There were several interesting legal stories in the press this week.
Unsurprisingly, no shortage of comment surrounds the award of legal aid to former associates of Isis while the less controversial, if long overdue, regulation of up skirting makes the practice a criminal offence punishable by a maximum of five years’ imprisonment. Then a few days ago, the government announced plans for a ‘blame free’ divorce making it easier for the parties to call a truce and focus on more central issues such as arrangements for the children. We also heard from a team at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court how future criminal cases might be processed digitally while finally, on the other side of the Atlantic, the ubiquitous social media megastar and corporate mogul Kim Kardashian announced her intention to train as a lawyer.
One story that caught my eye concerned one local authority which erroneously implemented a Traffic Order before the expiration of the obligatory consultation period. Upon discovery of the mistake the Council were forced to grit their teeth, fetch a pot and brush and paint over a host of new signs and road markings. Someone, somewhere at the Town Hall had clearly misread the time-table but for all the hilarity it is hard not to feel sorry for the individuals concerned.
Mistakes like this happen not just because we are all human but also because these days, we all live in such a frantic, digital, fast forward world that it is almost impossible to land the ever-increasing number of balls we are obliged to keep in the air at any given time. Thankfully only pride was hurt on this occasion, but it seemed to me the incident is a salutary reminder that to err is only human and it could happen to any one of us.
This weekend is the Easter holiday and many of us will be looking forward to spending time at home with families. I have some gardening to do and if the weather stays fine, I might do a bit of walking. However, as we all wind down for the week there are other non-legal images that dominate the news. Who will forget Tiger Woods clutching his children after his incredible win in the US Masters on Sunday evening? For Game of Throne fans, who will prevail in the forthcoming battle for Westeros? We may all be lawyers here but there’s no shortage of GOT fans at Falcon Court!
I cannot end this week’s blog without mentioning the saddest image in the media which, of course, is the sight of Notre Dame and 850 years of French history going up in flames. Those of a certain age will recall a similar blaze at York Minster in July 1984. Was that really 35 years ago? I remember at the time such was the devastation it was thought the cathedral would never recover, but it did, and no doubt in time Notre Dame and everything that it stands for will recover too.
With every good wish to our friends both here and over the channel. Happy Easter.
Geoff Skeoch, Senior Partner, Jacksons Law Firm
#Janesblog
