Judicial Review (JR) is rarely far from centre stage in the legal news. It is a mechanism to hold governmental bodies accountable for their decisions and actions. Recently, there has been some debate over the entire costs regime that is found within JR. In litigation, the general rule is that the winner of the case has their legal fees paid for by the losing side. However, if a Claimant fails to consider methods of reaching settlement before pursuing a JR claim, they may be o

Advances in technology over the last few decades have enabled users to share information more freely. As a result of a few clicks, users are able to find information on almost any topic, including another’s past conduct. In 2018, the average citizen is able to access the Internet through their smartphone, tablet, laptop or a combination thereof. The availability of such information has led to interesting issues, subject to intense debate. One such issue is whether there is a

The topic of human rights can pose complicated questions. Recently, it has produced increasingly complex answers. Whilst human rights are universal in the sense that everyone has their own fundamental rights, their implementation and challenges at domestic level differ. The reasoning for this is clear; many societies have specific views of particular issues, systemic anomalies or constitutional and political methods to address those issues when they arise. There is, however,

The Grenfell Tower fire started in the early hours of 14th June 2017 . The tragedy caused 72 deaths, with a further two people dying at a later stage in hospital from their injuries. The incident has been scrutinised since its occurrence and has been the subject of fierce debate. Many have argued that the tragedy was the result of a systemic failure on the part of the Conservative government. Amongst the tragedy and the anger aimed at the government, there has been much solid

Brexit, a topic that has generated much controversy and disagreement since the EU referendum was first announced, has seen another recent twist in the tale. British expatriates (‘expats’), within a group called the “ UK in EU Challenge group ", have launched a fresh legal challenge against the 2016 referendum . It should be noted that this is a domestic judicial review application, not an application to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The crux of the legal

The prison regime has been at the centre of scrutiny in recent years . Particular questions arise as to whether it is effective in reforming those who are sentenced to serve time in the prison system, having been found or pleaded guilty in court. Significant criticism has been aimed at the use of prisons, with a focus on the number of reoffending individuals who find themselves in the prison system on multiple occasions. This is partly due to the ineffective nature of short t

Recent developments indicate a massive change to organ donation under the NHS system is set to happen, subject to Parliament approving what is known as “Max’s Law”. This is based on the experiences of Max Johnson, who successfully underwent a heart transplant. His story has since been supported by publications such as the Daily Mirror. The consultation received 17,000 consultation responses. The report that addresses these responses can be found here . Currently, an indiv

Under the current Conservative Government, the English legal system has experienced crippling cuts to legal aid. Legal aid essentially acts as a safeguard to providing a fair process and individual liberty within the criminal justice system. This has been a subject of contention for some time and remains to be so. It also applies to a wide range of disciplines within law. Recent criticism from MPs has been with regard to the lack of assistance for asylum seekers, who are part

This article focuses on a recent ruling (the background facts can be found here ) by the Supreme Court, which addresses the current need for legal permission to end care for patients in a “long-term, permanent vegetative state”. The implications of this decision are massive; it could affect thousands of people who are kept alive by medical intervention. Undoubtedly, these cases can be distressing for doctors and judges alike. The stress can be especially apparent for the form

A recent Supreme Court decision held that being unhappily married is not grounds to permit a divorce in England and Wales. It should be noted, the judges who did find in favour of the husband did so “reluctantly”. Whether this decision facilitates a no fault ground of divorce is yet to be seen (as seen per Lord Wilson) nor will the merits of either side be discussed at great length in this article. This articles explores the current means of obtaining a divorce. By way of