Expert Witness Legal News – page 38

Court strikes down "unlawful" cap on defence costs

The government has defended its predecessor’s “unlawful” attempt to save £20m by limiting recoverable defence costs to legal aid levels.

The new Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed it is considering an appeal against today’s High Court ruling that blocks the former Lord Chancellor Jack Straw’s central funding scheme.

Judge takes strict approach to 'defendant' in Huntingdon case

Animal rights activists have clawed back a minor victory against five Japanese science firms after the judge ruled unnamed protestors could not be slapped with final injunctions without prior court consent.

Fast-food joint near school overruled

Planning permission to open a fast-food outlet near a secondary school running a ‘healthy eating’ drive has been revoked by the High Court.

London firm Leigh Day & Co successfully argued that the proximity of the school should have been taken into account by councillors when voting on takeaway firm Fried & Fabulous’ application.

Advice outlets and legal aid increase in Scotland

Applications for civil legal aid increased by almost 25% over the last year to 22,000, the highest number since 1999, according to statistics from the Scottish Legal Aid Board.

The increase, following on an increase of 12 per cent rise on last year, was accompanied by a 5 per cent increase in the number of civil advice and assistance cases, which rose to 95,000

Combat PTSD may be linked to dementia

War veterans who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are almost twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease as veterans without PTSD, a study shows

The study by Deborah Barnes, of the University of California, is the first to link combat-related PTSD to dementia later in life, but it is not clear if having PTSD increases the risk for late-life dementias or if recurring PTSD is an early symptom of dementia in older veterans.