Harassment in Colombia

Revelations during the trial of the chief of Colombia’s secret police, Jorge Noguera (pictured), have confirmed reports of the systematic harassment of human rights lawyers. Four Colombian lawyers known to UK lawyers are among a large group of Colombian citizens who have been the subject of a secret operation by the Colombian intelligence service.

Happy with solicitors
Solicitors have been instructed by 23% of the public over the last two years, according to internal research from business telecoms company Total. Of the 700 surveyed, 18% said the solicitor’s service exceeded their expectations.

Probate tactics warning
Probate solicitors could face litigation for failing to preserve an estate if they use unscrupulous genealogy tracers who use bullying tactics or charge unfair contingency fees to beneficiaries, probate research firm Title Research has warned.

Judicial applications rise
The Judicial Appointments Commission has seen a steep rise in the number of applications for posts. Latest figures show that solicitors made up 37% of applications in the 24 selection exercises completed between April 2008 and March 2009. There were 3,514 eligible applicants in this period, 1,286 of whom were solicitors. The total number of applications rose by 40% compared with the previous year. With five recent female appointments, there are now 17 women judges in the High Court, out of 110 in total.

Going solo? Tell the SRA
From this month anyone seeking to begin practising as a sole practitioner must first seek authorisation from the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Existing sole practitioners will automatically be passported onto the new system. The SRA expects a significant number of applications to become sole practitioners from solicitors who are facing redundancy.

Welsh legislation online
The Law Society has published its first report on Welsh legislation, which is being made available to solicitors for research and reference. It gives details of all legislation relevant to Wales and can be found at www.lawsociety.org.uk/new/documents/2009/welshlegislation.pdf.

Conveyancing study
The Law Society this week announced that it is conducting a consultation into the handling of conveyancing transactions ‘from start to finish’. The aim is to establish ways to improve the process.