Internet Newsletter for Lawyers |
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The two best starting points for research are the Lawyers Christian Fellowship at www.lawcf.org and the Association of Muslim Lawyers at www.aml.org.uk. These sites provide an interesting contrast. LCF is for Christians who happen to be Lawyers whilst AML is for Lawyers who happen to be Muslims. Both provide information on current legal issues.
Two disappointing websites are the Association of Christian Law Firms at www.aclf.org.uk and Muslim Law Firms at www.topstrategies.co.uk/mlf/index.html. Neither seem to have any view as to why they are on the Internet in the first place. ACLF is particularly disappointing and does not even provide links to the web sites of its member Firms. Committed Christians can suffer Discrimination as much as anyone but ACLF is not using its web site to market its member firms to these potential clients.
Many lawyers whether Muslim or not will have Muslim clients who will want to ensure that their property is inherited according to Islamic Sharia law. To do this they do need a properly drafted Will. AML (as above) organise regular seminars on drafting Islamic Wills and Non Muslim Solicitors can attend them. Muslim clients are also increasingly looking for ways of financing their businesses on Islamic principles. The Islamic Bank of Britain at www.islamic-bank.com has some useful information and the Canadian site www.muslim-canada.org is very useful for anyone seriously examining Islamic law. In addition, www.muslim-canada.org/muspersonallaw12.html provides useful information on Islamic Inheritance law. Lawyers may also find themselves advising on matters of Islamic Family Law and the corresponding site at www.law.emory.edu/IFL provides useful information on this.
For cases involving Religious Discrimination in the workplace lawyers may need to know what exactly the requirements of Islam are and why. Specific questions on all aspects of Islamic law are answered (from a very conservative viewpoint) at the "Ask the Imam" site at www.islam.tc/ask-imam/index.php. I have a fondness for this site because of a question it answered some months ago from a woman who remains with her violent husband for the sake of their children. Her worry was that she would be required to live with him in paradise for eternity. The Iman praised her for her sacrifice for her children and reassured her. Violent husbands do not go to heaven!
Information and contact details on most British Islamic Organisations can be found on the Affiliates page of The Muslim Council of Britain www.mcb.org.uk and the Links page of The Muslim Association of Britain www.mabonline.info. Useful information on the little known Muslim Ahmadiyya sect who frequently find themselves being attacked both by non Muslims and by orthodox Muslims who regard them as heretics is at www.alislam.org.
Considering the number of Roman Catholic lawyers in Britain it is surprising that there is no Thomas More Society here but see the US site www.stthomasmore.net.
The Ecclesiastical Law Society www.ecclawsoc.org.uk has an interesting selection of national and international cases. Cases in canon law are not likely to involve lawyers who do not specialise in the area but for those who are interested www.canonlaw.anglican.org and www.clsgbi.org (RC) have lots of information. The Catholic Site may be useful for Family Lawyers who are representing Catholic Clients who have been divorced. If the client can establish that the marriage should be annulled by the Church then the client can remarry in Church.
Many family lawyers will represent Jewish clients in Divorces. To allow the client to remarry (and for future children to be accepted as legitimate Jews) the client has to obtain a "Get" or Jewish Divorce. The site Getting Your Get at www.gettingyourget.co.uk is the best starting point for this and there is also useful information provided by the Jewish Law Association at www.mucjs.org/JLAS.
For historical and theological reasons, most other religions do not seem to throw up the same legal issues as "the big three" but when they do, www.bbc.co.uk/religion and www.divinedigest.com are good starting points for research. Other useful sites include www.thebuddhistsociety.org, www.sikhspirit.com and www.hindunet.com.
The two most learned web sites on the subject of Religious Laws internationally (other than mine of course) are The Religion and Law Research Consortium at www.religlaw.org and www.megalaw.com/top/religion.php.
Finally a joke which seems appropriate for this article.
Jesus and Satan were having an ongoing argument about who was better on the computer. They had been going at it for days, and God was so fed up with all the bickering that he said "I have had enough. I am going to give you a test that will run for two hours, and from the results, I will judge who understands computers best."
So Satan and Jesus sat down at the keyboards and typed away. They faxed, e-mailed, and downloaded. They created spreadsheets and wrote reports. Jesus worked with heavenly efficiency but Satan was faster than hell.
Ten minutes before their time was up, lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, thunder rolled, rain poured, and, of course, the power went off. Satan stared at his blank screen and screamed every curse word known. Jesus just sighed.
Finally the electricity came back on, and each of them restarted their computers. Satan started searching frantically, screaming: "It's gone! It's all GONE!! I lost everything when the power went off!" Meanwhile, Jesus quietly started printing out all of his files from the past two hours of work.
Satan observed this and became irate. “Wait!" he screamed. "That's not fair! He cheated! How come he has all his work and I don't have any?"
God just shrugged and said, "Jesus saves".
Neil Addison is a Barrister in New Bailey Chambers www.newbailey.com in Liverpool and Preston. He runs Religion Law UK at www.religionlaw.co.uk which provides practical information and relevant web links on the subject of Religion and the Law today. He also runs a site called Harassment Law at www.harassment-law.co.uk.
Email neiladdison@abanet.org.
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