Thursday 25th January 2024 at 12.00 – 13.30   Housing conditions cases can often include a claim for Personal Injuries whether arising out of an accident or, more often, health related issues. So if someone falls down the stairs and breaks their neck because of a defective staircase they could well have a strong case! Equally if a tenant lives in a home affected by dampness and mould they can develop respiratory conditions such as aggravation. This can be a significant issue. The 16th edition of the Judicial College Guidelines for General Damages in Personal Injury Cases suggests damag ..read more

  It was a privilege, earlier this month, to speak at the opening event of the 50th anniversary celebrations for the Vauxhall Law Centre in Liverpool. I was Solicitor at the Law Centre from 1980 – 1983. It is a scary thought that I left almost 40 of those 50 years ago! The centre opened in 1973 and was in effect a joint venture between Liverpool Law Society and Liverpool City Council.  Access to Justice was always the primary aim. But 50 years ago the problem of such access was a bit different from today. This is an extract from the initial Constitution – The unmet need was all a ..read more

  It was just over two years ago that I wrote about the disturbing case of Claire Matthews who found herself struck off after leaving a briefcase on train. Her desperate attempts to try and retrieve the situation ended badly – https://thestevecornforthblog.blogspot.com/2020/04/in-which-losing-briefcase-turns-out-far.html The disciplinary tribunal referred to the damage to the reputation of the profession – “The damage to the reputation of the profession by the Respondent’s misconduct was significant as the public would trust a solicitor not to conceal the loss of data by telling untruths ..read more

 I have rarely been at an Inquest that was not adversarial. In all of my years of practice, a constant theme has been the injustice faced by family members at Coroners’ Inquests. I have attended many such inquests, normally in the context of Clinical Negligence cases. The health professionals would always be represented by experienced lawyers. Those of us who represented families would normally do so on a pro bono basis. They can be complex, technically difficult and come at a difficult time. I have rarely been at an Inquest that was not adversarial. This is entirely understandable. Those ..read more

  The walk is important to all of us who are concerned to ensure that nobody is excluded from legal help because they cannot afford it.  On the 18th October 2021 I am doing the London Legal Walk for the first time!  In one sense, it has been a long time coming. In 2021, I was a guest at the Westminster and Holborn Law Society Dinner and sat near Bob Nightingale from the London Legal Support Trust. He spent the evening persuading me of the need for a Legal Walk in Liverpool. This year we completed Liverpool Legal Walk number 10. Ever since that time, I have promised myself th ..read more

  We have yet another new Secretary of State for Justice/Lord Chancellor. I think this is the fifth in five years. That puts this position on a par with Teachers of Defence Against the Dark Arts in Harry Potter who had a similar turnover. Any similarity is entirely down to your imagination… In the past the question has been … who are they? Dominic Raab poses no such problem. As the reluctant, outgoing foreign secretary he needs no introduction to most. One thing in his favour is that he does have legal experience unlike some of his predecessors. Although, the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg was ..read more

We are, once again coming into the Legal Walks season!  Across the country solicitors, barristers, judges and anyone with a concern for Access to Justice will be seen in cities and towns across the country to raise funds and to highlight the work done by those agencies that provide free legal help to those in need. Liverpool will be marking its 10th walk. Why do we do it? It is over 40 years since I started work at the Vauxhall Law Centre in Liverpool. The centre is still going strong. Back in day we were able to bring many cases with the benefit of legal aid. This included the notable ..read more

    I have spent much of my time this year, training solicitors and experts about Tenants’ Rights in relation to Housing Conditions. This has been driven, in part by the recent ‘reforms’ of road traffic claims that will see a huge reduction in the number of such cases. Many firms are looking to diversify. Another factor has been the arrival of the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018. This Act, and the new covenants that it brings, does have the potential to change everything. The purpose of this article is to highlight the extent to which such change will be limited by the ..read more

  This is the second blog post in relation to the recent report by the commons committee – the Safety of Maternity Services in England – https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5802/cmselect/cmhealth/19/1902.htm My previous post looked at the problem of separating Clinical Negligence from other types of negligence claim, and the so called ‘blame culture’. Today I am looking at proposals to change the basis on which compensation is calculated. The report rightly notes that financial compensation is not always the only or primary reason for pursuing litigation. From the many cases that I ..read more

If your taxi driver is negligent and you are injured, you expect to be compensated. If a surgeon is negligent and your child is damaged for life, you are part of a blame culture. This is the first of a few posts on the recent Commons Committee report – The Safety of Maternity Services in England – https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5802/cmselect/cmhealth/19/1902.htm The report includes a section headed – Rethinking the current approach to clinical negligence. I have to confess to feeling an instinctive sense of unease when politicians talk about ‘rethinking’ or ‘reform’. It rarely ends we ..read more