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1.11.18
Brett Wilson LLP recognised by Chambers and Partners 2019 as leaders in defamation and crime
Brett Wilson LLP is one of only 28 UK firms to be ranked for Defamation/Reputation Management in the 2019 edition of the Chambers and Partners directory. Within the department, Iain Wilson, Max Campbell and Alex Cochrane are individually recommended. The prestigious directory also acknowledges the firm as a recognised practitioner in Crime, including it on a…
Read more29.10.18
Brett Wilson LLP ranked in four categories in Legal 500 2018/19
Brett Wilson LLP has been ranked in four categories in the prestigious Legal 500 directory of leading law firms:- Reputation Management Professional Discipline Crime (General) Fraud (White collar crime) In addition to the firm’s rankings, every solicitor at Brett Wilson LLP has been individually recommended in their specialist field(s). Commenting on the rankings, managing partner…
Read more7.08.18
Clearing your name: the devil is in the detail
Statistically, most people charged with criminal offences are guilty as charged. In fact, the vast majority either plead ‘guilty’ of their own volition, or are found guilty at trial and are sentenced. Quite apart from the sentencing, there are rules about how long those convictions remain ‘live’ (meaning they must be disclosed to potential employers)….
Read more21.03.18
Dredging up the past: prosecutors seeking to vary confiscation orders years later
A confiscation order can be made after a defendant is convicted of certain criminal offences. It requires the defendant to pay back the ‘benefit’ that they have obtained from their criminal behaviour. Such an order is effectively capped at the level of a defendant’s available assets. Under Section 22 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (‘POCA’)…
Read more13.02.18
Streamlined sentencing code proposed
In July 2017, the Law Commission published a draft Sentencing Code for public consultation. The consultation period ended on 26 January 2018 and the findings are currently awaited. The main criticisms, and in turn the driving factors for the new Code, are that the current laws lack ‘coherence and clarity’. The Law Commission state that…
Read more6.02.18
Law relating to social media to be reviewed
The Prime Minister has indicated that the Law Commission will review legislation “to ensure that the criminal law, which was drafted long before the creation of social media platforms, is appropriate to meet the challenges posed by this new technology”. A new “social media code of practice”, providing guidelines for content and conduct and how companies report…
Read more15.12.17
Can suicide break the chain of causation?
The principles of “causation” have been examined in a recent trial at Bristol Crown Court last month. In this case, the prosecution have sought to argue that the act of the defendant throwing sulphuric acid over the victim, which resulted in catastrophic but not fatal injuries, constituted murder. The injuries sustained by the victim included…
Read more12.10.17
Brett Wilson LLP and its lawyers recommended in Legal 500 directory
Brett Wilson LLP has been ranked in the 2017 edition of the Legal 500 as a leading firm in the fields of Reputation Management, White Collar Crime/Fraud and General Crime. The latest edition was published on 11 October 2017 and marks the sixth consecutive year that Brett Wilson LLP has featured in the directory. Partner…
Read more12.09.17
Rough justice for ethnic minorities – diversity deficit, or budget deficit?
Labour MP David Lammy, has now completed his commission report into the treatment of black, asian and minority ethnic (‘BAME’) individuals in the Criminal Justice System. The report, published this week, makes 35 recommendations chiefly aimed at achieving better representation, as well as a better perception of representation, for BAME defendants, and indeed all parties…
Read more13.08.17
Decline in the number of prosecutions as reports of white-collar crime rise
Figures provided by the Ministry of Justice, pursuant to a freedom of information request, display a decline in the number of white-collar crimes prosecuted in England and Wales in 2016. There was, however, in the same year, a spike in the number of white-collar crimes reported, sparking questions over whether police forces and the Serious…
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Articles are intended as an introduction to the topic and do not constitute legal advice.
