Law and Disorder

On this week's episode of Law & Disorder, we're looking at the rights of unmarried people in the British legal system. What difference does it make for long-term, cohabiting couples whether they're married or not? Well, quite a lot it turns out. From common-law marriages on desert islands (not Bali, though) to Australia's bonza equiparation developments, this is a forensic look at how the legal system supports – or fails to support – those who don't enter the institution of marriage.Hosted by Nicholas Mostyn, Helena Kennedy and Charlie Falconer.This podcast is generously sponsored by Expatriate Law.Do send your own thoughts to us via lawanddisorderfeedback@gmail.com!Law and Disorder is a Podot podcast.Executive Producer and Editor: Nick Hilton.Associate Producer: Ewan Cameron.Music by Richard Strauss, arranged and performed by Anthony Willis & Brett Bailey.PR by Sally Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The question of what can and cannot be said has dogged lawyers and lawmakers for centuries, but has found new life in recent months as Scotland grapples with this question. On this week's Law & Disorder, Helena Kennedy, Nicholas Mostyn and Charlie Falconer discuss the evolution of our laws around hate crimes, hate speech and what can be done to protect marginalised groups from further harassment.This podcast is generously sponsored by Tideway Wealth.Do send your own thoughts to us via lawanddisorderfeedback@gmail.com!Law and Disorder is a Podot podcast.Executive Producer and Editor: Nick Hilton.Associate Producer: Ewan Cameron.Music by Richard Strauss, arranged and performed by Anthony Willis & Brett Bailey.PR by Sally Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Human Rights Act has become something of a hot topic within the political establishment. Is it a symbol of European overreach into the British courts? Or is it an important part of how our legal system safeguards individual rights? That's the topic that Helena Kennedy, Charlie Falconer and Nicholas Mostyn tackle on this week's episode of Law and Disorder. Do send your own thoughts to us via lawanddisorderfeedback@gmail.com!Law and Disorder is a Podot podcast.Executive Producer and Editor: Nick Hilton.Associate Producer: Ewan Cameron.Music by Richard Strauss, arranged and performed by Anthony Willis & Brett Bailey.PR by Sally Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SLAPPs: Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation. These are the cases pursued, often by the super wealthy – from James Goldsmith and Robert Maxwell, to Mohamed Al-Fayed and Barbra Streisand – in order to suppress or intimidate those who act against their interests. In this episode of Law and Disorder, Nicholas, Helena and Charlie sit down and sort through the history of SLAPPs, name and shame the SLAPPERs-in-Chief, and ask whether there's anything that can be done about these abuses of our legal system.Law and Disorder is a Podot podcast.Executive Producer and Editor: Nick Hilton.Associate Producer: Ewan Cameron.Music by Richard Strauss, arranged and performed by Anthony Willis & Brett Bailey.PR by Sally Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How transparent should our judicial processes be? From televising court cases to debating anonymity in the family courts, this episode of Law and Disorder runs the gamut of issues surrounding "open justice". With Nick, Helena and Charlie on punchy form, expect sparks to fly over the history of our system's openness, all the way to Depp v Heard.Law and Disorder is a Podot podcast.Executive Producer and Editor: Nick Hilton.Associate Producer: Ewan Cameron.Music by Richard Strauss, arranged and performed by Anthony Willis & Brett Bailey.PR by Sally Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode of Law & Disorder, Helena Kennedy, Nicholas Mostyn and Charlie Falconer are gathering to discuss a crisis in the prisons system. With numbers of inmates pushing Britain's prisons to the absolute limit and conditions often failing to meet basic standards, do we need to rethink custodial sentencing? Or could the problem simply be solve by building more prisons?Law and Disorder is a Podot podcast.Executive Producer: Nick Hilton.Associate Producer: Ewan Cameron.Music by Richard Strauss, arranged and performed by Anthony Willis & Brett Bailey.PR by Sally Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's episode of Law and Disorder, we're discussing juries. A new Channel 4 reality TV show has shone light on the fragility of verdicts that come through jury trials – but how illustrative was that entertainment experiment? And if juries really are in need of renovation, what alternatives can the courts offer? As ever, Helena Kennedy, Charlie Falconer and Nicholas Mostyn hammer out the issues, taking the legal history all the way back to 1660 to deliver their judgment.Law and Disorder is a Podot podcast.Executive Producer: Nick Hilton.Associate Producer: Ewan Cameron.Music by Richard Strauss, arranged and performed by Anthony Willis & Brett Bailey.PR by Sally Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The right to die is a question that has been puzzled over for decades, by legal minds, politicians, faith leaders and almost every other member of society. With assisted dying returning to the news this week, Law & Disorder takes a look at the legal and ethical implications of Britain's current laws, and asks whether there's a better way. With Charlie having introduced the 2014 Assisted Dying Bill to the House of Lords, he's an expert guide through this complex and emotive subject matter.Law and Disorder is a Podot podcast.Executive Producer: Nick Hilton.Associate Producer: Ewan Cameron.Music by Richard Strauss, arranged and performed by Anthony Willis & Brett Bailey.PR by Sally Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's episode of Law & Disorder, Nicholas Mostyn, Charlie Falconer and Helena Kennedy are back and this week they're discussing the thorny issue of libel. Are British courts too quick to allow expensive litigation that clogs up the courts, insufficiently redresses reputational damage or allows the wealthy to bully dissenters? We're exploring this through the prism of one of the most high-profile legal cases of recent years: Rebekah Vardy's libel case against Coleen Rooney, the so-called 'Wagatha Christie' trial. Law and Disorder is a Podot podcast.Executive Producer: Nick Hilton.Associate Producer: Ewan Cameron.Music by Richard Strauss, arranged and performed by Anthony Willis & Brett Bailey.PR by Sally Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, the Court of Appeal ruled that Shamima Begum – the young woman who, 9 years ago, left the UK to join the Islamic State – has lost her appeal against the government's decision to strip her of her British citizenship. Nicholas, Charlie and Helena gather for this emergency podcast to discuss the implications of this decision, how the courts deal with statelessness, and what options remain for a woman seemingly condemned to spend the rest of her life in refugee camps.Law and Disorder is a Podot podcast.Executive Producer: Nick Hilton.Associate Producer: Ewan Cameron.Music by Richard Strauss, arranged and performed by Anthony Willis & Brett Bailey.PR by Sally Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.