News The Home Office published the arrangements for migrants covered by the HSMP Forum judicial review judgment of the 8 April 2008. Persons with an application pending for an extension in Tier 1 (General) will have it assessed in accordance with the requirements for an extension that were in place before 7 November 2006, without […]
"Outsourcing Abuse" - Report and Press Conference held at Garden Court
Latest Housing Law News Legal aid for Housing cases: by an announcement made on 10 July, the Legal Services Commission has invited solicitors and advisers to tender to provide help in 30,000 more "combined Social Welfare Law" cases. That category includes Housing and Homelessness. The deadline for submitting tenders expires on 7 August 2008. For […]
Latest Housing Law News Housing & Regeneration Bill: the Bill has now entered its last lap in Parliament with its Lords’ Report stage scheduled for later this week (see below). A swathe of last minute government (and opposition) amendments has been prepared for debate. They include the issues of how to deal with ‘tolerated trespassers’ […]
News ‘Foreign criminals’ On 1 July 2008, the UK Border Agency reported that over 2,400 ‘foreign criminals’ have been removed from the UK since January 2008. The Agency was set the target of removing 5,000 foreign criminals in 2008, and the Government said it is confident the challenge will be met. The removal of over […]
Burnett J issued a writ of habeas corpus in respect of a patient detained in psychiatric hospital.
Latest Housing Law News Housing & Regeneration Bill: the Bill has now completed its Lords Grand Committee stage having been extensively amended. An updated version of the Bill (which includes those amendments) can be obtained by clicking here. Amendments discussed on the last day of debate included several drafted by HLPA e.g. those covering domestic […]
HOUSE OF LORDS Disability Discrimination London Borough of Lewisham v Malcolm [2008] UKHL 43Mr Malcolm had a mental illness as a result of which he sub-let his flat and went to live elsewhere. The landlord claimed possession. By s22(3)(c) Disability Discrimination Act 1995 ("DDA") it is unlawful for a person managing any premises to discriminate […]
News The UK Border Agency had announced that it want to introduce a new sponsored family visa. Sponsors who fail to ensure that family members comply with their leave to enter, may face a ban on bringing anyone else over, penalties of up to £5,000 or a jail sentence.More info Case Law AL (Serbia) v […]
Chambers is delighted to extend a warm welcome to Richard Harvey, Edward Fitzpatrick and Dr Tim Baldwin as new tenants.
These cases have profound implications for those dealing with Article 8 claims. Three of these cases involved members of chambers' immigration team.
A new Community Care Legal Resource has been developed within the Legal Resources section of our website.
Garden Court are pleased to announce that Alison Grief has been appointed as the new 'Assistant Deputy Coroner for Mid Kent and Medway,' Alison was appointed on 2nd June 2008.
Courtenay Griffiths and Terry Munyard are currently involved in a landmark case in The Hague where they are defending the former president of Liberia, Charles Taylor. Watch the trial live here.
Registered Social Landlords as "public authorities": on 11 June 2008 Baroness Hamwee moved an amendment to the Housing & Local Government Bill drafted by HLPA and designed to define as "public authorities" (for the purposes of both judicial review and the Human Rights Act 1998) all housing associations and other social landlords. The amendment was […]
NEWS End of HSMP New Tier 1 of the Points Based System begins operation on 30 June 2008, replacing the Highly Skilled Migrants Programme (HSMP) and seven other immigration categories, including business persons, innovators, investors, self-employed lawyers, writers, composers and artists, and the International Graduates Scheme (IGS). Those currently in the UK in any of […]
News The economic case for migration was reinforced as the Government published its response to the House of Lords Committee’s report on the economic impacts of migration, finding that immigration has contributed to the success of the UK economy by helping to meet labour and skills shortages in the public and private sectors and noting […]
COMMUNITY CARE UPDATE No 2 News Guardian, 14th May 2008: 600 families who commit crimes, have chronic drug abuse problems and fail at school and in the job market are being targeted by Westminster Council hoping to cut their cost to the state. Scotsman, 15 May 2008: Scotland’s health service could be hit by compensation claims […]
Two new Housing Law specialists at Garden Court Chambers: Edward Fitzpatrick (formerly of Mitre Court Buildings) and Dr Tim Baldwin (formerly of 5 Pump Court) have accepted invitations to join the specialist Housing Team at Garden Court Chambers. Read more information about them here. Homelessness: the homelessness statistics for England for the first quarter of […]
Jo Delahunty QC and Alison Grief, of Garden Court's Family Team,
successfully opposed an appeal in the House of Lords that would have
seen the standard of proof in Care proceedings reduced to a 'real possibility'
test.
