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Dr Bashir Qureshi. Expert Witness in Cultural, Religious & Ethnic issues in Litigation and also in GP Clinical Negligence, London.
Expert Witness Blog
Concerns mount over new terrorism legislation
The Law Society is one of many august organisations throwing up their hands in horror at some of the implications of the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill, which recently passed through its second reading in the Commons.
A rash of new measures throw a wide net around a large group of people without seeming to ask the question of whether they have actually done anything wrong. And having apprehended those people, the Bill seems to set no limits on the sanctions that can be imposed on them.
The Bill has been described as ‘Orwellian’ by some and bordering on ‘thought crime’ by the UN.
MORE:
- Expert witnesses in all spheres give evidence at Grenfell Inquiry
- Psychological legacy of scarring must be considered in damages
- Queen's Speech and Brexit negotiations set to cause headaches for experts
- It’s a busy time for the CQC
- Appointment aims to preserve a tradition of justice for all
- Was Queen’s Speech legislation distracted by referendum?
- Are increased prosecutions a deterrent to fraud?
- No let-up in 'special measures' recommendations for NHS trusts
Expert Witness News
Fatal Accident Act 1976, A Petition to Change the Law
When a loved one is unlawfully killed in England and Wales due to an accident on the road or at work the law is unjust and outdated. One example is if a parent loses a child, the usual award will be a pitiful bereavement award and the return of ‘reasonable’ funeral expenses. The usual compensation award for a loss of a child is about £15,000. The old adage that ‘it is cheaper to kill’ is true here. The value of life, a child, is worthless. There are many other examples of the law getting in the way of justice. Motor vehicle insurance companies are happy for this unjust law to remain. We are not, the law needs to be modernised and updated as a matter of urgency. Scotland has a different laws ...
MORE:
- What does the future hold for the Paralegal sector
- CPR amendment: new requirements of what expert witnesses must include in reports
- Commercial litigation funding solution launched
- Conference unites health and legal sectors to improve quality of life for the seriously injured
- Bush & Company launches annual conference with extraordinary theme
- Solicitors organise catastrophic injury conference
- Maxine to undergo freezing nights to help Burning Nights in epic charity trek!
- Could driverless cars pose challenges for investigators as well as insurers?
Expert Witness Legal News
Civil Partnerships v Marriage – What’s the Difference?
Following this morning’s announcement at The Supreme Court that heterosexual couples can enter into a civil partnership, Shona Young, Family Law Solicitor at Gilson Gray (pictured), explains why people may choose this instead of marriage.
The Supreme Court this morning has ruled that heterosexual couples can enter into a civil partnership, finding that the Civil Partnership Act 2004 is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.
With married couples being seen by many in the gay rights lobby to enjoy a higher status than those in a civil partnership, many are asking: Why would a couple who can be legally married want to instead enter into a civil partnership?
MORE:
- Lawyers council caution in discount rate reforms
- New 'DIY' divorce petition may lead to more adultery accusations – and a slower divorce process
- Investigation into rogue drug testing continues
- Drug driving convictions challenged after lab arrests
- Pimlico Plumbers v Smith Appeal Judgment will help workers in the gig economy says EHRC
- Report into bulk powers welcomed by government
- Landmark asbestosis ruling is good news for sufferers
- Lawyers lose out on £4bn of business from SME’s every year
Expert Witness : Environment
Keeping compliant across the UK: Some differences in environmental legislation
In comparison with many other parts of the world, the UK has a commendable record of protecting the environment from damage and for working constructively with engineers and contractors to mitigate the effects of necessary operations, writes Simon Knott (pictured), managing director of environmental consultancy Naturally Compliant.
The relevant legislation is by its nature complex, and busy construction professionals engaged in engineering activities need to be up to speed with what they can and cannot do while remaining compliant with the regulations.
MORE:
- Environmental professionals warn over future outlook
- Campaigners to challenge environmental costs cap removal
- Guidance on flood risk updated
- Get process plant design right from the start, urges Axion Consulting
- Impact Assessments provide a clearer picture
- Perfect Storm for Air Monitors
- SuDS seminar follows opening of consultation
- Climate meeting generates optimism for a final agreement
Expert Witness : Criminal
More psychologists are in court – and that’s a good thing!
Vulnerable offenders with mental health, alcohol and substance abuse problems are increasingly being diverted from short-term custodial sentences and towards treatment that aims to tackle the causes of their offending.
In the pilot areas – Birmingham, Plymouth, Sefton, Milton Keynes and Northampton – psychologists are working collaboratively with the existing panels of justice and health officials. Together, the professionals ensure that magistrates and judges have the information they need to determine whether an offender should be required to receive treatment for their mental health, alcohol or drug issues.
MORE:
- Jail terms for dodgy meds sellers
- Hillsborough disaster researcher to speak at national criminology conference
- The stakes are too high to simply plod on, legal expert warns as UK mortgage fraud increases by 50%
- Audit office reveals HMRC fraud estimates
- Accurate statistics needed to fight fraud, says panel
- Rioting sentences 'excessive and arbitrary', study claims
- Crime survey shows another fall, while reported crime remains steady
- Criminal courts head for a digital revolution
Expert Witness : Medico Legal
Blame culture and safety fears top doctors’ list of concerns
Doctors are increasingly expected to provide patient care in unsafe environments, where a persistent culture of blame stifles learning and discourages innovation. That is the conclusion drawn from a BMA survey: part of an ambitious project aiming to find solutions to the challenges faced by the NHS.
The project – Caring, Supportive, Collaborative – has seen almost 8,000 doctors provide accounts of their working lives across the NHS. It will go on to look at how working life can be improved.
BMA council chair Chaand Nagpaul said: “It is vital that the government and policymakers heed the views of all doctors who provide care at the coalface; they are in the best place to know the problems the N...
MORE:
- Williams Review: Hunt accepts recommendations
- Mixed response to prescribing errors initiative
- Fixed fee proposals welcomed – with reservations
- One year on, MedCo is dealing with start-up glitches
- Cost of private practice claims rockets
- What is a pain medicine specialist?
- When ‘never’ in the NHS really means 1,000 times
- Latest report into perinatal maternal deaths welcomed by professions
Expert Witness : Technology
AI system can match experts at detecting eye disease
An artificial intelligence (AI) system that can recommend the correct referral decision for over 50 eye diseases as accurately as world-leading experts has been developed by researchers at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The research project was carried out in collaboration with DeepMind Health and University College London (UCL) Institute of Ophthalmology.
The breakthrough research, published online by Nature Medicine, describes how machine learning technology has been successfully trained to identify features of eye disease and recommend how patients should be referred for care, using thousands of historic de-personalised eye scans. It is hoped that the technology could one da...
MORE:
- Guidance published on buying CCTV
- Smart phones becoming more common in evidence gathering
- CybSafe to place cyber security training at the heart of Law Society’s services for its members
- Consultant warned of ransomware attack
- CCTV: national strategy launched
- The Law Society of Scotland honoured at new Cyber Awards
- Updated aid to CCTV testing published
- Care home CCTV petition reaches landmark
Expert Witness : Building and Property
RICS offers an update on construction law
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is once more mounting its Legal Issues in Construction conference this year. The conference will be held on 6 November at the Cavendish Conference Centre, in London’s Marylebone, and will qualify for 5.5 hours of formal CPD.
This year’s programme will provide crucial updates and expert advice and guidance, and has been developed in partnership with Pinsent Masons and Keating Chambers – the leading law firm and chambers operating in the sector.
The construction industry is increasingly complex and challenging, as are the legal risks involved. That makes it imperative for professionals in the sector to keep up-to-date with recent case legislation and de...
MORE:
- Court case highlights spec change dangers
- Leading property lawyer comments on Dreamvar ruling
- Changes in housing law on the way in wake of Grenfell tragedy
- Conveyancers in firing line over ground rents
- Rights of way and restrictive convenants two of the top issues for developers
- CIC provides updated guidance on adjudication
- Homebuyers take risks by foregoing surveys, says insurer
- Royal Borough welcomes outcome of Enderby Wharf Judicial Review
Expert Witness : Animal & Farming
New rules will protect puppies from abuse
On 1 October Defra introduced the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) England Regulations 2018. The regulations protect the welfare of animals being bred and sold commercially, particularly puppies, as well as ensuring better standards in the wider pet industry.
The new regulations will ensure that breeders must show puppies alongside their mother before a sale is made and ban licensed sellers from dealing in puppies and kittens under the age of eight weeks. Puppy sales must now also be completed in the presence of the new owner – preventing online sales where prospective buyers have not seen the animal first.
In addition, the new rules regulate adverts – including on th...
MORE:
- Slaughterhouse CCTV proposals to extend to Scotland
- Scotland set to reintroduce selective ‘tail-docking’
- Changes to dog legislation affect owners
- BASC works with Law Commission to improve firearms law
- Food fraud – the crime in our shopping baskets
- Expert views sought on bovine TB measures
- Consultation launched on pig meat inspection
- Management of deer populations exercises Scottish Parliamentary committee
Parliament, Legislation And Public Sector
Home Office GDPR exemption risks new Windrush, says Law Society
The Law Society of England and Wales has criticised the decision to exempt the Home Office from data access rules in the new Data Protection Act, which implements the widely-publicised GDPR. The move will inevitably lead to miscarriages of justice, the society has warned.
Law Society president Joe Egan said the immigration exemption in the legislation stripped accountability from Home Office decision making.
MORE:
- Psychoactive Substances Act: one year on
- Parliamentarians form ADR group
- Appeal court overturns animal legacy ruling
- Chancellor's standstill on inheritance tax good news for charities
- New Code of Ethics goes before Parliament
- Committee reports on Scottish reform Bill
- MPs take MoJ to task over contracting out
- Audit office offers two cheers to MoJ on language contract
