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Law News from Times Online Law News from Times Online Lawyers indulge love of high living despite credit crunch Never mind redundancies, profit cuts and belt-tightening ? lawyers are still indulging their love of high-living and excess. The weirdest legal cases of 2008 Read Gary Slapper's Weird Cases every Friday Law firm bypasses banks to protect partners' payouts A leading UK law firm has paid its partners £12 million in profits ahead of schedule because it believes that the money will be safer in private rather than corporate bank accounts. Football fan Michael Shields jailed for crime abroad seeks pardon from Britain London Lawyers for the jailed Liverpool football fan Michael Shields have begun a challenge to his conviction by a Bulgarian court. Two High Court judges in London are being asked to rule that Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, has the power to exercise the ancient ?royal prerogative of mercy?, even though Shields was convicted abroad. Shields, 22, is serving a ten-year sentence in the UK for the attempted murder of a barman at a diner in Varna, Bulgaria, in 2005, a few nights after Liverpool?s victory in the Champions League final in Turkey. His conviction has been described by Fair Trials Abroad as a blatant miscarriage of justice. At the hearing, Shields?s legal team sought a judicial review of Mr Straw?s decision that he lacked the jurisdiction to issue a pardon. Police are ordered to destroy all DNA samples taken from innocent people More than 1.6 million DNA and fingerprint samples of innocent people on police databases must be destroyed after a court ruled yesterday that keeping them breaches human rights. Law must allow the use of data in fight against serious crime This judgment will come as a disappointment to the police service. But it does at least provide some clarity on an issue that has been outstanding for some time. What is required now is some exhaustive and thorough research on offending (and reoffending) profiles of those whose DNA and fingerprints were taken in the past. DNA: what happens after an arrest When a suspect is arrested for a record-able offence a mouth swab is taken, usually when the person has arrived at a police station and the custody sergeant has authorised detention. Case studies: petty crimes betray big criminals - A huge manhunt began after the model Sally Anne Bowman was found murdered close to her home in South London in September 2005. Times Law Panel welcomes ruling on DNA samples A ruling by one of Europe's highest courts that could prevent authorities from stockpiling DNA samples taken from people with no criminal conviction was welcomed by lawyers today. Reed Smith set to cut 130 jobs as woes mount in legal sector Reed Smith, the transatlantic law firm, has launched a cost-cutting programme that will put 130 jobs at risk across its US and UK offices. In depth: DNA is destroyed in Scotland In Scotland, police must destroy the DNA records of suspects who are not convicted, except where criminal proceedings were raised against them for a sexual or violent offence. European ruling could force 'innocent' DNA samples to be removed from UK data... Hundreds of thousands of DNA and fingerprint samples face being removed from police national databases after a court ruled today that holding details of people with no criminal convictions breaches human rights laws. Costs, targets, paperwork: why the system fails children at risk Ed Balls moved swiftly to remove Sharon Shoesmith from her post, and states that every local council must learn the lessons of Baby P?s death. But in many ways, Shoesmith was the perfect children?s director for the new-look Department for Children, Schools and Families. Recruitment, law, pubs and estate agents: four different industries, one comm... From high street pubs to City law firms, the services sector is hurting as spending dries up. The Times examines some of the service industries most affected by the economic gloom. The Water Cooler * No fewer than 28 barristers (not to mention solicitors) crowded into court yesterday to hear Lord Justice Latham throw out the appeal by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) against the striking out of its indictment alleging conspiracy to defraud in the NHS price-fixing case ? known as Operation Holbein. The case drew in the heavyweights: Douglas Day, QC, for the SFO (plus Lord Grabiner, QC, advising); with Lord Pannick, QC, and Clare Montgomery, QC, for the companies. Newsfeed display by CaRP |
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