Legal Updates
REGISTERING LOOPHOLE
A lawyer made famous for helping celebrities escape convictions for motoring offences has registered the media coined nickname “Mr Loophole”. Nick Freeman has successfully defended David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Sir Alex Ferguson (whom he claimed was only driving on the hard shoulder of a motorway because he was suffering from chronic diarrhoea). According to The Times, Freeman has succeeded in registering the name with the UK Patent Office “to ensure that no-one moves into his niche”.
KEY 2008 CASES
Free copies of the edited and expanded full text of a lecture given to the Industrial Law Society on key employment and discrimination law cases for 2008 are now available online. The lecture— Key Cases for 2008: A Preview—was given by Michael Rubenstein, editor of the Industrial Relations Law Reports, and contains details of 62 cases yet to be decided. It explores a variety of issues including the validity of non-compete provisions in a deferred share scheme; whether a cost justification defence to discrimination is permissible; and whether there is an obligation on a transfer of undertakings (protection of employment) transferee to consult with employees post-transfer. The complimentary copies of the lecture are available at: www.rubensteinpublishing.com/ Lecture.htm.
CJS QUARTERLY RESULTS
The regional performance figures for the criminal justice system (CJS) in the quarter to September 2007 have been published. The statistics show 1.44 million of fences were brought to justice in the 12 months to September 2007, representing an increase of 44% from the year ending March 2002. Performance on public confidence in the CJS was at 43%. It was also shown that the proportion of ineffective trials in the crown court has fallen to 12% from 23.7% in 2002. In magistrates’ courts, the proportion of ineffective trials has fallen to 18.2% from 30.9% in 2002.
