*/
Easy-to-understand guides to help judges handling scientific evidence are being introduced in UK courts in a unique partnership between the judiciary and science academies.
The first two cover DNA fingerprinting and techniques identifying people from the way they walk from CCTV and others are planned on the topics of statistics and the physics of vehicle collisions.
Each primer is a concise document presenting a plain English, authoritative account of the technique in question, as well as considering its limitations and the challenges associated with its application.
They have been written by leading scientists and working judges and peer reviewed by legal practitioners, all of whom volunteered their time.
Supreme Court Justice, Lord Hughes, Chair of the Primers Steering Group said: ‘These are the first in a series of primers designed to be working tools for judges. They aim to tackle the agreed and uncontroversial basis underlying scientific topics, which crop up from time to time in courts. The objective is to provide a judge with the scientific baseline from which any expert dispute in a particular case can begin.’
The project is a collaboration between the judiciary, the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
The primers are available to download on the website of the Royal Society and hard copies will be distributed to courts in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland through the Judicial College, the Judicial Institute, and the Judicial Studies Board for Northern Ireland.
Easy-to-understand guides to help judges handling scientific evidence are being introduced in UK courts in a unique partnership between the judiciary and science academies.
The first two cover DNA fingerprinting and techniques identifying people from the way they walk from CCTV and others are planned on the topics of statistics and the physics of vehicle collisions.
Each primer is a concise document presenting a plain English, authoritative account of the technique in question, as well as considering its limitations and the challenges associated with its application.
They have been written by leading scientists and working judges and peer reviewed by legal practitioners, all of whom volunteered their time.
Supreme Court Justice, Lord Hughes, Chair of the Primers Steering Group said: ‘These are the first in a series of primers designed to be working tools for judges. They aim to tackle the agreed and uncontroversial basis underlying scientific topics, which crop up from time to time in courts. The objective is to provide a judge with the scientific baseline from which any expert dispute in a particular case can begin.’
The project is a collaboration between the judiciary, the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
The primers are available to download on the website of the Royal Society and hard copies will be distributed to courts in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland through the Judicial College, the Judicial Institute, and the Judicial Studies Board for Northern Ireland.
Chair of the Bar reports back
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
A £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs has been made to the leading UK charity tackling international parental child abduction and the movement of children across international borders
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, outlines the drug and alcohol testing options available for family law professionals, and how a new, free guide can help identify the most appropriate testing method for each specific case
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the latest ONS data on drug misuse and its implications for toxicology testing in family law cases
The odds of success are as unforgiving as ever, but ambition clearly isn’t in short supply. David Wurtzel’s annual deep‑dive into the competition cohort shows who’s entering, who’s thriving and the trends that will define the next wave
Where to start and where to find help? Monisha Shah, Chair of the King’s Counsel Selection Panel, provides an overview of the silk selection process, debunking some myths along the way
Do chatbot providers owe a duty of care for negligent misstatements? Jasper Wong suggests that the principles applicable to humans should apply equally to machines
There is no typical day in the life as a Supreme Court judicial assistant, says Josephine Gillingwater, and that’s what makes the role so enjoyably diverse
Kindness Ambassadors – coming to a courtroom near you! Valerie Charbit, Nicola Shannon KC and Professor Robin Banerjee update readers on the second phase of the project examining, and promoting, the impact of kindness and how it can fit into an adversarial system
