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SPRING 2010
Clive Coleman talks to the President of the International Criminal Court, examines the Dangerous Dogs Act and takes a look at the relationship between poetry and the law.
Clive Coleman and guests examine the proposed reforms of the UK's bribery laws. Recent cases, like the BAE Systems settlement, and key issues around the Bribery Bill are discussed.
The former Attorney General Lord Goldsmith debates the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Shadow Justice Secretaries on key justice issues, including crime and the Human Rights Act.
What do super-injunctions and the recent John Terry and Trafigura cases say about the development and limitations of privacy law? Clive Coleman talks to the editor of The Guardian, Alan Rusbridger, and Nigel Tait, partner at law firm Carter Ruck.
AUTUMN 2009
Clive Coleman visits the mental health court pilot in Brighton and takes a wider look at Mental Health Treatment orders. Are people being identified early enough?
Sir Ken MacDonald talks about his time as Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales from 2003-2008, as government policy focused on tackling terrorism.
Lord Igor Judge gives his first interview since taking up the post of Lord Chief Justice last year. He discusses sentencing and access to justice in the civil courts.
Five years after the Freedom of Information Act came into force, how has it been used and has it really made Government more open?
SUMMER 2009
We examine a scheme to provide justice for people who were abused as children - in schools run by Catholic religious orders.
How can you convict someone of murder when there is no evidence as to who inflicted the fatal wound?
Clive Coleman examines the legal complexities of who owns your remains - you or the state?
Law in Action returns to ask at what age should children be held criminally responsible
SPRING 2009
The new Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, talks torture, DNA and assisted suicide.
Should cohabitees be protected when they split up? Plus a day in the life of an employment tribunal.
How police are tackling the roots of gun and knife crime by creating a new generation of young black leaders.
Do jurors understand the classic test of guilt? And why Western nations have such problems trying and convicting Somali pirates.
Is a shortage of guardians in family courts in England causing unacceptable delays for children in care?
Are we doing enough to investigate and punish fraudsters? Plus, a rare peek into a school for judges.
Law In Action speaks to Max Mosley about his determination to see a radical overhaul of UK privacy laws.
Who wins when competing rights clash? Plus where can you take a photo, and "justice reinvestment".
Signs of change for the world's largest prison system as America starts to reform its "universities of crime"
Tougher competition and new technology promise radical change for both the legal profession and for consumers.
The experts debate how far we should extend human rights - to trees, animals and even to robots?
AUTUMN 2008
We hear fears over the effects of Ministry of Justice funding cuts on the operation and quality of the courts.
Does the parking fine system depend on drivers being too lazy to contest tickets that have been issued wrongly?
Will the recession mean a drop in the rate of crime - or will it instead change the type of crimes committed?
Is electronic monitoring of rubbish a threat to privacy - or a reasonable way to check how much we chuck?
Can the law keep up with the changing shape of the family - especially when Dad is a sperm donor?
When does a mass cycle ride turn into a political demonstration - and do the cyclists need police permission?
As two major charities take the government to court for failing to meet their own targets, we look at the implications of this action and ask what this means for parliamentarians who draft legislation.
In this week's Law in Action, will a new House of Lords ruling lead to more sham marriages for immigration purposes?
How plausible is the claim that the medieval Islamic world influenced the 12th Century foundations of English common law?
SUMMER 2008
This week we meet the litigants, lawyers, court officials and judges at the courts you're most likely to come into contact with.
Rules of restraint for young offenders, special educational needs, the right to food, and how Scotland plans to cut its prison population.
A rare interview with the judge who has perhaps done more than any other person in the last fifteen years to shape British law.
Do our senior judges need to demonstrate that they are in touch with the public - and what would be the risks of engaging in PR?
There's increasing concern that a 25-fold rise in court costs could be creating risks to vulnerable children.
A House of Lords judgement on witness anonymity has created huge headaches for courts and lawmakers - but is there a way forward?
Witness's memories are crucial to the law - but is memory more fallible than is usually believed?
How can killers be convicted if witnesses are too frightened to provide evidence?
How far is the law intruding into the relationship between students and their universities?
How can forensic evidence be challenged by the defence? Are scientists guilty of exaggerating the 'science' in their findings when making statements in court?
SPRING 2008
Why are former paramilitaries close to becoming part of the policing and judicial system in Northern Ireland?
How is the low conviction rate for rape being addressed by the criminal justice system, and what further reforms should be made?
Does the growing power and readiness of judges to question government decisions threaten to unbalance our democracy?
The government is committed to repealing the blasphemy laws - but do they serve a useful purpose?
There is growing dissatisfaction with inconsistency, delay and poor treatment of the bereaved in inquests - so does the government have the answers?
The former Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, tells Law in Action that archived internet stories bearing on pending criminal cases should be removed from the web.
Law in Action has a rare, extended interview with Antonin Scalia, the most outspoken and acerbic of Justices on the US Supreme Court.
As part of Radio 4's Uncovering Pakistan season, Law in Action examines the reasons for the stand-off between senior suspended members of the Pakistani judiciary and the government of President Musharraf.
How effective and how fair is the fast-track for dealing with people claiming asylum in the UK?
Can patients who think they have contracted the superbug MRSA in hospital bring successful claims against the NHS?
AUTUMN 2007
Are too many young people being criminalised? Plus senior judge Sir Ernest Ryder discusses whether there should be more media access to the Family Courts, and an elegy to the wig by poet and solicitor Philip Pollecoff.
We watch a Sentencing Guidelines Council panel at work and speak to Sir Igor Judge about sentencing. Plus a report on whether "collaborative law" could take the conflict out of divorce.
Should the UK allow intercept evidence? The Director of Public Prosecutions, Sir Ken MacDonald, says yes. Plus a key US Supreme Court case on lethal injections as a method of execution, and does the Inland Revenue owe a duty of care to the people it taxes?
Should preparing an administering a dose of heroin which proves fatal amount to manslaughter? Plus a review of the law of conspiracy and a look at plans to reform the regulation of expert witnesses.
This special edition investigates how the Portuguese criminal justice system works and explains how it has addressed the case of Madeleine McCann. Plus - is it a good idea to extend the law on age discriminatino?
We hear criticism of CDS Direct, the system under which criminal suspects get legal advice from a call centre service, rather than from a solicitor in person. And we look at the use of Designated Case Workers, rather than lawyers, in criminal prosecutions.
Are new laws on sexual offences helping protect children? Plus plans to reform rape prosecutions in Scotland, a report on the first year of operation of the law on age discrimination and we meet a young English barrister who is helping update the legal system of Sierra Leone.
Is it time to compel witnesses to appear in the courts in England and Wales? Plus we assess the accuracy of DNA evidence and speak to the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Anne Owers.
Contact the programme If you have thoughts on any of the topics we've covered, or any other legal issues, Law In Action would like to hear from you. You can contact us by email at lawinaction@bbc.co.uk or by post at: Law in Action BBC White City Wood Lane London W12 7TS Or you can call us on 0208 752 7279.
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