All Law Gazette articles in Archive – Page 1230
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Magnificent seven
After reading Richard Biggs’ claim to be the fastest lawyer in the land (see [2009] Gazette, 17 April, 31), David Jeffery, an associate at Guernsey firm Collas Day, got in touch to claim the title. Jeffery tells us that he accepted instructions from a client on 5 February, following a ...
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Time out for Mansfield
After 42 years righting wrongs on behalf of clients such as the Birmingham Six and the Guildford Four, barrister Michael Mansfield says he is taking a break from court work. Don’t expect him to disappear from the headlines. The head of chambers at criminal and ...
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Out of service
I write further to your comment ‘Getting back on track’ regarding fast-track claims (see [2009] Gazette, 9 April, 8), and in particular road traffic accident cases.
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No rights without responsibilities?
The government says it wants to take its proposed bill of rights and responsibilities to the country for debate. This administration has a less than exemplary record of listening to people who respond to its public consultations, but for the moment we must take ministers at their word.
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SRA transparency
A solicitor complained that six months after the Solicitors Regulation Authority had found two ‘minor infractions’, the firm’s partners were told by phone that they had been reprimanded and had to pay £500 in costs (see [2009] Gazette, 9 April, 9). The solicitor was unhappy the decision would be published ...
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Criminal law: defence costs orders and more
Important provisions in relation to the taxation of defence costs orders, made in the magistrates’ court, came into effect on 13 October 2008. All such bills delivered after that date will now be taxed by the appropriate National Taxing Team rather than by the court itself.
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New president sets out 10-step plan
The new president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers has hit out at insurance solicitors who, he says, fight the conditional fees ‘costs war’ from the ‘comfort zone of risk-free retainers’.
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50% tax rise will raise £150M from City partners alone
Equity partners at the UK’s 10 biggest law firms will each pay on average £100,000 extra a year to help bail the government out of deficit, Gazette research suggests. Chancellor Alistair Darling’s new 50% income tax bracket, which comes in to force in April 2010, will raise £150m from City ...
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Reforms to the Local Transport Act 2008 will create more work for lawyers
The humble bus is about to drive through a number of new avenues for litigation, following enactment of the Local Transport Act 2008. Traffic commissioners, most of whom were originally solicitors, will gain wider powers to fine operators who run unsafe vehicles, to impound the offending ...
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Data page for April 2009
The data page is the financial rates and data compiled for the Law Society Gazette by MoneyFacts Group, the UK's largest supplier of savings and mortgage data. Downloads Download the ...
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Minister questions legal aid priorities at 60th anniversary debate
Legal aid has ‘failed the very people it was set up to protect’ the minister in charge, told a debate hosted by the Law Society this week to mark the 60th anniversary of the Legal Aid Act. In the discussion, chaired by the Guardian’s Polly Toynbee, ...
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The Equality Bill – what’s all the fuss about?
It’s open season on Harriet Harman’s Equality Bill, published this week. One newspaper dubbed it ‘unfair on men’...
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MoJ delays implementation of new accident claims processing regime
The Ministry of Justice has conceded defeat over its timetable for introducing a new claims process for road traffic cases, as the Gazette predicted last week (see [2009] Gazette, 23 April, 3). A letter sent to stakeholders this week says it now hopes to have the ...
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Acquisitions, property development and dimond shares
Power stakes: City firm Herbert Smith advised Chinese power producer Huaneng Power International on acquiring a 55% stake in YangLiuQing Co-generation and a 41% stake in Beijing Co-generation from Huaneng International Power Development Corporation. The stakes are worth RMB2.35bn (£237m) combined.
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Restraint orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act
It is estimated that organised crime costs the UK some £40bn a year. The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 trailblazed some unprecedented powers of asset restraint and confiscation in an attempt to remove the profit and, ultimately, motivation for committing economic crime.
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Solicitors and estate agents condemn missed opportunity from budget
Last week’s Budget was a missed opportunity to rescue the housing market and will have no impact on property buying and selling trends, according to the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA). The association said that the chancellor had ignored proposals to abolish or reform ...
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HMRC enforcement head announces crackdown on tax havens
Drafters of tax avoidance schemes face greater scrutiny over the coming months as HM Revenue & Customs moves to close loopholes and bolster its disclosure regime, according to the head of the Revenue’s anti-tax avoidance group. Chris Tailby, a barrister who has directed the Revenue’s anti-avoidance ...
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Auditors seek cap on insolvency liability
The ‘big four’ accountancy firms are to lobby the government to further limit their liability as auditors in the event of corporate collapse, despite lawyers’ concerns that client companies would be ill-advised to agree to such a step. A spokeswoman for the Institute of Chartered ...
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More City firms wield the axe
Two big City firms have today announced another raft of redundancies, with a combined total of up to 50 lawyers and up to 115 support staff facing the axe. Berwin Leighton Paisner will cut up to 30 lawyers and up to 55 support staff, while CMS ...
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Cash-strapped universities hold out begging bowl
British law students are in for a rough ride, it seems. The Financial Times reported yesterday that top universities are losing money at an astounding rate, pointing to huge deficits in the funding they receive from the government and the actual cost of education.