General News

Max Schofield successfully opposes HMRC's appeal in VAT zero-rating case

13th November 2020

Indirect tax specialist Max Schofield successfully acted for the Respondent juice cleanse company before the Upper Tribunal in HMRC v The Core (Swindon) Ltd [2020] UKUT 0301 (TCC). In this case, a programme of juices was held by the FTT to be zero-rated food rather than standard-rated beverages. Following this decision, HMRC were refused permission to appeal to the Upper Tribunal on the papers twice but were eventually granted permission on a limited ground following...

Colin McDevitt and Karen Moss present an update on whistleblowing

13th November 2020

3PB employment barristers Colin McDevitt and Karen Moss presented employment law webinar on 'Whistleblowing: key concepts, injunctions and updates on procedure' on 12th November. Topics covered include "Key concepts, interim injunctions and recent cases" and “Whistleblowing: latest procedural considerations; and what is a detriment?", including a number of key cases. You can watch the webinar on demand here:  

Sarah Bowen interviewed by Central TV about legal issues and the furlough scheme

11th November 2020

3PB employment barrister Sarah Bowen was interviewed by Bob Warman of Central TV News yesterday about holiday leave during furlough, a scheme that is likely to last until the Spring of 2020. Speaking as a member of the Birmingham Law Society, Sarah has advised that employers should not assume that forced holiday leave is the answer. Specifically, the COVID guidance on holiday entitlement states that it is necessary for an employer requiring an employee to take...

Rachael Goodall highlights the impact of COVID-19 on women at the Bar for Counsel magazine

11th November 2020

Counsel magazine has featured 3PB’s specialist family law barrister - and Chair of the Western Circuit Women’s Forum (WCWF) - Rachael Goodall has set out the WCWF’s proposals to mitigate the threat of significant and disproportionate attrition of women from the Bar due to the Coronavirus pandemic. In Back to the Bar 2019, the Western Circuit’s Women’s Forum (WCWF) published evidence showing that two-thirds of those who left the Bar over a six-year period were women....

Berenice Mulvanny successfully prosecutes in county lines case

11th November 2020

3PB’s specialist criminal law barrister Berenice Mulvanny successfully prosecuted Stephan Gomes and Gary Black for their involvement in a sophisticated and significant county lines class A drugs network from Croydon dealing in the Portsmouth area. Both defendants faced multiple counts of being concerned in the supply of Heroin and Crack Cocaine and Gomes also faced possession with intent to supply Heroin and Crack Cocaine and possession of criminal property. Gomes ran the county lines “Justin”...

Mark Sullivan represents parents at inquest

10th November 2020

Mark Sullivan represented the parents of Arietta-Grace Barnett (d.o.b. 6th June 2017) at the Inquest into her death on 9th July 2019. In the course of the two day hearing in Winchester Coroner’s Court on 4/5th November 2020, the Coroner, Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp, heard evidence into the tragic circumstances of Arietta’s death. She had been taken to hospital on 28th June 2019 following the suspected accidental ingestion of a toilet cleaning product. She was detained in...

Lachlan Wilson edits the Employment and Discrimination team's November newsletter

10th November 2020

Lachlan Wilson presents 3PB's November Employment and Discrimination newsletter, including contributions from Joseph England, Colin McDevitt, Stephen Wyeth, Craig Ludlow and Sarah Clarke. The newsletter brings you 3PB news, recordings as well as case updates and legal analysis. You are also invited to register to attend our webinar on whistleblowing on 12 November. Click here to view the newsletter. News  items include: Furlough (CJRS) Scheme extended until March 2021 Changes announced to clear employment tribunal...

3PB Education Barristers author seminal new book on school exclusions and the law

10th November 2020

Education law specialist Charlotte Hadfield, who heads the Education Team, and her barrister colleague Alice de Coverley have co-authored the first book on the law on school exclusion since 2002 - 'The Law in Relation to School Exclusions' published by Law Brief Publishing. The book will be launched officially on November 25 at 5pm in a Q&A interview of both authors via Zoom. Exclusion from school is a sanction of last resort that can hugely...

Nick Robinson’s client Jack Torpey is found not guilty of wounding with intent

10th November 2020

3PB’s criminal defence specialist Nick Robinson successfully defended Mr Jack Torpey who was charged with an offence of wounding with intent, contrary to section 18 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. On day three of the Crown Court trial, which had been listed for up to two weeks, the Crown accepted a plea to an Affray. This was following Nick’s carefully crafted cross-examination of the four principal prosecution witnesses, whose evidence in their...

Changes announced to clear employment tribunal cases backlog

9th November 2020

According to the Law Society Gazette, Ministry of Justice data shows that as of August 2020, there was a backlog of 45,000 cases waiting to be heard before the employment tribunal. This represents a 26% increase from the start of March 2020. Doubtless with the aim of addressing this, the Government has proposed various changes to the Employment Tribunal Procedure Rules coming into effect on 8 October for updates to Tribunal process, and on the...

3PB’s public law barrister Matthew Wyard, who specialises in the education sector, has evaluated the snappily-titled ‘The Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 (Commencement No.1) Order 2020 which came into force this Monday 2 November. Also considered was the Additional Learning Needs Co-ordinator (Wales) Regulations. The Order gives powers to the Welsh Ministers to make regulations to give detail to the 2018 Act, including the ALN Co-ordinator Regulations. The Regulations, only now...

3PB sponsor Support Through Court “In Conversation with" Sarah Langford and William Clegg QC

29th October 2020

3PB are pleased to sponsor Support Through Court’s 4th “In Conversation” event due to take place via Zoom on Wednesday 18 November 7-8.30pm. The event will be joined by Sarah Langford and William Clegg QC, who will discuss their experiences at the bar and help raise funds and awareness for the charity. Sarah Langford is a barrister from 3PB and Sunday Times Best Seller for ‘In your defense’, a book commended for powerfully communicating the...