All Law Gazette articles in Archive – Page 1275
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Don’t give away the Crown jewels – hold on, where are those Crown jewels?
I see that that venerable London institution, the London Evening Standard, is becoming a freebie after 182 years of Londoners paying for it. The most interesting comment on this came from the Standard’s editor Geordie Greig...
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Will there be a global code of conduct?
I have just returned from the annual conference of the International Bar Association (IBA) in Madrid – the largest ever, with more than 5,000 lawyers from around the world. It wasn’t the best-designed conference to attend...
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The true cost of legal aid cuts
The legal services industry in the UK generates around £15bn a year, which is 1.3% of GDP, while public funding of legal services amounts to just over £2bn. Interestingly, I attended a presentation recently which pointed out that this sum is less than the combined annual fee income of two ...
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Bruce Willis can help you improve your online image. Sort of
I went to see the new Bruce Willis movie at the weekend, Surrogate, and it brought to mind two legal marketing topics. For those of you who have not seen the film...
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Brussels simplifies rules on cross-border successions
The European Commission has today adopted a proposal that should greatly simplify the rules on successions with an international dimension in the EU. The aim is to make life easier for citizens by laying down common rules enabling the competent authority and law applicable ...
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SRA commissions £40,000 diversity research
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has commissioned research to find out why ethnic minority solicitors are over-represented in its regulatory decisions, the Gazette has learned. The £40,000 study, by business psychologists Pearn Kandola, will look at issues including the SRA’s processes, the career progression of ethnic minority ...
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Joint LA panel to save £1.5m
Six London boroughs have combined to slash almost £1.5m a year in legal fees. The London Boroughs Legal Alliance, which links lawyers from Harrow, Hammersmith & Fulham, Camden, Hillingdon, Hounslow and Kensington & Chelsea councils, aims to save £1.44m through a pioneering collaboration.
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101 ways to leave the law
For any readers out there who have been wanting to quit their job for ages but have been too afraid of the senior partner to hand over the resignation letter, help is finally at hand. According to the title of Alex Steuart Williams’ new book, there are 101 Ways to ...
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Strike out for abuse of process: guidance for making and resisting applications
The courts’ wide powers under CPR 3.4(2) and the factors a court will take into account when considering an application to strike out a statement of case for abuse of process were considered by the Court of Appeal in Walbrook Trustees (Jersey) Ltd & Others v Fattal & Others [2009] ...
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An online legal information resource will provide a clear advantage
Take the slow train out of Leeds and head west, past Halifax. Just before you leave Yorkshire for Lancashire, you’ll find a picturesque village called Mytholmroyd – which you should pronounce like thyroid, not mistletoe. Climb the steep hill by the Methodist chapel, walk past ...
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Subjecting terror suspects to triple jeopardy is an affront to justice
by Dr Amir A Majid LLM DCLis a barrister and reader in law at London Metropolitan University. He is also a part-time immigration judge and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Islamic State Practices in International Law On 11 September, a judge at Woolwich Crown Court ...
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Legal aid budget crossroads?
The MoJ’s surprise announcement on Tuesday of a wide-ranging review of legal aid delivery must be interpreted as an implicit acknowledgement that the existing system is not fit for purpose. Many solicitors have being saying as much on the letters pages of the Gazette for as long as most of ...
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MoJ review on separate budgets for criminal and civil legal aid
The Ministry of Justice has announced a review of the way the £2bn legal aid budget is delivered which could see separate civil and criminal funds run by different bodies. The review came as legal aid lawyers warned that firms providing social welfare work are at ...
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It is time to develop pan-European anti-corruption measures
by Drago Kos, the president of the Council of Europe's Group of States against CorruptionIt is common knowledge that corruption is one of the most dangerous factors jeopardising the rule of law, the economy and democratic development. The reason is straightforward: corruption attacks systems from within and is often facilitated ...
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Desperate argument
Rhonwen Barraclough’s letter (8 October) complained about Lord Justice Jackson’s recent suggestion of increasing the small claims limit if a deal cannot be done on fixing legal costs in fast-track claims. Among the various reasons put forward as to why this was a bad thing, the most desperate was:
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SRA rules out lowering premiums in assigned risks pool
The Solicitors Compensation Fund looks set to receive a £5m boost to its reserves which could ease the financial pressure on individual firms, under plans being put forward at the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s board meeting today. However, in a separate development the SRA has concluded that ...
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Bank paybacks cement plant upgrades
Payback time: US firm Shearman & Sterling advised French bank Société Générale on a €4.8bn (£4.4bn) rights issue. The bank will use most of the proceeds to repay the €3.4bn (£3.1bn) of emergency funding given to it by the French state.
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US firm could reap benefits of UK reforms with Lovells tie-up
US firm Hogan & Hartson has remained quiet on whether it might use a tie-up with City firm Lovells to access external capital in the future, following reports this week of a merger between the two firms. The merger could potentially give Hogan & Hartson access ...