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Prime Minister David Cameron has announced plans to reform the Judicial Review process – claiming that cases can be costly and can clog up the courts and delay justice. The risk of a Judicial Review can also hold up major infrastructure projects.

Mr Cameron said Judicial Reviews are "...a massive growth industry in Britain today."

"Back in 1998," he added, "there were four and a half thousand applications for review and that number almost tripled in a decade. Of course some are well-founded, as we saw with the West Coast mainline decision. But let's face it: so many are completely pointless. Last year, an application was around 5 times more likely to be refused than granted.

"We urgently needed to get a grip on this. So here's what we're going to do: reduce the time limit when people can bring cases, charge more for reviews so people think twice about time-wasting and instead of giving hopeless cases up to four bites of the cherry to appeal a decision, we will halve that to two."

The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO), has come in for more savage criticism: this time for the effect it will have on family justice. Plaid Cymru MP and barrister Elfyn Llwyd (pictured) is quoted as saying it will "...change the whole landscape of family law".

He was speaking from the chair of a seminar on The Future of Family Justice – a Westminster Policy Forum debate attended by MPs, judges and expert practitioners.

Mr Llwyd said: "The changes are likely to be detrimental to families, detrimental to access to justice and probably contrary to article 6 rights and others which come into play when a fair trial of issues is not afforded."

A report into the retention of human tissue following suspicious death or homicide investigations by police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland shows there were 492 samples of human tissue held by, or on behalf of police in police premises, hospital mortuaries or other establishments, according to a report by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). The audit was coordinated by the ACPO lead for forensic pathology, Deputy Chief Constable Debbie Simpson (pictured).

Experts practicing across national borders have an added responsibility – to ensure their work is presented according to the codes required in the country of delivery. Professionals working in the USA, where legislation differs from state to state, or in parts of mainland Europe, will be more familiar with this extra challenge than we are … but devolution cometh.

The offices of property specialists Smith & Garratt Rural Asset Management overlook the River Tweed from the ancient hamlet of Ladykirk – about 300 yards north of the Scottish Border. Principal surveyor Hugh Garratt acknowledges that professionals along the Border have to be mindful of the increasing differences in law and procedure between England and Scotland.