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SHOULD YOU BE PROSECUTED FOR SWEARING?
If you have been convicted or charged with a Public Order Offence which relates to the use of swear words, it may be that we can help you, using the latest case law.
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PATIENTS AT RISK FROM CLINICAL MISCONDUCT
Patients may be at risk because of misconduct in clinical trials, according to Dr Evan Harris, former MP and Shadow Secretary of State for Health.
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"MEND IT, DON'T END IT" SAYS TOP JUDGE
A top Judge is backing a campaign to promote marriage following fears that divorce is on the rise.
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SWAIN & CO HELP CLARIFY THE LAW ON TENANCY NOTICES
Housing solicitors at Swain & Co have helped clarify a point of law on eviction notices, paving the way for current and future clients to fight eviction from their homes.
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PORTSMOUTH FAMILIES AVOID EVICTION THANKS TO SWAIN & CO
Swain & Co's specialist housing team helped save more than 80% of clients from eviction, latest figures show.
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LORDS REBEL AGAINST GOVERNMENT BENEFIT CUTS
The House of Lords last night rebelled against the Government, voting to protect some disabled people from proposed cuts to Employment and Support Allowance.
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POLYGRAPH PILOT COULD BRING NEW TECHNOLOGY INTO THE COURTROOM
Police in Hertfordshire have been using lie detector tests on suspected sex offenders in a pilot scheme which may go national, it was recently revealed.
The testing, to help police assess the risk posed to children by an individual, involved using polygraph machines to monitor the suspect's heart rate, blood pressure, sweating and brain activity during questioning.
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PUTTING PATIENTS FIRST
Swain & Co welcomes the formation of organisation Patients First which is a group campaigning for better support and protection for NHS staff who raise concerns about patient safety.
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SARAH GRUNDY - FELLOW OF THE INSTITUTE OF LEGAL EXECUTIVES
Swain & Co celebrated Sarah Grundy becoming a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives on 19 December 2011.
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GRANDPARENTS RIGHTS
When parents separate, grandparents' contact with their grandchildren is often forgotten about. As new arrangements are made and new family set-ups established, grandparents often fall by the wayside.
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SUPREME COURT RULES ON UNMARRIED COUPLES' PROPERTY RIGHTS
The Supreme Court has ruled that a man who left his partner nearly 20 years ago is not entitled to half the value of the house they owned together.
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FREE, ON-THE-SPOT LEGAL HELP FOR ANYONE FACING
EVICTION FROM THEIR HOME
People facing legal proceedings on their housing at Portsmouth County Court can now access free on-the-spot legal advice, thanks to a new service from local firm Swain & Co solicitors.
Please click here to read the full article
SAFEGUARDING VULNERABLE GROUPS ACT 2006: SOME GUIDANCE FAQ's
Please click here for the guidance in relation to Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups
POLICE BAIL IN CHAOS AFTER HIGH COURT RULING
Police powers to bail suspects are in chaos in the wake of a court judgment in May this year limiting the time a suspect can be on bail to just 96 hours.
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APPEAL COURT SUCCESS ENSURES MOTHER AND CHILD'S SAFETY
A Swain & Co family law case has received a judgment in the Court of Appeal in London which will help ensure the safety of a mother and her child.
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LADY JUSTICE VISITS HAVANT TOWN CENTRE IN CAMPAIGN TO SAVE LEGAL AID
Havant town centre received a visit from Lady Justice on Friday, as part of a national Day of Action organised by Justice for All to protest against proposals for savage cuts to Legal Aid.
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MEDICAL MISTAKES - DEATHS OF HUNDREDS OF BABIES AVOIDABLE
Doctors and Midwives are sometimes unable to properly use CTG – cardiotocogram tracing – checks an unborn baby’s heart race for fetal distress.
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WOMAN SACKED OVER BABY P SCANDAL WAS A 'SCAPEGOAT'
There are few people in this country who were not rocked by the Baby P Scandal of 2007, where it was found that a 17 month old baby was killed due to the acts of his mother, her boyfriend and her boyfriend's brother. Even more shocking was the realisation that Baby P was the subject of a child protection plan devised by Haringey Council. Following this realisation, the media and public outcry was aimed at the Council and Sharon Shoesmith, former Haringey Council's Director of Child Services.
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ESSEX COUNCIL SET TO CLOSE CHILDREN'S HOMES
Our Community Care lawyers are shocked and up in arms about the plans that are proposed to close homes and displace 44 children.
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LEGAL ADVICE FOR ALL, BAR NONE?
HMP Ford in West Sussex hit the news at Christmas after alcohol-fuelled rioting by prisoners, but a Mexican jail took things one step further – providing inmates with their own fully-stocked bar!
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COMMERCIAL SURROGACY APPROVED
Swain and Co note with interest the recent BBC interview of Mr Justice Hedley, serving High Court Judge. Controversially, he states that he is approving commercial surrogacy arrangements made by British couples abroad.
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£6M COMPENSATION FOR COSMETIC SURGERY
Surrey woman, Penny Johnson, has been awarded more than £6m compensation after suffering nerve damage as result of a facelift operation. Her surgeon admitted liability. Mrs Johnson said that he had “played God” with her life.
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"LESS SERIOUS" RAPE COMMENT PUTS KEN CLARKE IN HOT WATER
Justice Secretary Ken Clarke has been under considerable pressure this week after comments he made during an interview in which he suggested that some forms of rape are less “serious” than others.
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PAYMENT FOR MEDICAL ERRORS RISE 50%
The amount paid out by health boards in Wales for botched operations, treatment delays and medical mistakes has risen 50% in three years.
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STEPHEN LAWRENCE CASE. RETRIAL ORDERED AND DOUBLE JEOPARDY RULE NOT APPLIED!
The murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1996 is remembered by so many and now the case is to be the subject of a new trial as Court of Appeal Judges have decided that Gary Dobson can be retried for the offence of murder.
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WE LOBBY OUR MP OVER LEGAL AID CUTS
Our MP did not know that proposals to cut legal aid had been published and so thought that our lobbying was premature. When we put him straight on that he said that there was no money anyway and that the cuts were inevitable.
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BBC's QUESTION TIME TACKLES PRISONERS RIGHTS
The BBC’s flagship political debate show Question Time has come from locations across the UK during its 30-year run, but last night was a first, as the programme was broadcast from HMP Wormwood Scrubs with a studio audience of prisoners, prison staff and invited guests.
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SUMMER DRESS CODES WITHIN THE WORKPLACE
With summer fast approaching, many employers may decide to implement a dress code within the office, to ensure that the office does not look like a beach party. While it is generally accepted that employers are entitled to keep an eye on the deterioration in office dress standards that traditionally accompanies the onset of warmer weather, such a change in policy is always going to cause disruption in the workplace.
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HIGH COURT VICTORY IN BATTLE TO BLOCK CUTS TO LEGAL AID FUNDING FOR HUMAN RIGHTS CASES
Peace activist Maya Evans has won a dramatic High Court victory in her battle to block cuts to legal aid funding for human rights cases brought "in the public interest".
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LOCAL COMMUNITY CARE SOLICITORS SWAIN & CO WELCOME MAJOR SOCIAL CARE LAW REFORMS
Swain & Co Solicitors today welcomed a major step forward in legal rights for vulnerable adults, as the Law Commission’s final report on proposed reform of adult social care law in England was released.
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DOMESTIC ABUSE VICTIMS GAIN COUNCIL HOUSING RIGHTS
Council housing will now be available for victims of psychological domestic abuse, thanks to a ruling in the Supreme Court this week, according to Kelly Evans of Swain & Co Solicitors in Havant.
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ENVIRONMENTAL CAMPAIGNER LOSES BUS ROUTE APPEAL BUT WINS WILDLIFE PROTECTION
The meaning of disturbance in relation to European Protected Species has been established and substantially strengthened today by the Supreme Court in London.
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JOINED-UP ADVICE ON HOUSING, WELFARE AND DEBT NOW AVAILABLE ACROSS SOUTH HANTS
People across south Hampshire can now get free advice on housing, welfare and debt issues, thanks to a collaboration between Citizens Advice Bureaux from Havant and the New Forest, and Swain & Co solicitors.
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HIGHEST COURT TO HEAR BUS ROUTE APPEAL
Local woman Viv Morge today won a major victory in the Supreme Court in London, the highest Court in the Country, when she was given permission to take her appeal to the Supreme Court.
Please click here to read the full article and links to press publications
SIX OF THE BEST!
Swain and Co solicitors are celebrating the fact that all six members of its Prison Law Team who applied have met the strict new Legal Aid Supervisor Standards for supervising prison lawyers.
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COURT OF APPEAL SUCCESS
Swain and Co successfully appeal the last ‘whole life tariff’ for a discretionary life sentence prisoner
On 28 April 2010 the Court of Appeal quashed the only ‘whole life tariff’ being served by a discretionary life sentence prisoner.
Please click here to read the full article by Tom Battarbee
HOUSING LAW SUCCESS
Specialist housing advice from Swain & Co Solicitors made all the difference to a family with a serious housing need.
Please click here to read the full article by James Hurford
LEGAL AID ESSAY WRITING COMPETITION - WINNER ANNOUNCED
Swain & Co Solicitors ran an essay writing competition for undergraduate law students. The article was judged by Carol Storer from the Legal Aid Practitioners Group and Steve Hynes from the Legal Action Group.
The competition was entitled 'In Today's Society can the Ordinary Citizen in England & Wales enforce their Legal Rights without Legal Aid?'
Swain & Co would like to congratulate the winner Miss Lucy El-Aawar for her excellent entry which will also be published on the Legal Action Group website. Lucy also won £100.00, an executive briefcase (donated by Office Team) and Legal Aid books (donated by the Legal Action Group).
Please click here to read Lucy's winning article
SWAIN & CO SOLICITORS OBTAIN AN INJUNCTION FOR THE SECOND TIME AND RIGHT TO APPEAL TO THE COURT OF APPEAL REGARDING THE GOSPORT - FAREHAM BUS LINK
Swain & Co Solicitors have obtained a second injunction to halt the works on the Gosport to Fareham Bus Route.
Please click here to read the full article and link to press publications
COURT INJUNCTION STOPS WORK ON £20m GOSPORT - FAREHAM BUS LINK
Swain & Co Solicitors have obtained an injunction stopping Hampshire County Council from carrying out further work on the Fareham - Gosport Bus Rapid Transit Scheme until the outcome of a High Court hearing.
Please click here to read the full article and links to press publications
LAWYERS BACK CARE WATCHDOG AS IT BARES ITS TEETH
Thousands of Elderly peoples in Care Homes do not receive even basic standards of care according to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which is health and social care regulator for England. Today it issued a damming report on Care Homes and threatened to close four hundred homes unless they improve.
Please click here to read the full article by James Hurford and Jess Connelly
NHS MISSES CARE TARGETS
Hospitals are still failing their “annual health check” according to Graeme Swain a specialist clinical negligence and health lawyer at Swain & Co Solicitors in Havant.
Graeme Swain said, “Almost half of hospitals are still not meeting the core standards of care required of them according to the health regulators annual report produced by the Care Quality Commission. The report came out on Thursday.
Please click here to read the full press release written by Graeme Swain
PRISONERS IN PRISON FOR PUBLIC PROTECTION DO NOT NEED A PAROLE BOARD RECOMMENDATION TO GO TO OPEN CONDITIONS
Swain and Co’s Liverpool Judicial Review Team achieve another success in the High Court in that the Secretary of State for Justice acted unlawfully in respect of the transfer of IPP prisoners to open conditions.
Please click here to read the full article written by Nick Wells
SALMONELLA OUTBREAK AT HMP WANDSWORTH
At Swain & Co we have received a number of enquiries relating to an apparent outbreak of Salmonella at Wandsworth Prison in September 2009.
Our initial investigation revealed that over 370 inmates appear to have contracted the illness with only a small number of those being confirmed as a result of tests being carried out.
Please click here to read the article written by Melanie Lidstone-Land
DOCTORS MUST ADMIT MISTAKES
Graeme Swain Managing Partner of Swain & Co Solicitors, lobbied delegates at the British Medical Association's national conference where they were being asked to approve motions on a series of issues surrounding NHS whistle blowing
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COMPENSATION FOR PAROLE DELAYS
Sara-Jayne Pritt of Swain & Co’s Liverpool office successfully brought a claim against the Parole Board in respect of unacceptable delays by the Parole Board. Compensation is due after there was a pure delay of over 3 months between the date when the Parole Board should have communicated its decision to the Claimant and the date when it did so.
Having granted a declaration that the Parole Board breached Article 5(4) the case has been adjourned to allow negotiations over the level of compensation. If agreement is not reached the Court will fix the level of compensation.
For further information please click here to see the draft Judgment.
LEGAL AID CELEBRATES 60 YEARS
Legal Aid was created 60 years ago and since then millions of people have benefitted from vital legal services. The work it is doing is being celebrated nationwide. Swain & Co Solicitors joined in the celebrations with various events.
Click here to read the article regarding 60 Years of Legal Aid Celebrations
SWAIN & CO CAMPAIGN AGAINST PRISON LEGAL AID CUTBACKS
Click here to read the article Representations Part I
Click here to read the article Representations Part II
FAMILY LAUNCH COURT BID OVER GANGRENE DEATH
Please click here to read the full article as printed in The News
CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE'S RIGHTS
Swain & Co offered free legal training to organisations across Hampshire to educate them on the legal rights that Children and Young people have.
Click here for further information regarding the training day
EDUCATION LAW CONFERENCE
Graeme Swain and Vicki Wright from Swain & Co Solicitors attended an Education Law Conference on Tuesday 7 July 2009.
Subjects covered were Human Rights, School Exclusions, School Reorganisation and Academies, School Transport, Recent Developments in School Admissions and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
FAMILY LAWYERS IN CHICHESTER ART SHOCK
Swain & Co solicitors use of an image by the well known graffiti artist, Banksy, has ruffled a few feathers amongst the people in Havant.
Click here to read the full article regarding the Banksy image
SWAIN & CO CELEBRATE THE QUALIFICATION OF ANOTHER TRAINEE SOLICITOR
Click here to read the full article regarding the qualification of Kelly Evans
SWAIN & CO CELEBRATE THE QUALIFICATION OF ANOTHER TRAINEE SOLICITOR
Click here to read the full article regarding the qualification of Joanna Dean
SWAIN & CO CELEBRATE THE QUALIFICATION OF ANOTHER TRAINEE SOLICITOR
Click here to read the full article regarding the qualification of Jess Connelly
SWAIN & CO CELEBRATE THE QUALIFICATION OF ANOTHER TRAINEE SOLICITOR
Click here to read the full article regarding the qualification of Nicola Whitley
SWAIN & CO CELEBRATE THE QUALIFICATION OF TWO MORE TRAINEE SOLICITORS
Click here to read the full article regarding the qualification of Amee Vaid & Rhys Evans
SWAIN & CO CELEBRATE THE QUALIFICATION OF A LEGAL EXECUTIVE
Click here to read the full article regarding the qualification of Sarah Grundy
MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS ARE RIFE IN PRISON
It will come as no surprise to any serving prisoner that many prisoners are affected by mental health problems and difficulties.
Click here to read the full article by Nick Wells as published in Converse
MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN PRISON
What actually happens to prisoners who are transferred to hospital and what they can expect to find there and how it will affect them in respect of the sentence they are serving?
Click here to read the full article by Nick Wells as published in Converse
NEW GOSPORT SERVICE
Swain & Co Solicitors have won a National Bid to provide legal advice in relation to Community Care and related matters and are now bringing that service to Gosport for the first time.
Click here to read the full article about the New Gosport Service
LIE DETECTION: What is best – A jury or a scientific examination?
Swain & Co have recently investigated post use of lie detectors in relation to Prison Law and Criminal Cases.
Click here to read the full article which deals with fmri scans and the TARA test LIE DETECTOR
SOUTHAMPTON CHILD GETS £1.4m PAYOUT
A £1.4 million out-of-court payout has been won on behalf of a boy after it was alleged that computer records were altered to hide the fact that a doctor’s practice had over-prescribed doses of drugs to his mother, who was trying to become pregnant again.
Changes to the medical records of the woman were identified by a computer expert brought in by Graeme Swain of Southampton law firm Swain & Co Solicitors. The legal firm obtained a Court Order without prior warning so that the computer expert could attend unannounced at the doctor’s surgery to obtain access to the computer records.
An agreement for a payment of £1.4m to the boy, then aged six, was reached shortly before the trial was due to open at Winchester.
AWARD WINNING HEALTH SOLICITORS
Swain & Co solicitors have been awarded a Legal Aid Contract to deliver specialist legal aid advice in relation to community care law in Hampshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.
Click here to read the full article as published in the Age Concern quarterly newspaper