Paradise News

Category: Metro

  • Regulator tweaks SQE1 marking method

    Introduces ‘scaled scoring’ similar to New York Bar

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has tweaked the approach to marking assessments on part one of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).

    In an updated published last week, the regulator confirmed it will be introducing a system of “scaled scoring” similar to that already used in a range of professional assessments across medicine and accountancy as well as the New York State Bar.

    The SRA also announced it will be increasing the number of SQE1 testing dates within each assessment window, and that the change in approach to marking came in response to this increase.

    “So that we can offer more choice to candidates about when they sit the assessment, but maintain the integrity of the assessment, there will be different papers in an assessment window,” the SRA said. “We will therefore be introducing a system of scaled scoring to enable us to still achieve accurate and fair comparisons between test takers.”

    The SQE was formally introduced in September 2021 as the new route to solicitor qualification. SQE1 tests ‘Functioning Legal Knowledge’ (FLK) in two multiple-choice tests of 180 questions each, whilst SQE2 focuses on legal skills.

    The 2024 Law Schools Most List

    The regulator went on to explain how scaled scoring will work.

    “The number of questions a candidate answers correctly out of the 180 questions on each FLK is called the ‘raw’ score. If two individuals with the same ability take different papers their raw scores might differ due to the varying difficulty of the papers. Converting the raw score to a scaled score allows scores to be directly compared to reflect the candidates’ relative performance, despite any differences between the assessments. Candidates will be given their raw score. They will also be given their mark expressed as a scaled score figure out of 500. The pass mark will always be 300.”

    Dr Ioannis Glinavos, a senior lecturer at Westminster Law School, has also provided a helpful video explanation as to what the changes mean. You can view it here.

    Last week Legal Cheek reported that of the 3,475 candidates who attempted SQE1 in July (the latest sitting), 53% successfully passed. This marked a slight improvement on the 51% success rate achieved by those who sat SQE1 in January.

    Source

  • Philadelphia journalist Josh Kruger fatally shot inside his home

    PHILADELPHIA (TCD) — Police have reportedly identified a person of interest in connection with the death of a local journalist who was fatally gunned down in his apartment this week.

    The Philadelphia Inquirer reports police did not publicly name the person of interest and said they do not have a warrant for his arrest, but they do want to speak with him. Philadelphia Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore told the Inquirer investigators think the victim, Josh Kruger, knew the shooter because there were no signs of forced entry.

    The person of interest allegedly had drug problems and forced his way into Kruger’s apartment in the past. The two reportedly had been in a relationship, and Kruger reportedly said in an August Facebook post the person “somehow obtained a copy of my keys.”

    Kruger was shot Monday, Oct. 2, at approximately 1:30 a.m., and sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Kruger reportedly went outside his home looking for help. When police arrived at his residence on the 2300 block of Watkins Street, he was on the sidewalk, gravely injured. Medics transported him to Penn Presbyterian Hospital, where he died.

    Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner issued a statement about Kruger’s death, saying, “Josh Kruger lifted up the most vulnerable and stigmatized people in our communities — particularly unhoused people living with addiction.”

    He added, “Josh deserved to write the ending of his personal story.”

    Kruger previously worked in Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration as a spokesman for the Office of Homeless Services.

    The District Attorney’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee also released a statement that read in part, “Many of us knew Josh Kruger as a comrade who never stopped advocating for queer Philadelphians living on the margins of society. His struggles mirrored so many of ours — from community rejection, to homelessness, to addiction, to living with HIV, to poverty — and his recovery, survival, and successes showed what’s possible when politicians and elected leaders reject bigotry and work affirmatively to uplift all people.”

    In his bio, Kruger said he “uses his unique combination of lived experience with homelessness, addiction, HIV, poverty, and trauma together with over a decade of professional experience in media, politics, and government for compelling storytelling and unparalleled insight into the news.”

    The professional biography on his website mixes background and humor. He described himself as a “proponent of the singular they, the Oxford comma, and pre-Elon Twitter. He is a militant bicyclist, Anglo-Catholic Episcopalian and parishioner at St. Mark’s Church on Locust Street, and lives with his best friend, his senior cat with one tooth named Mason.”

    Source

  • Security smashes gunmen camp in Anambra, rescues kidnapped catholic priest, two others

    Security smashes gunmen camp in Anambra, rescues kidnapped catholic priest, two others

    By Ovat Abeng

    The Joint security operatives have rescued three persons from kidnappers den in Anambra State, including a priest of the Catholic Church.

    A press statement by DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, the Police Public Relations Officer, Anambra State Police Command, Awka, showed that three of the suspects responsible for the kidnap were arrested, while the camp of the insurgents were destroyed.

    The PPRO also said that arms and ammunition were recovered from the camp, while about seven vehicles reportedly snatched from their owners in various places in Anambra, at gunpoint were recovered.

    The press release by Ikenga read in part: “Police-led Forward Operating Base (FOB) comprising military and paramilitary Services based in Aguata and supported by Police Rapid Response Squad Awkuzu yesterday, 6th October, 2023 in a well coordinated operation, stormed insurgents camp at Ogbunka in Orumba South LGA.

    Read Also: Foundation trains youths on ICT, empowers them with laptops

    “Three abducted persons including a Reverend Father were rescued unhurt, nine vehicles and three pump action guns were recovered, and three suspects arrested.

    “Also recovered were stolen camouflage uniform, Biafra flag, several handsets, flash drives and sim cards that will aid comprehensive investigation and prosecution.”

    He said the raid on the camp of the insurgents was as a result of months of diligent and painstaking intelligence gathering and investigation, which led to the uncovering of the criminal hideout.

    He added that the gang has been responsible for the spate of kidnapping in Orumba North and South as well as parts of Aguata LGAs in recent times.

    He said all the kidnap victims rescued were abducted victims were all kidnapped within the month of October.

    “Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Aderemi Adeoye who ordered and coordinated the operation has praised all the service personnel and vigilante men involved in the operation for their professionalism which ensured no life was lost.

    “Mr. Governor also commended the operatives and pledged to continue to support all services involved in Joint Security operations across the State.”

  • Womble Bond Dickinson records 67% trainee retention score

    18 out of 27

    Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) is keeping hold of 18 of its 27 qualifying trainees.

    Nineteen were offered permanent roles and 18 accepted positions, with one of these qualifying earlier in the year in March. This hands the firm a score of 67%.

    The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2024 shows WBD recruits around 25 trainees each year on starting salary of £42,000 in London and between £28,000 and £36,000 elsewhere. NQ rates sit at £78,000 in London and between £50,000 and £60,000 in the firm’s other offices.

    The 2024 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

    A WBD spokesperson said:

    “This year’s cohort of qualifying lawyers is a dedicated group that we are encouraged to see continue their career development and growth with Womble Bond Dickinson. This will provide us a strong pipeline of talented people for the future needs of the firm.”

    Source

  • Okla. woman pleads guilty to fatally shooting daughter while trying to kill stray dog

    TULSA, Okla. (TCD) — A 43-year-old mother faces a maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison for accidentally killing her 16-year-old daughter in Indian Country in 2018.

    According to an Oct. 2 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma, Amanda Moffett pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with her daughter’s death.

    On the evening of Oct. 5, 2018, Moffett’s daughter, identified by KSNF-TV as Laramie Moffett, alerted her mother about a stray dog attacking kittens outside their home. Moffett reportedly went onto the porch and discharged a firearm at what she thought was the stray dog but fatally shot her daughter instead.

    Moffett admitted in federal court that she did not “confirm that her daughter was out of her line of fire.”

    According to court documents obtained by KSNF, Moffett, a Cherokee Nation resident, was originally charged with first-degree murder in Nowata County District Court, but the case was dismissed after Moffett’s attorney claimed she was wrongfully charged.

    The victim and her mother had allegedly been arguing before the shooting, and officials were initially unsure how many times Laramie Moffett had been shot.

    Amanda Moffett reportedly said she fired at the dog, causing it to run away. She also claimed the gun fired by itself after she dropped it on the ground.

    In a statement, U.S. Attorney Clinton Johnson said, “Every gun owner has the legal responsibility to use extreme caution when discharging a firearm. This case unfortunately highlights the potential tragic results absent that caution.”

    Moffett remains on supervised release until her sentencing, which has not yet been set.

    Source

  • ‘This is a nightmare’: Aspiring lawyers face lengthy wait to secure SQE exam slots

    Over three hours for some

    Students have expressed their frustration at having to sit in an online queue for hours in a bid to secure an assessment slot for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).

    Aspiring lawyers are able to secure exam slots through an on-line booking system, with applications for some SQE sittings opening at 10am today.

    But some students report still being unable to secure a space despite waiting over three hours.

    One future trainee solicitor, who is still sitting in the online queue at the time of publication, said they logged into the system promptly at 10am. “It’s been very stressful, especially since there’s little progress being made on the queue, and it’s hard to focus on other things when this is in the background!” they told Legal Cheek.

    Students on X, formerly Twitter, report facing similar issues. “Waiting in your queuing system, which seems to be crashing when people reach the front of the queue,” one student wrote. “Forcing them to then rejoin the queue. Seems extremely disorganised if you ask me.”

    Another said: “Am in a WhatsApp group with around 30 people all trying to book the SQE exams. We’re all either still waiting — now 1hr40 mins — or ineligible to book for pre-booking steps issue. We all work full time in paralegal/casework roles. This is a nightmare.”

    The 2024 Law Schools Most List

    “ANYONE ELSE STRUGGLING BOOKING THE SQE1 EXAM? HELP!” another student posted. “I’ve completed all the pre booking steps but days i’m not eligible! Stuck on hold to customer support!”

    A Kaplan spokesperson told Legal Cheek:

    “We have experienced problems with the booking process for the SQE1 assessment which have now been resolved. We can reassure candidates that capacity is widely available and the booking window will remain open until 15 November. Throughout the booking process, seats will be added where extra capacity is available. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused.”

    This isn’t the first time SQE students have ran into problems when booking exam slots. In 2022 Legal Cheek reported that solicitor hopefuls had encountered delays of up to two hours after logging in and joining the virtual queue.

    UPDATE: 14:20pm The SRA has now posted the following message to X:



    Source

  • Woman arrested at Miss. wedding for allegedly stealing gifts meant for newlyweds

    PONTOTOC COUNTY, Miss. (TCD) — A serial wedding crasher was arrested at a ceremony last week for allegedly stealing money and gifts meant for the bride and groom.

    The Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Department released a statement announcing Sandra Lynn Henson was taken into custody at a wedding Sept. 30 on charges of petit larceny, trespassing, and disturbing the peace. She had previously been arrested in Alabama, Tennessee, and other counties in Mississippi for “crashing weddings and stealing money and cards from purses.”

    The Sheriff’s Office said she was wanted in Alabama.

    Henson has been charged with similar crimes in the past. She was arrested Aug. 1, 2019, in Florence, Alabama, for third-degree theft of property and fourth-degree theft of property. She allegedly stole gifts from two different weddings.

    According to WATN-TV, Henson is dubbed the “Mid-South Wedding Crasher” after she made her way through about a dozen weddings. She was sentenced in 2021 to five years in prison, but Mississippi Department of Corrections records show she was let out on parole.

    Her husband spoke at her 2021 sentencing hearing and reportedly said, “All I can say to the families is from our family, we are very sorry for any pain you’ve experienced and I’m very deeply sorry.”

    Source

  • Your go-to guide to life at the nation’s top chambers is here

    2024 Chambers Most List — now live!


    Your comprehensive guide to life at the leading barristers’ chambers in England and Wales is now live with its 2024 edition. You can check it out here.

    This year’s updated Chambers Most List and profiles features 50 leading sets, including elite Magic Circle and commercial players, common and public law specialists as well as regional giants.

    And, by the way, you can meet the sets at our Virtual Pupillage Fair THIS SATURDAY.

    Each chambers can be benchmarked on criteria ranging from size of pupillage award to number of pupillages on offer; from gender and BME diversity stats to number of Oxbridge-educated new tenants.

    As with previous years, each profile begins with an updated Legal Cheek View which offers bar hopefuls a unique and detailed overview of life at the set. This includes the practice areas tenants work in, recent notable cases, the social life, and what it is like behind closed doors at the set.

    APPLY NOW: The Legal Cheek Virtual Pupillage Fair this Saturday (7 October)

    Each profile also contains an extensive What the Junior Barristers Say section which details the journey from student to tenant and provides pupillage seekers with a snapshot of life within chambers.

    If that wasn’t enough, each chambers is given a Junior Barrister Survey Scorecard which grades it from A*-C in the following areas: training, quality of work, colleagues, facilities, work/life balance, social life, and legal tech. These ratings feed into our annual Legal Cheek Awards.

    We also have those all-important pupillage and mini-pupillage application deadlines, which sync with our iPhone and Android apps, so you don’t miss out on key dates. These are also available on our Key Deadline Calendar.

    A recent law graduate and aspiring barrister explains why he uses the Chambers Most List:

    “The Chambers Most List is an excellent resource to get a general overview of a set, their practice areas, and recent cases. The Legal Cheek Views and junior barrister interviews also allow you to get a better sense of the more human aspects of a chambers’ like their social life and culture. This has helped me to decide on the chambers I want to apply to, without having to do a mini-pupillage at every single set I was initially considering.”

    Meet all the major chambers featured on the list at The Legal Cheek Virtual Pupillage Fair this Saturday (7 October 2023). APPLY NOW.

    Source

  • Man accused of kidnapping 9-year-old at N.Y. campsite allegedly left ransom note in her family’s mailbox

    SARATOGA COUNTY, N.Y. (TCD) — Law enforcement officials identified the man accused of kidnapping 9-year-old Charlotte Sena from a campsite over the weekend and revealed he was caught after leaving a fingerprint on a ransom note.

    Charlotte went missing Saturday, Sept. 30, while riding her bike at Moreau Lake State Park. New York State Police and several other agencies descended on the park and searched for her, which ultimately led to State Police issuing an Amber Alert. The AWARE Foundation tweeted Charlotte was “taken under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious harm and/or death.”

    She was found “safe and in good health” on the evening of Oct. 2.

    Now, new information is coming out about the girl’s suspected abductor and how investigators located him.

    According to Gov. Kathy Hochul, on Monday, Oct. 2, at 4:20 a.m., a car pulled up to Charlotte’s family’s home, which was being guarded by New York State Police. Her parents were already at the campsite searching for their daughter. The car drove up to the mailbox, a man dropped something off, then left. State Police went to the mailbox and reportedly found a ransom note.

    Investigators began searching for a match on the fingerprint left on the note but came up empty. They input the print in a database for the entire state of New York, which yielded a positive match for 46-year-old Craig Ross because he had a DWI in Saratoga in 1999.

    Officials located his residence and found his mother inside. Hochul said Ross lived in a camper behind the home, so officials went into the mobile home using a tactical maneuver called a dynamic entry. Police took Ross into custody and discovered Charlotte in a cabinet.

    According to New York State Police, Ross was arraigned at Milton Town Court and was booked in the Saratoga County Correctional Facility, where he is being held without bail. He is charged with first-degree kidnapping, but State Police said he will likely face additional charges.

    Hochul called Charlotte’s rescue “a very good day.”



    Source

  • Formal warning for Court of Appeal judge who was ‘rude and hostile’ towards barrister

    ‘Judicial bullying’

    A senior judge has been issued with a formal warning after he was found to have behaved in a “rude and hostile manner” towards a barrister during a hearing.

    The Court of Appeal’s Lord Justice Clive Lewis “intervened excessively” in the unnamed barrister’s submissions throughout the hearing, in a manner which became “increasingly harsh and rude” and to the extent that it constituted “judicial bullying”.

    The experienced judge had accepted he had allowed his frustrations at the hearing to show and reflected that he should have handled matters differently, according to a finding published by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO). He apologised at the hearing.

    A spokesperson for the JCIO said the Lord Chief Justice and Lord Chancellor agreed to issue the judge with a formal warning, after “they took into consideration the mitigation offered… including his apology and commitment to learn from the experience and adjust his behaviour in future”.

    No further details about the incident were provided.

    Lord Justice Lewis called to the bar in 1987 and began practice in 1992 with a focus judicial review and public law matters. He was appointed to the High Court, Queen’s Bench Division (now King’s Bench Division) in 2013 and was appointed as a Lord Justice of Appeal in October 2020.

    Source