News & Views

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News & Views

Garden Court Chambers | Tuesday 18 November 2008

Two members of Garden Court Chambers have been shortlisted for Legal Aid Barrister of the Year.

Maya Sikand and John Beckley both shortlisted

Garden Court Chambers | Monday 17 November 2008

Issue 114 – 17th November 2008

The Latest Housing Law News Housing for EU nationals: the House of Commons Library has produced a helpful briefing paper "EU migrants: entitlement to housing assistance (England)" dealing with access to housing and homelessness assistance in England for non-UK EU nationals. For a copy of the paper, click here. Homelessness: the Welsh Assembly Government has […]

Garden Court Chambers | Monday 17 November 2008

Issue 115 – 17th November 2008

News The retired persons of independent means route will be closed from 27 November 2008. more info The number of jobs available to foreign workers through the shortage occupation route will be reduced, the Government announced on 11 November 2008. The shortage occupation list sets out those jobs for which there are not enough resident […]

Garden Court Chambers | Monday 10 November 2008

Issue 113 – 10th November 2008

Latest Housing Law News Housing work on legal aid: the blueprint for provision of publicly-funded Housing Law services after April 2010 has been set out by the Legal Services Commission in its consultation document Civil Bid Rounds for 2010 contracts: A consultation. The LSC proposes to let no Housing-only contracts. Future contracts will provide either […]

Garden Court Chambers | Monday 10 November 2008

Issue 114 – 10th November 2008

News The UKBA has announced that the age at which someone can apply for a marriage visa will increase from 18 to 21 from the end of this month. From 27 November both parties in a marriage will have to be 21 before a marriage visa can be issued. New immigration rules for business and […]

Garden Court Chambers | Wednesday 5 November 2008

NEW Housing Seminars

Two new housing seminars are taking place this month, Book your place now!

Garden Court Chambers | Tuesday 4 November 2008

Bar Pro Bono Award 2008

Mark Muller QC and Brenda Campbell were part of Access to Justice in Afganistan Project, which jointly involved: Garden Court Chambers, 20 Essex Street, Matrix Chambers and Blackstone chambers.

Garden Court Chambers | Monday 3 November 2008

Issue 112 – 3rd November 2008

Latest Housing Law News Housing Ombudsman: the 2008 Annual Report of the Housing Ombudsman Service sets out the details of the ombudsman’s work over the past year and contains useful digests of concluded cases. For a copy, click here. Homelessness: the October 2008 Update from the Homelessness Action Team based at the Housing Corporation reviews […]

Garden Court Chambers | Monday 3 November 2008

Issue 113 – 3rd November 2008

News The Australian Government has announced an investigation into reports that up to 20 rejected asylum seekers from Afghanistan were killed after being returned. more info The judicial arm of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) ruled that Niger had failed in its obligations to protect a 24 year old woman who had […]

Garden Court Chambers | Thursday 30 October 2008

Birmingham City Council v Shafi

The Master of the Rolls gave judgment today in Birmingham City Council v Shafi, dismissing the appeals brought by the Council. Maya Sikand, who represented the First Respondent Shafi

Garden Court Chambers | Monday 27 October 2008

Issue 111 – 27th October 2008

Latest Housing Law News Mortgage Repossession: on 22 October 2008 the Civil Justice Council (CJC) announced that the new pre-action protocol for mortgage possession cases had been approved and would come into force on 19 November 2008. For a copy of the announcement, click here. For a copy of the approved protocol itself, click here. […]

Garden Court Chambers | Monday 20 October 2008

Issue 55 – 20th October 2008

EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE Age discrimination Bartsch v Bosch C-427/06Under the guidelines of the employer’s pension scheme payments would not be made to a widow(er) of a member of the scheme if they were 15 or more years younger than the former employee. The ECJ held that such a provision was not covered by the […]

Garden Court Chambers | Monday 20 October 2008

Issue 111 – 20th October 2008

News On 16 October 2008 the Home Office announced "Tough new rules to safeguard the visitor route into the United Kingdom from abuse and keep Britain an attractive place to do business". Visa nationals wishing to come to the UK on business for up to six months must apply for a dedicated new business visa […]

Garden Court Chambers | Monday 13 October 2008

Issue 110 – 13th October 2008

News UNHCR official has accused Greece of violating the Refugee Convention by routinely rejecting asylum claims by migrants from war-torn states like Afghanistan. Greece’s record on asylum is so bad that UNHCR has advised EU countries not to return asylum seekers there until conditions improve. More info More generally the UNHCR’s top protection official has […]

Garden Court Chambers | Tuesday 7 October 2008

Issue 4 – 7th October 2008

Legislation Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Commencement No 2) Order 2008, SI 2008/2497: brings into force, inter alia, certain provisions of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 on 1 October 2008, establishing the Care Quality Commission and enabling the Care Quality Commission to take preparatory steps (such as the preparation of a programme […]

Garden Court Chambers | Monday 6 October 2008

Issue 110 – 6th October 2008

Latest Housing Law News New Housing Minister: The Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP has been appointed Minister of State (Housing) in the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG). She replaces Caroline Flint MP who served as Housing Minister from January 2008. Former legal aid solicitor Sadiq Khan also joins the CLG in a ministerial […]

Garden Court Chambers | Monday 6 October 2008

Issue 109 – 6th October 2008

News Phil Woolas was appointed as successor to Liam Byrne as Immigration Minister, in last week’s reshuffle. Byrne’s tenure in the post was considered such a success, he has now been promoted to the Cabinet. Woolas, in his first interview, has said that he wants to further toughen the current legislation and expressed sympathy with […]

Garden Court Chambers | Friday 3 October 2008

Inquests: a practitioner’s guide

Chambers is delighted to announce publication of this unique guide by barrister Leslie Thomas, leading specialist in the "civil rights" torts against the police and police-related litigation practitioner, with co-authors Adam Straw and Danny Fr

Garden Court Chambers | Thursday 2 October 2008

Latest book from Garden Court Practitioners

Blackstone's Guide to the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, will be published on 9th January 2009

Garden Court Chambers | Monday 29 September 2008

Issue 109 – 29th September 2008

Latest Housing Law News Tolerated trespassers: Before the relevant provisions of the Housing & Regeneration Act 2008 are brought into force, the Government needs to work out how they should be applied to those who were tolerated trespassers of local authorities when those councils sold their stock to housing associations. A consultation paper, inviting views […]