Filming will not turn courts into ‘theatre’, pledges Clarke

Justice secretary Ken Clarke (pictured) has insisted he will not allow courts to become ‘theatre’ despite allowing cameras inside for the first time.

The government is planning to change the law to remove the ban on cameras in court, starting with the Court of Appeal and expanding to the Crown court in due course.

But Clarke, speaking in the House of Commons this week, emphasized he will not allow filming of juries, victims and witnesses under any circumstances.

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News | Law Gazette



Family Law solicitors in Sevenoaks

What happens when politicians clash with courts over human rights?

‘Is X a good judge?’ one lawyer asked another.

There was a pause while the second lawyer weighed his words.

‘There are only good judges and better judges,’ he replied at last. ‘And yes, X is a good judge.’

That example of damning with faint praise comes with the compliments of Sir Konrad Schiemann, a judge at the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

He had already described himself as an ‘innocent’ who, on the day he arrived in the UK to deliver the present lecture, was ‘shocked by the political

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Blogs | Law Gazette



Conveyancing Solicitors in Sevenoaks

Will the profession follow the Supreme Court’s endorsement of Twitter?

Twitter is either an indispensable communications tool, perfectly suited to a breathless and urgent age, or akin to ethereal bindweed, adding little or nothing of value and banal in its ubiquity. Take your pick.

What seems clear, though, is that lawyers are going to have to engage with it, if they are not already doing so.

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Opinion | Law Gazette



Conveyancing Solicitors Sevenoaks

Ministry of Justice backs virtual courts scheme

Video technology will still play an important part in the courts system despite a report criticising the costs of the virtual courts pilot, the government has said.

Justice minister Jonathan Djanogly said in a statement that the report on a year-long pilot showed that virtual courts work and are worth further development.

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News | Law Gazette



Sevenoaks Divorce Lawyers

Courts report rise in personal injury claims

The number of personal injury claims filed in the High Court jumped 32% between 2006 and 2008, research has found.

Claims relating to personal injury jumped 31.8% from 914 in 2006 to 1,205 in 2008, according to a study of the latest available figures by legal information provider Sweet & Maxwell.

The rise comes despite attempts to reduce personal injury claims under the Compensation Act 2006, which imposed registration requirements on claims management companies and created the Ministry of Justice’s claims management regulator.

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News | Law Gazette



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