I have spent much of my time this year, training solicitors and experts about Tenants’ Rights in relation to Housing Conditions. This has been driven, in part by the recent ‘reforms’ of road traffic claims that will see a huge reduction in the number of such cases. Many firms are looking to diversify. Another factor has been the arrival of the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018. This Act, and the new covenants…

  This is the second blog post in relation to the recent report by the commons committee – the Safety of Maternity Services in England – https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5802/cmselect/cmhealth/19/1902.htm My previous post looked at the problem of separating Clinical Negligence from other types of negligence claim, and the so called ‘blame culture’. Today I am looking at proposals to change the basis on which compensation is calculated. The report rightly notes that financial compensation is not always…

If your taxi driver is negligent and you are injured, you expect to be compensated. If a surgeon is negligent and your child is damaged for life, you are part of a blame culture. This is the first of a few posts on the recent Commons Committee report – The Safety of Maternity Services in England – https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5802/cmselect/cmhealth/19/1902.htm The report includes a section headed – Rethinking the current approach to clinical negligence. I have to…

Sunday 30th May 2021 Bill and Doris are driving their Ford Fiesta along the Formby By-Pass on their way to Lady Rose nursery. This is part of their Sunday, after church, routine. They will potter around the gardens and then head to the café for a slice of lemon cake and a free coffee using their loyalty points. This is their regular treat, and  a far cry from the years that Doris worked as a…

Training has been an important of my business since I left private legal practice in 2017. I have spent many a happy hour touring the country talking about Clinical Negligence, Housing Conditions and the practice of law! The arrival of lockdown in March 2020 was a worry. Where was nearly half of my business going to come from? It even crossed my mind that I might need to go back on the tools! Before the end…

  The world is still reeling from Saturday’s shocking images of women being held down by Metropolitan police officers as they attended a peaceful vigil in memory of Sarah Everard. There have been many calls for the resignation of the Chief Commissioner, Cressida Dick which misses a more significant and pressing issue. These events provide a very disturbing backcloth to today’s debate in Parliament concerning the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021. This is…

My first guest blog post! Thoughts on the Philip Rutnam settlement from my friend and Employment Law Expert, Steve Pinder of  Stephen Pinder – Employment Law Matters  Philip Rutnam resigned from his role as the senior civil servant in the Home Office raising allegations of bullying against his boss, Secretary of State Priti Patel. He alleged that there had been a vicious and orchestrated briefing campaign against him after trying to get Ms Patel…