England

The Criminal Bar Association has voted to take industrial action in protest at the level of fees paid to them. About 1,800 criminal barristers voted to work to rule from April 11. This is only the second time the CBA has taken such action.

A barristers' chambers in London has been sharply rebuked by a judge after publishing a press release about the outcome of a court ruling almost a full day prior to the handing down of the judgment. Matrix Chambers prepared a press release on the outcome of the appeal in R (Counsel General for Wales

A black QC has called for wigs to be banned from court following an incident in which another barrister was told he must wear one or face disciplinary action. Leslie Thomas QC said wigs were “fashioned for caucasian hair” and look “ridiculous” on black barristers.

A lawyer has been fined after he said female barristers were “hysterical” and “overemotional”. Feliks Kwiatkowski, 66, who called to the bar in 1977, was fined £500 and reprimanded.

Around one in six young barristers in England and Wales want to leave the profession amid unmanageable workloads and fears of burnout, according to a new report. The Life at the Young Bar report, commissioned by the Bar Council and published yesterday, is based on research into barristers who have b

A dyslexic judge in England has won a disability discrimination case against the Ministry of Justice over its failure to provide her with voice recognition software and training. Zorina Nadine Clarkson Palomares, a part-time judge working on immigration and social security cases, made complaints to

Magistrates in England and Wales are to have their sentencing powers increased in order to reduce pressure on the Crown Courts and "speed up justice", it was confirmed today. Under plans announced by Justice Secretary Dominic Raab, the maximum six-month prison sentence that can currently be handed o

Prosecutors are less likely to pursue people involved in mercy killings in cases where a suspect is “wholly motivated by compassion” or where the person had reached a “voluntary, settled and informed decision to end their life”. Current Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) advice

Football fans who racially abuse players will be banned from attending matches for up to a decade under new laws in England and Wales. Home secretary Priti Patel is introducing legislation to widen the ambit of football banning orders – which can be imposed on people convicted of violence, dis

Convictions imposed on people for consensual homosexual activity under former laws will be included in a scheme for “righting the wrongs of the past”, the UK's home secretary Priti Patel is to announce. Ms Patel said more people would have convictions for same-sex sexual activity removed

Seven more convictions of former subpostmasters linked to a flawed Post Office computer system have been overturned. Subpostmasters were victims of a scandal which saw the Post Office use its private prosecution powers over a 15-year period from 2000 onwards to prosecute and convict them of crimes.

Justice secretary Dominic Raab has been attacked by the bar over claims he is ignoring the problems in the criminal courts, The Times reports. Mr Raab was accused of snubbing the Bar Council's annual conference over the weekend after he failed to make a speech in person. He sent a pre-recorded video

Judges have been reminded that the press must be allowed to freely access public court hearings after reporters were refused entry on a number of occasions this year. Reporters from The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) attended possession courts on 110 occasions over the summer. They reveal

Financial penalties would be imposed on parents who bring vexatious claims to the family courts under plans being drawn up by the UK government. Justice secretary Dominic Raab wants mediation to be the default process in divorce cases to stop couples from burdening the courts, The Times reports.

The English Court of Appeal has refused permission to appeal by a 41-year-old man against a decision not to grant two orders in his favour to secure financial support from his still-married parents. Faiz Siddiqui, who was aged 41 at the time of the original hearing, argued that orders under the