Ouseley debate

Diane Abbott MP (pictured) will chair a meeting to discuss responses to Lord Ouseley’s review into disproportionate regulatory outcomes for black and minority ethnic groups. The House of Commons meeting has been organised by the Society of Black Lawyers, Association of Muslim Lawyers, Society of Asian Lawyers and the Black Solicitors Network. It takes place on Wednesday 12 November at 6pm.

Pinsent takes AIM
National firm Pinsent Masons acquired two more AIM clients to climb to the top of Hemscott’s fourth-quarter AIM rankings, with 61 clients. City firm LG gained one client to come in second with 54, followed by national firm DLA Piper and City firm Norton Rose (53 each), and national firm Eversheds (47). In the AIM 100 rankings, Isle of Man firm Cains came top with six clients, down one from the last quarter.

Human rights portal
The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, a non-profit organisation, has launched an online portal to provide summaries of lawsuits where human rights violations by companies are alleged. More than 35 cases pending, decided or settled are summarised in non-legal language, with submissions from both sides.

Lovells advises Iceland
City firm Lovells has been appointed by the Icelandic government to advise on the fallout from the collapse of Iceland’s three major banks, Kaupthing, Landsbanki and Glitnir. Iceland’s government has criticised the British government for using anti-terror laws to seize billions of pounds worth of Landsbanki assets.

Russia confidence
Foreign lawyers working in Russia say that, although the financial crisis will shrink the Russian legal services market, their firms will remain in the country, according to a report by information group Interfax. Solicitors and in-house counsel believed big Russian companies would absorb smaller companies and provide associated legal work, while litigation work would increase. Improvements in court procedure were also noted.

Afghanistan project award
A five-year legal education scheme in Afghanistan has won the Sydney Elland Goldsmith Bar Pro Bono Award, presented at the Bar Council’s conference. The Access to Justice in Afghanistan Project, which ended in May, provided training for lawyers, academics, NGOs and students, and distributed legal textbooks.

Rodd gets the nod
Peter Rodd, partner at Margate firm Boys & Maughan, was elected chairman of the Law Society’s Property Section at its annual general meeting last week. He takes over from Michael Garson.

Child care hearing
A High Court hearing to decide whether the government acted unlawfully after forcing councils to bear the full cost of child-care cases ended last week. The London Borough of Hillingdon and three other councils are seeking judicial review after court fees in child-care proceedings rose from £150 to £4,825. A decision is due by the end of November.

Global milestone
The Law Society’s International Division is marking its first anniversary on 25 November with a one-day conference and evening of networking events (10am-10pm). The morning session, entitled ‘The world in 2009’, includes a discussion on the prospects for doing legal business internationally. It will include input from: Sean O'Grady, economics editor, The Independent; Guy de Jonquières, senior research fellow, Chatham House; and Tony Williams of Jomati Consultants. The evening includes networking and the division’s anniversary party. For further information and prices, contact: internationaldivision@lawsociety.org.uk.

Pro bono at the sharp end
The seventh national pro bono week kicks off on 10 November with a mock trial involving knife crime, which will be judged by a jury of schoolchildren at the Royal Courts of Justice. The twin themes for the week are public legal education and partnerships between professionals and the voluntary sector.

AG keys into database
Attorney General Baroness Scotland launched the international pro bono database at Chancery Lane this week. It includes details of more than 190 projects in around 75 countries.

Family affair for victims
Four out of five of the families of murder or manslaughter victims chose to make a family impact statement during the two-year pilot scheme that ran in five Crown Courts to April 2008, a report published by the Ministry of Justice shows. The scheme was rolled out nationally a year ago.