Criminal barristers consider strike over government’s legal aid deal January 17, 2022 Criminal barristers are considering taking strike action, after claiming government plans to inject £35m per year into the criminal justice system would not be enough to “ensure the long-term viability of the Criminal Bar.” Last week, the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) asked its 2,600 members to vote on the prospect of launching a strike, [...]
Diversity at the Bar is ‘gradually improving but more progress is needed’ February 1, 2022 The Bar Standards Board has said that the criminal bar has become more diverse but said that more progress is needed, after new figures showed that the bar is not representative of the wider UK population. Over the past year, the bar has gotten more diverse, according to the BSB figures, which show there are [...]
Raab vows to boost legal aid with extra investment of £135m a year March 15, 2022 The UK government has agreed to invest an extra £135m a year into criminal legal aid, in line with recommendations made by the Bellamy report, which said £135m is the minimum investment needed to ensure the UK’s criminal legal aid system continues to function effectively. In a statement, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it [...]
Gold worth £4m seized from drug cartels by National Crime Agency at London Heathrow March 21, 2023 Around £4 million of gold has been seized from South American drug cartels. The National Crime Agency (NCA) reclaimed 104kg of gold bars, some in the shape of hearts, after they were found hidden in the cargo section of a plane at Heathrow Airport in June 2019. The plane had arrived from the Cayman Islands [...]
Donald Trump: All you need to know about the Georgia indictment August 15, 2023 Former US president Donald Trump has been indicted for the fourth time on charges relating to his attempts to overturn the result of the 2020 election in the state of Georgia. A grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, returned an indictment late on Monday, charging Trump and 18 others, for violating election law and being [...]
Donald Trump defrauded banks and insurers as he built his empire, judge rules September 27, 2023 A judge has ruled that Donald Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to fame and the White House. Judge Arthur Engoron, ruling on Tuesday in a civil lawsuit brought by New York’s attorney general, found that the former president and his company deceived banks, insurers and others [...]
Solicitor and bar partner sentenced to years in prison for money laundering in organised crime timeshare scam April 8, 2022 A former British solicitor and his partner, a bar owner on the Costa Del Sol, have been sentenced to a total of four and a half years for laundering organised crime money related to a fraudulent timeshare scheme. Judge Cambell sentenced St Helens based Anthony Lea to 3 years in prison, and Ian Hollis to 18 months, [...]
More than a year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine some firms still can’t – or won’t – quit Moscow May 25, 2023 Some global companies are still operating in Russia more than a year on from the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Firms were quick to respond to the full-scale war, which broke out last February, with some saying they would quit Russia immediately and others curtailing imports or new investment. Billions of pounds of factories, energy holdings [...]
UK payment firms warn new fraud refund rules could ‘freeze’ systems in October June 26, 2024 The UK’s payments watchdog is under growing pressure from the firms it regulates to rethink new fraud refund rules that industry chiefs say could wreak havoc for both companies and consumers.
Wedlake Bell’s rising star on how tech is changing they way City law firms work January 13, 2023 Technology is increasingly changing the way we work, and law firms are no exception. Innovation and new technical solutions are rapidly penetrating the City’s legal powerhouses. At the same time, barristers and other lawyers feel they are not compensated sufficiently for the hard work they put in, prompting thousands to strike earlier this year. To [...]