Books published by Law Brief Publishing

The announcement of 'lockdown' on 23 March 2020 saw sweeping changes within the criminal justice system. Within a matter of days, new offences were in force. The criminal courts - which had relied largely on in-person appearances thus far - found themselves operating almost wholly through virtual hearing lists. Jury trials were adjourned in their thousands, as those within the system debated how they could be effectively and safely resumed.These changes affect all of us within the criminal justice system. At the same time, we have had relatively little time to get to grips with them. This book is designed to provide an easy reference guide to all the key ways in which Covid-19 has affected both the law and practice. It includes analysis of the key provisions from the Welsh and English Coronavirus Regulations 2020 and the Coronavirus Act 2020, provides practical tips for continuing to work during the pandemic and considers options for the future shape of the criminal courts.The book is split into three main parts: The impact of Covid-19 on criminal offences: the new offences created, and the impact of the pandemic on existing offences; The impact of Covid-19 on the court system: virtual hearings, practical points for the practitioner and options to allow jury trials to resume. The impact of Covid-19 on Judicial decisions: sentencing and bail decisions.ABOUT THE AUTHORRamya Nagesh is a barrister at No5 Chambers, where she specialises in the full range of criminal matters. Ramya acts for both the Prosecution and the Defence, and represents both individuals and corporations. The vast majority of her criminal practice these days is in the Crown Court, but she also has experience in the Magistrates' Courts, and in the Court of Appeal.Ramya sits as the independent legal representative on the West Midlands Hate Crime Scrutiny Panel. She is also a Trustee for Justice Is Now - a non-profit organisation seeking to make improvements to the ways in which sexual offences are treated in the criminal courts. Ramya is the author of the book: A Practical Guide to the Law in Relation to Hate Crime. She has also authored a number of articles on topics that include sleepwalking and the criminal law, international criminal law, hate crime and legal professional privilege.

This book is part of our new series of essential guides for legal practitioners covering what you need to know about how various aspects of UK law have been affected by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.DESCRIPTIONBusiness famously dislikes uncertainty, but it is hard to imagine how it could have much more just now. The pace of technological change, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the looming prospect of the final Brexit deal (or no-deal) make reliable predictions near-impossible. The commercial property world is affected like everything else.Technology both enables and demands flexibility from the office occupier, while the retail sector both embraces the opportunities of online trading and struggles to cope with its consequences. Brexit and Covid-19 each in their own ways raise doubts about provision of services to multi-let buildings, sustainability of tenants' businesses, and the risk of tenant default.This book considers in particular the impact that Covid-19 has had on the commercial leasing market, but sets that in the context of all of those other uncertainties. As well as considering how the current crisis is addressed in rent concession agreements, it looks forward to how commercial landlord and tenant law, and lease drafting, might change permanently.ABOUT THE AUTHORMark Shelton is a freelance legal trainer, having practised in major commercial law firms for thirty years. He qualified with Linklaters and has always specialised in property litigation. Mark was a Partner at Lawrence Graham, and has acted for major property investors, financial institutions and leading retailers. He was a Professional Support Lawyer for a number of years, most recently at Eversheds Sutherland LLP, working with the UK's largest specialist real estate litigation team. He is a contributor to Estates Gazette, Property Week and Property Law Journal, the author of The Lease Guide website, and the author of books on: Dilapidations Landlord's Consents Forfeiture of Leases

This book is part of our new series of essential guides for legal practitioners covering what you need to know about how various aspects of UK law have been affected by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.This title looks at how the Covid 19 pandemic impacts on family law practice.  It provides the reader with an essential guide on the prominent matters to have in mind when conducting family law cases during the crisis. This ranges from understanding and dealing with how the social distancing restrictions have affected carrying out court work, taking instructions, drafting documents, as well as complying with public funding and digitalisation procedures. The book explores, in particular, new regulations and recent case law passed during this time, which impact on various areas of family work. There is also considered, the developing Statutory, Government and President’s Guidance, all which assist the busy family practitioner in knowing what has changed, so as to continue to practice efficiently, safely and competently. The relevant law and guidance, as it applies to both England and Wales, is considered in the book.ABOUT THE AUTHORSafda Mahmood is a Senior Solicitor and Advocate with Coventry City Council and nationally recognised Professional Development provider. Safda has been an approved member of the SRA list of CPD providers, and has practiced and lectured in Family Law for over 25 years. He is on the Law Society Children Law Accredited Panel, specialising in Children and Adoption Law. As an author, he has written for various publications, such as Jordans’ Family Law Journal, The Legal Executives Journal, Solicitors Journal and the Law Society and Local Government Bulletin. Safda is co-author of the title ‘Child Care and Protection: Law and Practice: Sixth Edition, and previous edition.

The increase in the number of parties who act as LIP in family proceedings can be a challenging experience for advocates and the courts. Whilst assistance is often on hand for the LIP there is less practical help for the practitioner. This book seeks to address this shortfall and gives practical advice in a number of areas of family litigation. It also considers the role of the McKenzie Friend and how they can assist the LIP during a court hearing. Subjects covered include: Reasons for LIP in family proceedings; The courts approach to the LIP; How the LIP impacts on divorce, children, injunctions and financial proceedings; Conducting a hearing with a LIP; Responsibilities to the LIP; Rules of Engagement; Managing clients expectations; McKenzie Friends; Costs issues; Case Law : Tinkle v Elliott (2012); Jones Longley & Others (2015); Hobson v West London Law (2013); Re B Litigants in Person;Timely Service of Documents (2017);Barton v Wright Hassle (2018); LFA v LSL (2017)ABOUT THE AUTHORStuart Barlow is in the family team at Bhatia Best Solicitors. He has specialised in Family Law for over 40 years. His focus is now on representing Parents and other parties in Children Cases. He is a member of the Law Society Children Panel and Accredited Specialist with Resolution in Private Children and Cohabitation Law. He is the former Chief Assessor of the Law Society Family Law Panel and adjudicator for the Legal Aid Agency.Stuart is a regular presenter of courses for family lawyers throughout England and Wales. He is also the author of 'A Practical Guide to The Rights of Grandparents in Children Proceedings'.

There have been a number of momentous changes to the law of prescription since the last major work in this area was published. The Supreme Court rulings in Morrison and Gordon's Trustees, and the forthcoming changes in the Prescription (Scotland) Act 2018 have fundamentally altered an area of law which had been broadly unchanged for over 40 years.This essential guide for practitioners discusses the law of prescription in Scotland. Topics covered include: Fundamental concepts of prescription and how it differs from limitation Prescriptive periods, suspensions and interruptions Imprescriptable rights Relevant claims and acknowledgements Fraud, error or legal disability Reparation for loss injury or damage Morrison -v- ICL Plastic and beyond The current position Contracts governed by foreign law Progress on reform of the law The Prescription (Scotland) Act 2018ABOUT THE AUTHORAndrew Foyle is a solicitor advocate and the Head of Litigation for Scotland at Shoosmiths LLP, with over 17 year's experience advising and representing financial institutions and insolvency practitioners at all levels of the Court system in Scotland. His experience in the financial sector involves both pursuing and defending claims, including secured and unsecured asset/credit recovery, regulatory issues, mis-selling claims, fraud, negligence and contractual claims. He has been involved in a number of recent high profile cases in the banking sphere and has spent periods on secondment with two major clearing banks.