Emma is a UK qualified solicitor, who has spent over four years working in the international criminal courts, firstly in the Appeals Chamber at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and subsequently at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. She is also completing a doctoral thesis in international criminal law.
From October 2013, with the new code of practice introduced by the Ministry of Justice, victims became entitled to read a statement prior to sentencing explaining the impact of the crime upon them.
The change itself is a small one, but forms part of a broader trend: victims are increasingly viewed as legitimate actors in criminal proceedings, blurring the traditional demarcations of the adversarial system. A counter-trend seems to be at play in the international criminal law arena: in September 2013, the drafters of a blueprint statute for a prospective Syrian tribunal rejected outright the enhanced role for victims that has, since the Rome Statute, been an accepted feature of international criminal proceedings. The problems of victim participation in the essentially adversarial international criminal courts should sound a note of caution for law-makers in England and Wales.
The Bar Council faces both opportunities and challenges on our key areas this year
Rachel Davenport, Co-founder and Director at AlphaBiolabs, discusses the role that drug, alcohol and DNA testing can play in non-court dispute resolution (NCDR)
Casey Randall explores what makes AlphaBiolabs the industry leader for court-admissible DNA testing
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
A family lawyer has won a £500 donation for her preferred charity, an education centre for women from disadvantaged backgrounds, thanks to drug, alcohol and DNA testing laboratory AlphaBiolabs’ Giving Back campaign
Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management highlights some of the ways you can cut your IHT bill
