Expert Comments

Opinion

Special guardianship review – time will tell!

Special guardianship orders (SGOs) and the concept of appointing a person wishing to care for a child long-term as a ‘special guardian’ with a more robust and secure legal basis,…

February 2, 2016

Opinion

Government response to Harris Review on deaths in custody – an opportunity missed

The Government’s response to Lord Harris’s review into the self-inflicted deaths in custody of 18- to 24-year-olds has rejected more than 30 of his recommendations, leading to concerns that an…

January 28, 2016

Opinion

Cycling in London – call for compassion

It’s that time of year again when we go about our daily business and many of us commute to and from work in the dark, often in wet weather, when...

January 28, 2016

Isobel Lovett

Blog

Cycle your way to safety

Here are some top tips either for those new to cycling or those in need of a safety reminder:

January 28, 2016

Opinion

Misuse of bail conditions

Over the past few years, civil liberties lawyers and campaign groups have seen a growing number of demonstrations where police have made mass arrests of protesters. These protesters are then…

January 28, 2016

Opinion

Possession! The nine tenths of the law

It’s not the first time we’ve discussed the prospective Housing and Planning Bill 2015-2016, and we doubt it will be the last. Criticism over its contents are clear and plentiful.…

January 28, 2016

Opinion

Survival of the fittest

Patrick Allen counts the costs of the Jackson & legal aid reforms It is almost two years since the Jackson and legal aid changes to civil justice rules and funding…

January 27, 2016

Patrick Allen

Opinion

Dismantling the HRA: No method in the madness

Plans to scrap the Human Rights Act (HRA) and replace it with a British Bill of Rights and Responsibilities have sparked intense debate. When first mooted in October 2014, the…

January 27, 2016

Jocelyn Cockburn

Blog

FIFA Corruption Arrests

The news of the arrest of FIFA officials in Switzerland in relation to a bribery investigation by US authorities highlights more than ever the international reach of corruption legislation like…

January 27, 2016

Raj Chada

Opinion

The end for civil legal aid?

Patrick Allen explains how austerity economics, not the recession, will destroy our civil legal aid system In 2010, George Osborne presented an austerity budget to the House of Commons claiming…

January 27, 2016

Patrick Allen

Opinion

Time to think again

Patrick Allen calls for a review of the future of costs budgeting It is now more than two years since budgets were introduced as a requirement for multi-track work. Lord…

January 27, 2016

Patrick Allen

Opinion

No room for negotiation

Fixed costs will impact access to justice & lead to long term deterioration of healthcare in the UK, says Nina Ali The government propose to limit legal costs for claims…

January 27, 2016

Nina Ali

Opinion

The Government should think again on fixed fees in clinical negligence cases argues Nina Ali, partner, Hodge Jones & Allen

This summer the Department of Health announced proposals to fix costs in clinical negligence cases worth below £250,000 and, in doing so, raised grave concerns that many victims of medical…

January 27, 2016

Nina Ali

Opinion

The Court of Protection opens its doors

From January 2016 the Court of Protection opens its doors, in a 6 month pilot scheme, to the public and the media for the first time. Only in exceptional cases…

January 26, 2016

Blog

‘Controlling behaviour’ recognised as a punishable offence…changes in domestic violence laws

29 December 2015 bought about a much needed change within the realm of domestic violence laws. Section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 introduced the new criminal offence of…

January 26, 2016

Opinion

Homelessness and the NHS

January 2016 marks the beginning of a new and innovative partnership between the Housing Team at Hodge Jones & Allen and the Pathway homeless healthcare team based at University College…

January 22, 2016

Blog

Information alert for divorcing spouses – software error on Form E required for financial calculations

At the end of 2015, it was widely reported that a software fault in the Form E on the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) website could have affected thousands of people.…

January 21, 2016

Blog

Rare jail term for former officer who falsified evidence in sexual assault cases

Last month, a former police officer working for London’s specialist rape investigation unit was sentenced to two years in prison for signing witness statements himself and lying about forensic testing…

January 20, 2016

Sasha Barton

Blog

Signing up to keep fit?

It is that time of year when your waistline regrets the over-indulgences of Christmas and New Year’s resolutions are made. For many this involves joining a gym or taking up…

January 19, 2016

Opinion

falsely-accused-of-crime

Can stop and search without suspicion be justified?

The police use of stop and search as a crime prevention tool has for decades been the subject of considerable debate. There is particular concern over the increasing use of…

January 13, 2016

Michael Ackah