Month: July 2017
6.07.17
Election campaign expenses: Battle of the Battlebus.
In the context of criminal litigation, highly nuanced issues like the declaring of election campaign expenses boil down to the usual challenge, namely proving dishonesty rather than error. The widespread media coverage of this controversial area only highlights just how difficult it can be to establish a case to the criminal standard of proof. These days…
Read moreSRA U-turn on compulsory price publication
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has changed its mind on whether to lend support to the proposal for solicitors’ firms to publish their charging rates and prices online. A report on the legal services market prepared by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in December last year found that individuals struggled to make informed choices…
Read moreDefamation, privacy and harassment on WhatsApp: a new legal frontier?
Part of the appeal of WhatsApp, the instant messaging service, is that it allows you to join groups from which you can send messages and pictures to other participants across the globe with relative ease and at no cost. Gone are the days when parties or other social events are organised by email or invitations…
Read more4.07.17
Defamation and privacy claims: making a statement in open court
In Sir Cliff Richard OBE v the BBC and Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police [2017] EWHC 1648 (Ch), Mr Justice Mann reviewed the law on statements in open court, and the grounds upon which the court might refuse to permit them. Upon acceptance of a settlement offer in a libel, slander, malicious falsehood, and/or misuse of private…
Read more1.07.17
Solicitor sanctioned by SRA for misleading client
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (‘SRA’) have reached a Regulatory Settlement Agreement with a solicitor who erroneously lead a client to believe that court proceedings had been issued in their matter. John Mitton, a former director of PG Legal Limited, was instructed by an unnamed client in relation to an employment dispute with a recruitment agency…
Read moreFan ordered to pay football club's solicitor £18,000 for online libel
In Woodward v Grice [2017] EWHC 1292 (QB) the High Court considered the appropriate level of damages to award against a fan of the club for libellous statements made on an online forum. Facts Graham Woodward was employed as an in-house lawyer for Blackpool FC. He brought a claim against fan Andrew Grice for posting the following…
Read moreLegal Disclaimer
Articles are intended as an introduction to the topic and do not constitute legal advice.