England

Magna Carta provides justification for restricting jury trials to only the most serious offences, a UK cabinet minister has claimed, prompting accusations that Labour is “selectively quoting” the charter to defend sweeping proposed reforms. Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime

Major curbs on the ancient right to be tried by a jury in England and Wales are reportedly under consideration. The UK's justice secretary, David Lammy, is weighing up proposals to guarantee the right to a jury trial only for defendants facing charges such as rape, murder, manslaughter or other offe

The grandchildren of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in the UK, are calling on ministers to grant her a posthumous pardon, arguing that she was a victim of domestic abuse. Ellis was executed in 1955 for the murder of her former partner, racing driver David Blakely, whom she had met two years

A lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) over alleged links between its talcum powder products and cancer has been formally lodged at the High Court in London on behalf of more than 3,000 claimants. KP Law, formerly known as Keller Postman UK, is bringing what is believed to be one of the l

Solicitors in England and Wales have been advised to stop using "Dear Sirs" at the start of correspondence. The traditional greeting is "no longer accurate, representative or appropriate in today's diverse society", according to new guidance issued by the Law Society of England and Wales.

Solicitors in England and Wales could be banned from advertising their services on a "no win, no fee" basis under plans being considered by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA).

Law firms in England and Wales may have to hand over the interest from client accounts to help fund legal aid under plans being considered by the UK government. The Ministry of Justice has been privately consulting with legal aid providers and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) on the propose

Tens of thousands of offenders in England and Wales, including sex offenders, shoplifters, drug dealers and violent criminals, will avoid prison under sweeping sentencing reforms to be put before MPs next month. The Sentencing Bill will require judges to presume against custodial sentences of less t

An English judge has criticised a taxpayer for using an artificial intelligence chatbot to argue his case in court after it "hallucinated" non-existent legal precedents. Marc Gunnarsson used AI to help prepare his legal submissions when appealing a decision by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The tax

Paul Weller, musician and former frontman of The Jam and the Style Council, has launched legal action against his former accountants after they resigned because he publicly accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. Mr Weller was a client of Leigh Genis of Harris and Trotter LLP for more than 30 years, unt

Five international organisations have urged the attorney general for England and Wales, Richard Hermer, to delay making a decision on whether to prosecute hundreds of peaceful protesters arrested for holding placards expressing support for Palestine Action. Palestine Action, a non-violent direct act

The UK parliament's justice committee is today launching a new inquiry into access to justice in England and Wales. MPs on the cross-party committee, chaired by Labour MP Andy Slaughter, will examine the current state of the legal services and representation market, and how it affects access to just

England and Wales is set to follow Ireland in introducing a right to independent legal advice and representation for complainants in sexual offence trials when requests are made to introduce evidence of their past sexual behaviour. As part of its "end-to-end rape review", the UK government asked the

The secretive way judges are appointed in England via an "old boys' network" could be at an end after an historic Court of Appeal ruling. Kate Thomas, a judge with 30 years’ experience in the legal profession, successfully challenged the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) over its use of &

Thousands of defendants in England and Wales could lose the automatic right to have their cases heard by a jury under sweeping reforms proposed by a senior judge aiming to ease a record court backlog. Sir Brian Leveson, the former Court of Appeal judge who led the government-commissioned review, has