. We’ve asked our pupil’s to provide an honest and open appraisal of their pupillage and how, as a pupil, they found life […]