Expect more joint instructions, experts warned
The former head of the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) has predicted many more instances of expert witnesses appearing for both sides in clinical negligence, according to a report in the Law Society Gazette. Steve Walker, who retired as chief executive of the NHSLA in August, told the annual conference of the Expert Witness Institute: "We will be seeing many more joint instructions. It's a bold step, but if the sole purpose of civil litigation is to get to the truth then why not?
"Some of the most critical and best experts simply can't spread themselves too widely – at the moment there is a race to get the best experts on each case and there shouldn't be."
He warned experts against gaining a reputation for giving favourable evidence to either the claimant or the defendant side. He said: "...the judge will know, and invariably they will lose."
On 12 September the Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) published its first report on the UK. According to the report, the UK has taken a number of important steps in the fight against human trafficking; however, more needs to be done to ensure that the overall approach is focused on the victims of trafficking and their rights as human beings.
The surprise elevation of Chris Grayling to the Cabinet post of Justice Secretary was not the only change of personnel at the Department of Justice. The department was one of the biggest casualties of the reshuffle, with just two ministers keeping their jobs. They are Liberal Democrat Lord McNally and Attorney General Dominic Grieve. The other high-profile casualty was Jonathan Djanogly, who steered the LASPO Act through Parliament.
Mr Justice Ryder's report into the modernisation of family justice was published on 31 July and contains a series of proposals to improve the workings of Family Courts. His recommendations have been endorsed by the Lord Chief Justice and are intended to change the culture of the family courts for children and families themselves, and for judges, lawyers, social workers, Cafcass and social workers.
Almost everyone likes trees. They provide many benefits, from the aesthetic to biodiversity and from cleaning the atmosphere to providing timber. However, they can become problematic when things go wrong.