A common misconception surrounding the law of contract is that there needs to be a written agreement or signature in order for there to be a valid contract. This is a myth that needs to be debunked. It is misleading and wholly incorrect in the legal arena. Whilst there are, of course, exceptions whereby contracts are required to be in writing, it would be unwise to accept this as a general principle applicable to every type of contract. One should exercise a level of caution

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

The prison system has come under intense fire recently. Questions have arisen as to whether it is effective in reforming inmates. Newell Legal has previously published an article about the pilot scheme that the criminal legal system is testing in an attempt to alleviate some of the pressure on the system. Coincidentally, that scheme is being carried out in Birmingham, which is at the centre of a new fiasco. It appears that the cracks within the system have become noticeable

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