England

The Law Society of England and Wales has been granted permission by the High Court to bring a judicial review challenge against the UK government over legal aid. The application for permission was made after the government failed to increase criminal defence solicitors’ legal aid rates by the

Rape complainants in England and Wales will be given the opportunity to meet the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) staff involved in their case ahead of a trial in the latest move to guide them through the criminal justice system. The move aims to give them the chance to discuss what they can expect i

Dame Sue Carr is to take up the role of Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales in October, becoming the first woman to hold the top judicial post. Lord Burnett of Maldon, the Lord Chief Justice since 2017, is retiring at the end of September.

An English woman who took abortion pills beyond the 24-week statutory limit has been jailed for 14 months, sparking fresh calls for the decriminalisation of abortion in England and Wales. Carla Foster, a 44-year-old mother-of-three, pleaded guilty to the offence of administering poison with intent t

Black defendants are detained on remand for more than 70 per cent longer than white individuals in England and Wales, data highlighting racial disparities in the criminal justice system shows. Information acquired by The Guardian and Liberty Investigates under the Freedom of Information Act reveal t

Forced marriage "remains rife" in England and Wales in spite of legislation introduced more than 15 years ago in a bid to end the practice, new research shows. The research on Forced Marriage Protection Orders (FMPOs), a civil injunction designed to prevent forced marriages, uncovers the scale of th

Senior legal executives will have the opportunity to become Crown Court judges in England and Wales as the UK government takes action to address the backlog of serious criminal cases. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk KC announced that the departure from usual practice on the Crown Court bench, which has

A male partner at a law firm has been ordered to pay £45,000 in fines and costs after singing a “degrading” song to a junior female colleague and making obscene gestures at a Christmas party. The woman, who had been working as a trainee solicitor at the practice in London for three

The UK government is considering plans to reduce reoffending and address labour shortages in England and Wales by allowing more prisoners to go on day release and work in industries such as construction, haulage, and hospitality. Currently, only a quarter of those leaving prison have a job within si

England's Legal Services Board (LSB) has launched a call for evidence on the role that lawyers’ conduct can play in the misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). While the majority of NDAs are lawful and can legitimately be used to protect the confidentiality of sensitive business ideas and

Discount supermarket Lidl has prevailed in a trademark battle against Tesco. The English High Court ruled that Tesco's Clubcard logo copied Lidl's. Both feature a yellow circle against a blue square background.

The Law Society of England and Wales has assured law firms that they can refuse to advise clients whose activities conflict with scientifically-supported climate change targets. In "milestone" guidance published yesterday, the Law Society encourages solicitors to "adopt a proportionate approach to c

Sentences handed down by judges in the south of England are more likely to be referred back to the courts as unduly lenient as those handed down by their northern colleagues, according to new research. Of all the sentences handed down in England and Wales from the start of 2020 to the end of 2022, a

A Luxembourg-based pharmaceutical company has succeeded in an action in the High Court of England and Wales in which it alleged that a drug manufacturing division of an NHS trust was in breach of a drug development agreement (DA) relating to a treatment for lung disease. SciPharm S.a.r.l claimed tha

Thousands of children could be protected from witnessing their parents thrash out family disputes through the English and Welsh courts, following plans to mandate mediation for separating families announced by the UK government today. Proposals will see mediation become mandatory in all suitable low