Courts, Tribunals & Judiciary

Articles

29 May 2015

'Bury your marriage' divorce centre staffed with 'legal advisers'

Forty per cent of divorce petitions returned to solicitors for correction owing to errors in drafting or procedure

22 May 2015

High Court quashes council's discriminatory Catholic school transport policy

Swansea City Council defended its policy by saying those children affected were 'statistically insignificant'

20 May 2015

Supreme Court memoir judgment a 'victory for freedom of speech'

Judges permit publication of pianist James Rhodes' Instrumental

15 May 2015

Misery loves company

'For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens "as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone".'

15 May 2015

Caped crusader pleads guilty

Judges are used to hearing excuses from lawyers as to why their clients have failed to appear at scheduled court dates, but an Edinburgh sheriff may just have heard the best one. Solicitor Roy Harley was representing his absent client, 55-year-old Paul Mount, at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, on charges of conducting himself in a disorderly manner while on a bus by attempting to open a bottle - which he claimed contained petrol - and threatening to set passengers on fire. Harley told sheriff Kenneth Maciver he had no explanation for his client's absence, but told the court he had received instructions from Mount to plead guilty to the charge. When sheriff Maciver inquired as to why Mount had failed to attend court, his solicitor replied: 'To be frank My Lord, when he arrived at my office [last week] he was wearing a fluorescent green Batman outfit. I think drink had been taken. But I do have instructions to plead guilty to this charge.' Sheriff Maciver, who clearly has a sense of humour, responded: 'I will defer the matter to next Tuesday but perhaps you could tell him not to dress as Batman, or Robin for that matter.' In addition to the disorderly conduct charge, the caped crusader also admitted to committing a breach of the peace by struggling with passengers and attempting to climb into the bus driver's cab. It remains to be seen whether sheriff Maciver sentences Batman to the Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Dressed.

14 May 2015

High Court judge tells warring couple to have 'serious settlement discussion'

Divorce may be like a boxing match, but it is the children who suffer 'lifelong bruises', says family mediator

7 May 2015

Biting the hand that represents you

Criminal pilfers his own barrister's phone while appearing at Bexley Magistrates' Court

5 May 2015

McKenzie friends are never foes

They may be shy, but the assistants to many litigants know what they're doing, explains District Judge Nigel Law