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Record ULS referrals
A record number of offenders were referred to the Attorney General’s Office last year, according to statistics released on unduly lenient sentences (ULS) referred to the Court of Appeal. In 2012, 435 sentences were referred as possibly unduly lenient, compared to 377 in 2011 and 342 in 2010. Of the 435 referrals, 344 were eligible for consideration. Eighty eight offenders were referred to the Court of Appeal and 82 cases heard in court. Permission was granted in 73 cases and 62 offenders saw their sentence increase.
Trust me, I’m a lawyer?
The public is less trusting of lawyers, less confident that their consumer rights will be protected and less confident to complain than they were a year ago – according to research by the Legal Services Consumer Panel. Its latest tracker survey, carried out by YouGov, showed 42% of the general public would generally trust lawyers to tell the truth; compared to 43% in 2012 and 47% in 2011. Public confidence has fallen at a similar rate across other professions, such as doctors and accountants, but contrasts with a slight increase in trust for estate agents, builders and car mechanics over the last three years. Although the survey found that women were more likely to trust lawyers than men, trust among women had fallen from 47% to 43% during the past 12 months; whereas trust among men was static.
Trust me, I’m a lawyer?
The public is less trusting of lawyers, less confident that their consumer rights will be protected and less confident to complain than they were a year ago – according to research by the Legal Services Consumer Panel. Its latest tracker survey, carried out by YouGov, showed 42% of the general public would generally trust lawyers to tell the truth; compared to 43% in 2012 and 47% in 2011. Public confidence has fallen at a similar rate across other professions, such as doctors and accountants, but contrasts with a slight increase in trust for estate agents, builders and car mechanics over the last three years. Although the survey found that women were more likely to trust lawyers than men, trust among women had fallen from 47% to 43% during the past 12 months; whereas trust among men was static.
Record ULS referrals
A record number of offenders were referred to the Attorney General’s Office last year, according to statistics released on unduly lenient sentences (ULS) referred to the Court of Appeal. In 2012, 435 sentences were referred as possibly unduly lenient, compared to 377 in 2011 and 342 in 2010. Of the 435 referrals, 344 were eligible for consideration. Eighty eight offenders were referred to the Court of Appeal and 82 cases heard in court. Permission was granted in 73 cases and 62 offenders saw their sentence increase.
Update from the Chair of the Bar
By Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group
Modernising communication and collaboration at a leading Chancery set. A Zexi case study
How to build profile without compromising professional duties. By Naumaan Farooq, Co-Founder of Inked PR
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the role of cut-off levels, and the wider range of factors that must be considered when interpreting results for family court proceedings
Endometriosis Awareness North, a charity raising awareness of endometriosis and supporting those affected across the North of England, has received a £500 boost from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
A decade of reviews and research has disrupted accepted thinking in the search for causality. Suicides following abuse have overtaken domestic homicides. Is the law keeping up? Professor Susan Edwards KC (Hon) examines recent cases and the obstacles to successful prosecution
The case against judge-only justice – and why efficiency is not enough. By Professor Leslie Thomas KC
Heritage as an anchor and a compass, finding our common humanity and embracing the power of the outsider – Melina Antoniadis’s lessons learnt
Seeing the full picture – Baljit Ubhey OBE outlines the CPS action plan to tackle violence against women and girls, offering insights directly relevant to courtroom practice
Lauren Fullerton examines the how, what and why of setting up a second chambers base
