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Saturday, 25 October 2014

My Top 5 Legal Blogs

This blog is just over two and a half years old.

One great benefit has been the discovery of other legal blogs which have become an important resourse both for my writing and for the day job!

So here are my top 5 blawgs, in the style of Strictly Come Dancing, they are in ‘no particular order’!

I have included a link to their websites and also the twitter ID which is a great way to receive updates to their regular blogs.

Civil Litigation Brief


@CivilLitTweet

Gordon Exall is a busy barrister from Leeds. How he finds the time to produce this remarkable blog beggars belief. It is probably the most comprehensive collection of articles and links in relation to Civil Practice and procedure. If I need to check a tricky procedural point I will look here before anything else – including the White Book. In particular it has been a good friend through the traumas of Mitchell, Dental and Relief from Sanctions.

A quick visit now will take you to articles about Indemnity Costs against Funders, Solicitors’ Retainers and of course, relief from sanctions.

For any Civil Litigator it is a worth the visit at the start of each day.

Kerry Underwood


@kerry_underwood

Kerry has been around for a few years, writing and speaking on law and procedure. The first time I came across him followed the introduction of Conditional Fees with his book – No Win No Fee No Worries. This was in the days before ‘No Win No Fee’ lawyer became a favourite tabloid insult!

This very detailed blog deals with most areas of civil litigation but with a particularly emphasis on funding issues. He writes as he speaks – direct, provocative and pulling no punches. Kerry is happy to respond to comments and questions. He is currently touring the country speaking on Jackson. So how he manages to keep this up to date is a mystery. But then he does support QPR which explains many things!

Go there now and the top post discusses the impact of The Criminal Judtice and Courts Bill and the impact of ‘fundamental dishonesty.’



Legal Cheek


@legalcheek

Legal Work can be stressful, laborious and often unrewarding. There is no better antidote than a visit to this great, irreverent site.

The Legal Cheek team take neither themselves not the law too seriously. A visit to the site today includes a review of the movie The Judge – ‘pissing all over legal accuracy’, a look at this week’s episode of The Apprentice, with a focus on lawyer Felipe and the problems faced by a US Lawyer who took her baby to court. Some of it is hilarious and some of it is very serious, particularly in relation to the hurdles faced by anyone starting off in the law. I was drawn to one headline – ‘Become a Lawyer because you are passionate about it, not to please your parents.’ Hmm if I had read that 40 years ago!

Law and Lawyers – Obiter J


@obiterJ

This blog looks at serious issues of legal and constitutional importance, with a strong emphasis on Human Rights. There has been a lot of talk about the Human Rights Act in the last few weeks. It seems to have become the target of a Conservative Party which needs to more euro sceptic than UKIP. Obiter J provides a detailed explanation of the importance of the Act.

I was particularly touched by the link to a reflection on the 1966 Aber Fan disaster. I was 11 years old at the time and still remember the tragedy as being the first time the time that I shocked and upset by official incompetence. These were children of about my age.




The Justice Gap


@justicegap

Any regular reader of my blog will know about my worries about Access to Justice for all. For anyone with a similar concern, or who just wants to find out more, this is the place to go.

A strong team of experienced and committed writers keep producing provocative and challenging material. This week, there was an article from Michael Mansfield QC on the case of Tony Stock – A Massive Blot on the Judicial Landscape. Hands up if you nothing about this case. Well you should go to The Justice Gap now. Not only will you learn something, you will want to add your voice to those who want to see this terrible miscarriage of justice overturned.



So there we have it. They are the 5 blogs that I visit almost on a daily basis. There are many others including - http://legalchap.blogspot.co.uk/  http://ilegal.org.uk/ and



Reading blogs has certainly overtaken the reading of law books for keeping up to date about what is happening in the world of law and lawyers. They will not replace the classic publications. But they are accessible, readable and up to date – often to the minute!

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