Details
Magistrates’ Courts Criminal Practice combines authority and practicality, providing step-by-step advice on a vast array of court procedures from cautions and commencements through to appeals, including a thorough treatment of the law and practice of evidence as it relates to the magistrates’ courts.
Magistrates’ Courts Criminal Practice has been described as providing ‘razor sharp analysis’, ‘clarity’ and ‘ease of reference’, enabling practitioners to ‘check the essential legal features surrounding the case before the court with the minimum of fuss’.
In addition to the authors’ commentary, there is a comprehensive selection of up-to-date statutes, statutory instruments, rules, practice directions and other materials.
Uniquely, there is a section setting out the elements of over 150 offences, providing the statutory definitions and relevant case-law, and over 100 procedural guides provide a step-by-step summary of the main procedures supported by references to the legislative framework and case-law.
Magistrates’ Courts Criminal Practice has been fully updated for 2013 to include:
- the full text of the Criminal Procedure Rules 2011 including latest amendments
- amendments made by Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 including changes to the Bail Act 1976, powers to deal with breaches of suspended sentence orders, and the extension of the victims surcharge
- extension of Part II Elements of the Offence with two indexes listing the offences both alphabetically and by type of offence enabling the reader to locate the appropriate offence quickly
- all significant case-law developments
Magistrates’ Courts Criminal Practice is written by a team of advocates and court officials, making this a work by practitioners for practitioners.
Part I: Procedural Guides
Deals with the procedure of the court in 18 major sections, ranging from commencement of proceedings to sentencing and enforcement. The law and practice under each heading is explained through commentary and over 100 procedural guides. Relevant forms are also included.
Part II: Elements of the Offence
A comprehensive and easy-to-use reference guide to over 150 of the main offences.
Part III: Statutes
All relevant statutes are reproduced, in amended form, and annotated by the expert team of editors.
Part IV: Statutory Instruments
All relevant SIs appear in amended form, annotated by the expert team of editors.
Part V: Practice Directions
Part VI: Codes of Practice and Guidelines
General Editor:
Alessandro Roveri
Solicitor and Deputy Justices' Clerk, Devon and North Devon Magistrates Court
Contributors:
Juan Batchelor Solicitor, Senior Legal Adviser, HM Courts Service, Wiltshire,
David Chidgey Barrister, Albion Chambers
Matthew Donkin Barrister, Zenith Chambers
Anesh Pema Barrister, Zenith Chambers
Christopher Rose Barrister, New Court Chambers
Richard Ward LLB Solicitor, Emeritus Professor of Public Law, De Montfort University
Nicholas Wattam LLB Solicitor, Deputy Clerk to the Justices, HM Courts Service, Thames Valley; Deputy District Judge (Magistrates’ Courts)
"acquiring a copy of this reliable and concise work of reference would almost without a doubt make the daily toils and tribulations of your practice a little easier. This completely updated guide from Jordans covers to the full spectrum of situations, challenges and problems you're likely to encounter on a day to day basis ... forever topical ... logically laid out ... this is a useful, thorough and eminently readable work of reference which offers within its almost three-thousand pages, a range of extensive research resources, inculding tables of statutes, cases and statutory instruments, plus tables of practice directions, abbreviations and PACE practice directions. A detailed index of fourty-three pages at the back facilitates looking things up and ther's a accompanying CD ROM"
Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor, Richmond Green Chambers
Previous Edition Reviews
"The Key word here is 'clarity' - ever a necessary but too often a rare attribute when it comes to legal texts - but evident in abundance in this comprehensive and authoritative volume recently published by Jordans."
Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor, Richmond Green Chambers
"For clarity, ease of reference and razor sharp analysis, this book is essential for any criminal practitioner"
John Cooper, Criminal Law & Justice Weekly
"A book compiled by practitioners for practitioners. In providing clear procedural guides, backed up by statutory and case law references, and outlines of the elements of common offences (not to mention available defences), it allows advocates, Assistant Justices' Clerks and others whose work takes them into magistrates' courts to quickly check the essential legal features surrounding the case before the court with the minimum of effort. This is a book that succeeds in simplifying often complex issues, contributing to the drive for speedy justice, and it will prove an invaluable companion on the often tortuous road to understanding"
Chris Armstrong, President Of The Justices' Clerks' Society And Clerk To the Justices In Cumbria
"thorough and well-presented, covering all the substantial areas of criminal work ...very readable"
Solicitors Journal
"a sound investment"
New Law Journal
"an excellent navigational aid ... for practice and procedure ... an essentail work of reference for all practitioners who routinely deal with cases in the magistrates' courts"
Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor, Richmond Green Chambers
