*/
Easy-to-understand guides to help judges handling scientific evidence are being introduced in UK courts in a unique partnership between the judiciary and science academies.
The first two cover DNA fingerprinting and techniques identifying people from the way they walk from CCTV and others are planned on the topics of statistics and the physics of vehicle collisions.
Each primer is a concise document presenting a plain English, authoritative account of the technique in question, as well as considering its limitations and the challenges associated with its application.
They have been written by leading scientists and working judges and peer reviewed by legal practitioners, all of whom volunteered their time.
Supreme Court Justice, Lord Hughes, Chair of the Primers Steering Group said: ‘These are the first in a series of primers designed to be working tools for judges. They aim to tackle the agreed and uncontroversial basis underlying scientific topics, which crop up from time to time in courts. The objective is to provide a judge with the scientific baseline from which any expert dispute in a particular case can begin.’
The project is a collaboration between the judiciary, the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
The primers are available to download on the website of the Royal Society and hard copies will be distributed to courts in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland through the Judicial College, the Judicial Institute, and the Judicial Studies Board for Northern Ireland.
Easy-to-understand guides to help judges handling scientific evidence are being introduced in UK courts in a unique partnership between the judiciary and science academies.
The first two cover DNA fingerprinting and techniques identifying people from the way they walk from CCTV and others are planned on the topics of statistics and the physics of vehicle collisions.
Each primer is a concise document presenting a plain English, authoritative account of the technique in question, as well as considering its limitations and the challenges associated with its application.
They have been written by leading scientists and working judges and peer reviewed by legal practitioners, all of whom volunteered their time.
Supreme Court Justice, Lord Hughes, Chair of the Primers Steering Group said: ‘These are the first in a series of primers designed to be working tools for judges. They aim to tackle the agreed and uncontroversial basis underlying scientific topics, which crop up from time to time in courts. The objective is to provide a judge with the scientific baseline from which any expert dispute in a particular case can begin.’
The project is a collaboration between the judiciary, the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
The primers are available to download on the website of the Royal Society and hard copies will be distributed to courts in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland through the Judicial College, the Judicial Institute, and the Judicial Studies Board for Northern Ireland.
Now is the time to tackle inappropriate behaviour at the Bar as well as extend our reach and collaboration with organisations and individuals at home and abroad
A comparison – Dan Monaghan, Head of DWF Chambers, invites two viewpoints
And if not, why not? asks Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Marie Law, Head of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, discusses the many benefits of oral fluid drug testing for child welfare and protection matters
To mark International Women’s Day, Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management looks at how financial planning can help bridge the gap
Casey Randall of AlphaBiolabs answers some of the most common questions regarding relationship DNA testing for court
Maria Scotland and Niamh Wilkie report from the Bar Council’s 2024 visit to the United Arab Emirates exploring practice development opportunities for the England and Wales family Bar
Marking Neurodiversity Week 2025, an anonymous barrister shares the revelations and emotions from a mid-career diagnosis with a view to encouraging others to find out more
David Wurtzel analyses the outcome of the 2024 silk competition and how it compares with previous years, revealing some striking trends and home truths for the profession
Save for some high-flyers and those who can become commercial arbitrators, it is generally a question of all or nothing but that does not mean moving from hero to zero, says Andrew Hillier
