Law Weblog

Prisons nearly full

The population in custody on 31 July 2006 was 79,319, 3 per cent more than a year earlier.

Effect of public opinion and pressure groups

The possession of violent and extreme pornographic material will become a criminal offence punishable by up to three years in prison under proposed new laws announced today by Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker. The Government aims to legislate as soon as Parliamentary time allows. It follows a campaign by Berkshire woman Liz Longhurst whose daughter Jane, a Brighton schoolteacher, was killed by Graham Coutts. Coutts will probably be given a retrial, following a House of Lords ruling that manslaughter should have been put to the jury.
News report here. 

AS and A-level exam results

AS and A-level exam results

All details, all subjects here.

Barristers earn more than £2 million a year

A new exclusive the £2 million-a-year club of 18 top Queen’s Counsel mainly in tax and commercial work has been revealed by The Lawyer magazine. One or two are believed to have broken the £3 million-a-year barrier.They charge up to £5,000 an hour or £50,000 for a day-long conference. The list includes Lord Grabiner, QC and Jonathan Sumption, QC. They justify their fees by saving clients far more in the long-term and the huge sums at stake. 

Compensation Act: Commenced in July

The Compensation Act 2006 has attempted – amongst other things – to undo some of the ‘compensation culture’ that deters people from organising desirable activities. So the Act permits courts to take into account the deterrent effect of potential liability because a tortfeasor obliged to have taken certain steps might in future be deterred from organising or taking part in desirable activities.
Also, the Act clarifies (rather than changes) the law by providing that, for example, an apology or an offer of treatment shall not amount to an admission of liability.
The Compensation Act 2006