3 Old Men
I came across Frontline Hackney- A day in the life of the Law on Twitter. There are many shades of legal practice and the legal aid cuts are going to bite and leave vulnerable people unrepresented.Pro bono can only go so far.
I quote from the 3 Old men opening paragraph…
Dealing with piss stained old men and blind people can be disconcerting. Someone else should have to do with that. Perhaps a nurse or a social worker. For many this is a common reaction. For us in legal aid it can be another day at the office……
May I recommend that you read the rest of the post? It is stark…and is worth the time to read.
Brian Simpson obituary
The Guardian: Leading academic lawyer in the field of legal history, legal philosophy and human rights
Brian Simpson, who has died aged 79, was one of the greatest academic lawyers of his generation in the fields of legal history, legal philosophy and – more recently – human rights. His commitment to excellence in scholarship combined with his gift for a good story to make him a superb teacher and raconteur.
I covered the JIH Case briefly yesterday with the key extract from the judgment of the Master of The Rolls, Lord Neuberger, on the guidelines for anonymity and open justice
The Sun… inevitably…. was more prosaic…
Charter for cheats
THE more a cheating celebrity drops his trousers, the more the law will cover up for him.
That is the disgraceful outcome of yesterday’s Appeal Court ruling allowing a well-known sportsman accused of cheating on his partner with two different women to keep his identity secret.
It also creates two-tier justice. If you can afford top lawyers you can buy secrecy denied to others.Yesterday was the day Britain became a judicial banana republic.
The nation that created the rule of law bent its knee to a sportsman who fornicates his way through life like a dung hill rooster.
Once a nation starts down the road to secret justice, there is no telling where it will end.
Indeed not… perhaps it could lead to secretly hacking into mobile telephones?
“It also creates two-tier justice. If you can afford top lawyers you can buy secrecy denied to others.Yesterday was the day Britain became a judicial banana republic.”
Many would argue that we have had that for years. It is many years since the old “justice is like the Ritz Hotel” statement. The vast majority of the population would not get legal aid now and could not apply for these injunctions.
while the truth of what you say is evident, obiter, the vast majority of the population would not need to apply for these injunctions as their affairs aren’t in the press.
Simplywondered – Indeed you are right. My basic point is that the vast majority of the population are basically frozen out of the courts. The rich can go: those on legal aid can go. Those in the middle – must usually forget it – (insurance; no win/no fee etc. excepted). The privacy law is therefore being fashioned to suit a particularly well-to-do “client base” which is able to use the courts.
absolutely with you on that, obiter.