Research & Reports

Tippa Naphtali

Lack of inquest legal aid for bereaved families a ‘false economy’

Legal Gavelsource: The Law Gazette
published: 31 October 2017

Bereaved families of people who have died in police custody could be spared the ordeal of applying for legal aid, the government has hinted.

Responding to Dame Elish Angiolini QC’s independent review of deaths and serious incidents in police custody, published yesterday, the government said the lord chancellor will review existing guidance ‘so that it is clear that the starting presumption is that legal aid should be awarded for representation of the bereaved at an inquest’ subject to the director of legal aid casework’s ‘overarching discretion’.

Continue reading

Larry Fedja

Chambers UK : The UK’s best lawyers guide 2017

TEMP - Chambers UK Guide 2017source: Chambers & Partners
published: October 2014

The guide covers 50 cities and counties in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. London, being the UK’s largest legal market, has the most in-depth coverage.

The Guide covers over 70 specialist areas of law.

The most developed practice areas, such as Corporate / M&A, Banking & Finance, Employment, Litigation and Real Estate are covered on a city-by-city basis. These cities are grouped by regions, such as South West, Midlands and Yorkshire, so clients can compare firms across a broader geographic area.

Continue reading

4WardEver UK

How to decolonise mental health services

David 'Rocky' Bennett
David ‘Rocky’ Bennett

source: openDemocracy
published: 5 April 2016

Before David ‘Rocky’ Bennett’s death in a psychiatric unit 18 years ago, he sent a letter to the nurse director, pointing out there were no black staff members. He wrote:

“There are over half a dozen black boys in this clinic. I don’t know if you have realised that there are no Africans on your staff at the moment”.

Bennett died while being held down by four staff members at a psychiatric unit after a violent altercation with another patient and a nurse. Looking at the circumstances around his untimely death, it’s clear his blackness was threatening to staff members. He had been using the mental health for at least a decade, yet his needs as a black Rastafarian were not being met.

Continue reading