Challenging forensic evidence in court
Judges and juries can literally be ‘blinded by science’ when listening to forensic evidence at trial. Here’s how to debunk the CSI Myth.
Reading Briefs using AI
Is AI ready to ingest briefs, summarise them, and answer questions about them? If so, how accurate is it?
Interim & Interlocutory Injunctions
The principles applicable to the grant of interim and interlocutory injunctions, and the nature of the documentation required for an application.
Existing Sentencing Guidelines
Over the past fifteen years or so, a number of ‘guideline’ judgments have been delivered by the courts to assist with formulating the appropriate sentence for a given offence type. This article looks at the origin of those guidelines, the offences for which there are guidelines available, and what the individual guidelines provide.
CCTV Footage & Non-Expert Opinion Evidence
In what circumstances may a lay-witness be permitted to give evidence of what he/she perceives from CCTV footage, and when does such evidence become inadmissible opinion evidence from a non-expert?
Delaney -v- PIAB & Departures from the Personal Injuries Guidelines
To what extent is judicial discretion fettered by the Personal Injuries Guidelines? When, and in what circumstances, and to what extent, may a judge depart from the Personal Injuries Guidelines?
IP Addresses & Online Crimes
Where a criminal act involves the use of an internet connection, in what circumstances will it be incumbent on investigating and prosecuting authorities to seek out, preserve, and disclose information relating to IP addresses?
Lies, Unsafe Convictions, and Closing Speeches
In sexual misconduct cases one is often faced with a classic ‘swearing match’ – where one person (the complainant) gives evidence that the misconduct happened, and one other person (the accused) says that it did not. I am often thereby reminded of the case of Hannon (facts below) and often wish I could bring that case to the attention of the jury. May I, properly, do so?
Wellman: The Art of Cross-Examination
A classic text for trial lawyers and law students (published in 1903) on how to cross-examine witnesses.
Working with Video Footage
General information about video footage together with some practical tips on viewing footage and, where necessary, creating stills and video extracts from the footage
Court of Appeal Sentencing Database
The Judicial Council has published a database of Court of Appeal decisions from 2014 to 2023, but in a format that is a little difficult to interrogate. I’ve taken the data and made it available here in a format that makes it easier to search and analyse.