Courts are places for the dispensation of justice, not vulgar commerce

Thursday, 11 March 2010 ‘Today’s drink-driving hearings are brought to you by Gethomesafely Ltd personal breathalysers.’ Excuse our flippancy, and it will be infinity and a day before that message is broadcast across an HM Courts Service public address system. One hopes. But our disclosure this week that commercial advertising is being allowed into magistrates...
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Comment
Solicitors should be concerned about the ‘entire contract’ rule

by Richard Buxton who heads a small firm in Cambridge specialising in environmental and public law

As the solicitors in Buxton v Mills-Owens [2010] EWCA Civ 122 who stood to lose all profit costs, the Court of Appeal’s decision that we terminated our retainer with our erstwhile client Mr Mills-Owens with good reason was a relief (see Law reports). We had been instructed to put points to the court, which were in an administrative law context unarguable, and we and counsel had declined to do so.

Letters

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No level playing field

Des Hudson claims that subjecting immigration solicitors to a two-hour exam if they want to continue doing publicly funded work is ‘the least burdensome’ option for reaccreditation (see [2010] Gazette 4 March, 11).

Elephant in the room

I read with glee Mr Gafford’s letter ‘Conveyancing fee embarrassingly low’ (see [2010] Gazette, 4 March, 11), not because I take joy in other people’s angst, but because it’s about time that someone mentioned the elephant in the room.

Blowing our own trumpet

I was surprised and disappointed at the headline and tone of the front page news item ‘Most people “could not tell a good lawyer from a bad one”’ (see [2010] Gazette, 4 March, 1).

News blog

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Who will take up external investment?
Rachel Rothwell
Thursday, 11 March 2010

The Gazette revealed this week that law firms are already getting well into discussions with external investors in readiness for when the rules change in October 2011, and indeed some are even going as far as to...

1 Comments
Judges face an even tougher task in children’s cases
James Dean
Thursday, 11 March 2010

Judges in family proceedings have been given an unenviable task. Following a decision of the Supreme Court last week, they must now think longer and harder...

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Why leave it so late to scrap the LSC?
Catherine Baksi
Friday, 05 March 2010

Between them justice secretary Jack Straw and former civil servant Sir Ian Magee hammered the final nail into the coffin of the Legal Services Commission this week.

16 Comments