The government’s proposed jury reforms means that findings of guilt in cases resulting in prison sentences, will be made by named judges rather than anonymous juries. This results in an immediate threat to that judge’s personal safety. Named judges already are subject to a huge amount of social media abuse. Further, these judges will sit at one centre rather than moving around the country like a High Court Judge and will use the same court entrance and exit, as members of the public and no doubt aggrieved families. The risk is obvious, but the government seems blind to it. Rodney…
We hear a lot about it, including the rule of international law. What is it? It means we are seeking to support open justice and access to fair justice for all. We try to protect the fundamental rights of all and try to persuade States to exercise proportionate and accountable power over their citizens in good faith. In Nazi Germany, a ‘knock on a door’ meant that many, usually Jews, disappeared. That still happens in large parts of the world. In Britain, everybody is subject to law, including the police, MI5 and even Andrew Mountbatten -Windsor and Peter Mandelson. Internationally, the…
The new Court Bill is madness. The idea is to get far more trials heard by the Magistrates and to extend their sentencing powers. They will be overwhelmed. There are not enough Magistrates now, especially with the ridiculous 70 retirement age. There will be appeals to the Crown Court, retrials and all the extra cases and many more because of their increased sentencing powers. The only solution is more money and most people think there is no prospect of getting that more money for Defence, NHS or education or anything else, until we cut the huge burgeoning benefit bill. March…
PM Law solicitors, operated 24 branches stretching from Yorkshire to Kent. Stealing clients’ funds is, apart from being a serious crime, utterly despicable as many of the clients have no other funds. In this case somebody has stolen £1 million of clients’ money One solicitor I met said that the clients’ funds that he had stolen had only been about £30,000.00. I discovered later he had stolen from the Church! February 2026 Rodney Hylton-Potts
Ghanem Al-Masarir is a Saudi national living in Britain critical, of the Saudi royal family. His phone was hacked and he was put under surveillance, but worse he was beaten up outside Harrods on 31 August 2018 by agents of Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Arabian government failed in their attempt to claim state immunity. A High Court Judge in London ordered the Saudis to pay him over £3 million damages mainly for loss of earnings. The next phase. Collection? Could be fun. Rodney Hylton-Potts February 2026
Sir Brian Leveson, a senior judge, has made recommendations. Try these: Prison vans going to court, can use bus lanes. Unless the victim wants the prisoner there, he or she, can be sentenced remotely via prison link. The police would no longer have to redact personal data, e.g. immigration status before sending files to the Crown Prosecution Service. Professional witnesses should be able to give evidence via video link. Lawyers should be able to email judges on administrative matters. Why did it take many months of expensive investigation to come up with these blindingly obvious solutions. February 2026 Rodney Hylton-Potts
We know that Andrew has taken legal advice from a Woking solicitor. We do not know whether his office is near the famous Pizza Hut. We can be certain the advice is not visit America or give sworn testimony before Congress, which could result in a perjury charge. Like any defendant, whatever you think of him, Andrew is entitled to legal advice and would be unwise to ignore it. It is therefore a disgrace that the Prime Minister attempts to breach his rights. Whatever you think of Andrew, by putting him under huge public scrutiny also no doubt in future…
Robert Jenrick recently having switched from Conservative to Reform said in the House of Commons “We are told this man leaked confidential information to a convicted sex offender when he was a cabinet minister and took tens of thousands of pounds in secret bank handers”. He continued “Mandelson has clearly broken the law and now stands accused of serious misconduct in public office and should be tried for his offences”. No allegations. No suspicions. No ‘The police are opening an enquiry’ , no presumption of innocence. Misconduct in public office is a common law crime and it is so hard…
This new law recognises that crypto tokens and non-fungible tokens are capable of being regarded as property. This creates a regulatory framework governed by the FCA for overseas and British customers. More thought needs to be given to the different types of crypto assets instead of lumping them altogether. The new regime will not prevent you from losing your money and many still consider them to be a Ponzi scheme. Caution. Let the buyer beware. Rodney Hylton-Potts February 2026
Solicitors hold often substantial sums in their client account, from transactions especially property. A client will pay them a deposit which they will pass on, on exchange of contracts perhaps some weeks later. The same on completion. Also the client will pay an amount of costs for a retainer, which is not disbursed immediately e.g. on barristers’ fees. This forms a very large amount of solicitors’ income and I have known some conveyancing solicitors who earn more from the interest, than fees. The government now wants to tax the solicitor on the money. This is intellectually dishonest. The money belongs…
