Apologies to anyone who isn't a comment spammer and found themselves blocked from the blog. I was trying out 'Bad Behaviour', which promised to block suspicious activity. It did. It also blocked me. It turned out that a zealous spam IP blacklist that the...
Public Law 2.0
Nick Holmes has a very interesting post at Binary Law on the future of Law publishing in a world of social software. I've been wondering about similar things recently, both in general and in particular, following an examination of my server logs, and Nick...
Spitting feathers
Background. Another disrepair case against a private landlord. Another successful application for default judgement, granted about 6 months ago. Solid evidence. All the directions for quantum hearing complied with by us, to nil response from the landlord....
Divorce for the unmarried.
Interesting to see the Government publicising proposals for setting up property distribution mechanisms for ex-cohabiting couples somewhat ahead of the Law Commission's final report. The Guardian's paper account, if not its online report, compared the...
A positive duty
The Law Society's Defending Legal Aid campaign. Go here and sign up.
Don't get too oppositional
Tessa Shepperson, in an introduction to a Q&A makes a sound point that I think those of us who spend much of their time opposing local authorities tend to forget, which is that the Local Council's tenancy relation services, environmental or housing advice...
Obvious filler 2
Part 2 of what is likely to be an intermittent series, appearing when I'm lazy enough and my logs provide material. Yes, it is time for search engine queries that brought people here, answered by Nearly Legal. And this time round, my earlier advice has been...
Assured trespassers?
[Amended 21 October] After a comment from Olamide Sanni, and a significant number of visitors from housing associations/social landlords turning up in my logs, it is clear that there is a big grey area for tolerated trespassers and the effect of Bristol CC....
A percentage game.
Readers may remember that I was concerned to the point of cyncism about the revelation that the Community Legal Service Direct phone line managed a referral rate to solicitors of 13%. I have now heard that the contracts for the pilot Community Legal Aid...
How not to be a landlord
From a recent case, a fairly textbook example of how not to go about things as a private landlord. The client was a shorthold assured tenant, with a years' assured period and a monthly rent. Rent was paid by housing benefit, and the inevitable problems arose...
Kafka didn't do dialogue
But I am very impressed that Brian Barder, the ex-SIAC lay member who resigned on principle does. Mr Barder commented on my post via the trackback at his blog. I've posted a comment in response, but I'd like to post his comment and my response here, for two...
Kafka
Ah yes, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission. Lest we forget, this is the tribunal which hears evidence that is so secret that the Defendant isn't allowed to know what it is, and in which there is no need for the Defendant to actually be charged with...