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Connarty Stable’s John Campbell is highly experienced and has a ‘good understanding of how cases can affect outcomes for children’.

At Hastie Stable, the ‘pragmatic and fair’ David Jack ‘deals appropriately with clients from a wide range of backgrounds’.

Murray Stable’s Janys Scott QC is able to ‘assimilate a vast amount of information in a very short period of time’, and is ‘sensitive in child-related matters’ 
while also being ‘a force to be reckoned with’. Kirsty Malcolm takes a ‘calm, considered approach’ and is ‘meticulous in the work that she produces’. Ross Macfarlane handles many of the few education law cases in Scotland. The ‘extremely proficient’ John Speir, who is ‘exceptional in court’ and has a ‘very thorough grasp of the law in both financial provision cases and in child-related matters’, recently joined from Hastie Stable.

Westwater AdvocatesMorag Wise QC is ‘most effective in a court setting and is a resilient negotiator’, and her ‘representation and advice is nothing short of excellent’. Lynda Brabender, whose ‘expertise on adoption and associated orders is second to none’, is ‘child-focused throughout an action’ and ‘will find a solution in the most challenging of circumstances’: she is increasingly more active with financial instructions. Ruth Innes is the ‘“go-to” junior counsel for financial provision cases’; is of ‘great intellect and takes a forensic approach’; and shows flare in interpreting and analysing extremely complex business accounts. Robert Hayhow is a ‘fairly feisty negotiator’, and Mary Loudon is adept at handling cases concerning children and adults who lack capacity.

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Legal Developments in the UK

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  • COUNCIL TAX

    In Harrow LBC v Ayiku [2012] EWHC 1200 (Admin) Sales J held that the word “or” in the Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) Order 1992, art 3 Class N, had a disjunctive meaning, therefore it was sufficient for the non-British spouse of a foreign student to satisfy one or other of the two conditions, namely being prevented from taking paid employment or being prevented from claiming benefits, in order to qualify as a “relevant person” who was exempted from liability to pay council tax.
    - 11KBW
  • QUEEN’S SPEECH

    Bills already introduced pursuant to the Queen’s Speech on 9 May 2012 include Local Government Finance Bill and Electoral Registration and Administration Bill, both accompanied by Explanatory Notes, which in each case address ECHR compatibility.
    - 11KBW
  • Standards

    In R (Calver) v Adjudication Panel for Wales [2012] EWHC 1172 (Admin) Mr Calver was a member of Manorbier Community Council who successfully challenged the decision of the Panel to dismiss his appeal against a decision by Prembrokeshire County Council Standards Committee censuring him for a number of comments or blogs posted by him on a website he owned and controlled.
    - 11KBW
  • A justified retrospective

    Clive Sheldon - QC debates the pros & cons of retrospective tax legislation
    - 11KBW
  • Public Sector Equality Duty (“PSED”)

    In R (Greenwich Community Law Centre) v Greenwich LBC [2012] EWCA Civ 496 the Court of Appeal held that the Council had had “due regard to the PSED when making changes to its funding of community legal advice services”. At para 30 Elias LJ said:
    - 11KBW
  • Public Sector Equality Duty

    Surrey County Council conducted a review of its Library Service. This culminated in a Report to the Council’s Cabinet. The Recommendations in the Report included that there should be consultation about a community-partnership approach at selected Libraries.
    - 11KBW
  • Judicial Review

    The Judgment of Lindblom J in The Manydown Co Ltd v Basingstoke and Deane BC [2012] EWHC 977 (Admin) repays attention. The Claimant sought to challenge by judicial review 2 decisions of the Council: (1) the Council’s refusal to reconsider its position on the development of a site that it owns (and is the subject matter of a Joint Development Partnership Agreement with the Claimant); and (2) a decision of the Council’s Cabinet approving a selection of sites for development which did not include this site.
    - 11KBW
  • The Health and Social Care Act 2012: impact on adult social services

    After its torrid passage through Parliament, the Health and Social Care Bill received Royal Assent on 27 March 2012. The Act deals principally with healthcare reform, but it also contains some amendments to the legislative framework for social care. It will come into force on a day yet to be appointed by the Secretary of State.
    - 11KBW
  • Immigration update May 2012

    In this issue:
  • Premium service for tier 2 and 5 sponsors to be launched

    A premium service for sponsors will be launched by the UKBA on 6 April 2012. The service is designed specifically for companies that sponsor international employees under tier 2 and 5 of the points based system and aims to provide them with enhanced support.

Press Releases in the UK

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