Project status: Complete
Download the report Download the summary The problem Kidnapping is an offence created by judges in the seventeenth century. There are generally 600 to 750 cases per year in which a person charged with kidnapping is brought before the courts. Many involve parents and children. The current definition is that kidnapping is an attack on … Read more >
Project status: Complete
Download the report Download the summary The problem It’s thought that around 40% of adults do not have a will. When a person dies without one, the distribution of their assets is governed by a set of legal rules – the intestacy rules. In addition to this, certain family members and dependants may apply to … Read more >
Project status: Complete
Our report, published on 1 July 2014, looks at the investment market through the lens of pensions. It considers how fiduciary duties currently apply to those working in financial markets, and clarifies how far those who invest on behalf of others may take account of factors such as social and environmental impact and ethical standards. … Read more >
Project status: Complete
In this project we set out to reform the means by which a landlord can terminate a fixed term commercial or residential tenancy where the tenant has not complied with their obligations. This project was completed in 2006. Following on from its response to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee report on leasehold reform … Read more >
Project status: Complete
Download the report Download the report summary The problem The primary purpose of professional regulation is to ensure public safety. In the UK there are nine regulatory bodies responsible for regulating 32 – consisting of approximately 1.44 million professionals. For healthcare professionals. regulation is one element of a much broader system of ensuring patient and … Read more >
Project status: Complete
Download Murder report (1): Partial Defences to Murder Download Murder, Manslaughter and Infanticide The problem The law governing homicide in England and Wales has some rules which have remained unaltered since the seventeenth century. This is even though it has long been acknowledged that they are in dire need of reform. In our 2004 report, … Read more >
Project status: Complete
There is a rule of law, known as the forfeiture rule, which states that a person may not inherit from someone whom he or she has unlawfully killed. In 2000 the Court of Appeal decided that the forfeiture rule, when applied alongside the rules on intestate succession, disinherits not only the killer, but also the … Read more >
Project status: Complete
Download the report Download the consultation The problem In a criminal trial, a jury or magistrates’ court is required to determine disputed factual issues. Experts in a relevant field are often called as witnesses to help the fact-finding body understand and interpret evidence with which that body is unfamiliar. The current judicial approach to the … Read more >
Project status: Complete
This project made recommendations for reforms designed to resolve a number of difficulties and inconsistencies thrown up by the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989 and the Companies Act 1989.
Project status: Complete
The High Court has supervisory power over the Crown Court, but it is limited. It does not include “matters relating to trial on indictment”. The reason for this limitation is that it is in the interests of justice for trials to proceed without being delayed by appeals and applications to the High Court. The problem lies … Read more >