All Law Gazette articles in Archive – Page 1288
-
News
Litigation can cost more than just legal fees
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has become the latest corporation to toss the remnants of its reputation on to the scrapheap of litigation.
-
News
Client surveys: where’s the value?
There is a marketing ‘tick’ that appears in many firms when they have the marketing bug. It’s the tendency to spend time and effort on client surveys. But while discussing this with a client keen to proceed with them, I came to the conclusion: ‘Why should we bother?’
-
News
Think twice about abolishing assigned risks pool
t’s easy to see why the SRA wants to scrap the assigned risks pool. Many firms that enter do not survive, killed off by punitive premiums (and, of course, many never pay up anyway). It is loathed by insurers, who pay huge sums to underpin firms ...
-
News
Lisbon treaty to improve access to European courts
The Law Society today welcomed the arrival of the Lisbon Treaty, saying that it will widen access to the European courts for business and individuals. The Society said that the treaty, which came into force today, will pave the way for ‘many more’ challenges to be ...
-
News
Contract awarded for Yorkshire advice network
The East Yorkshire Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) has won the contract to run the first Community Legal Advice Network (CLAN), in a partnership with local law firm Switalskis. The CLAN, funded by East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the Legal Services Commission (LSC), is due ...
-
News
First community advice network to open in East Yorkshire
The East Yorkshire Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) has won the contract to run the country’s first Community Legal Advice Network (CLAN), in a partnership with local law firm Switalskis. The CLAN, funded by East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the Legal Services Commission (LSC), is ...
-
News
African lawyers complete training at top City firms
Ten leading African lawyers completed a three-month training and relationship-building programme at top City firms this week, in a scheme designed to improve UK links at a time when there is high demand for English-qualified lawyers on the African continent. The International Lawyers for Africa (ILFA) ...
-
News
Report slams LSC over criminal legal aid
More than a quarter of firms will walk away from criminal legal aid work in the next five years, a report slamming the Legal Services Commission’s poor administration has revealed. The report by public spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO) showed that one in six ...
-
News
Scrapping assigned risks pool ‘dangerous’
Abolishing the assigned risks pool (ARP) would place solicitors at the ‘whims and fancies’ of the insurance market, a leading solicitor has warned, as the profession voiced concerns over the proposals put forward by the Solicitors Regulation Authority last week. Sundeep Bhatia, chairman of the Society ...
-
News
Lacking confidence in Lord Bach
Further to your news item ‘Compulsory pro bono’ (see letters, 12 November) I must express my amusement at Lord Bach’s views on pro bono work and the ‘concern’ he has about the lack of confidence in our profession. Perhaps he should address the lack of confidence the publicly funded members ...
-
News
Bar Standards Board sanctions legal disciplinary practices
The Bar Standards Board gave the green light for barristers to go into practice with solicitors last week, but proposed an extension of the cab-rank rule to all advocates including solicitors. At a meeting last week the BSB decided that barristers could join legal disciplinary partnerships ...
-
News
A bold step forward for the bar – or is it?
It has been a long time coming, but the Bar Standards Board finally made a decision last week to allow barristers to go into partnership, not only with each other, but even with those dreadfully commercial solicitor types. It may have taken five consultations and two years of deliberation, but ...
-
News
New PC charges to benefit in-house lawyers
Changes to the practising certificate (PC) fee charging system will see around £16m transferred onto private practice solicitors, to the benefit of in-house and local government lawyers, under plans due to be unveiled by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Under the new charging regime, 40% of ...
-
News
COMPETITION: Legally Blonde
A blowsy, feelgood musical is coming to London’s West End next week that’s guaranteed to lift your spirits amid the recessionary gloom. Based on the hit movie of the same name, Legally Blonde is the award-winning Broadway sensation created by Tony Award-winning director and Olivier Award-nominated choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray). ...
-
News
Bog standard
Legal aid lawyers may recall – with no particular fondness – the speech justice secretary Jack Straw gave back in March advising them to reconsider their earnings expectations. ‘There is certainly nothing ordained by the Almighty which says that of those paid for by the ...
-
News
LawNet to strengthen solicitor ‘brand’ with new website
A national network of independent law firms has launched an online consumer marketing initiative to help secure work referrals and give the firms a strong internet presence. The 65 firms that make up LawNet have banded together to launch a legal referral and advice website, called ...
-
News
Cafcass judicial review threat
A Somerset solicitor is set to launch a judicial review action against the Children and Family Courts Advice and Support Service (Cafcass) because of its ‘unacceptable delays’ in appointing children’s guardians and family court advisers. Martin Davis, director of the family department at Somerset firm Battens, ...
-
News
Legal Lives: solicitor Daniel Radiven on coping with cancer
Nine years ago, I made my first and previously only contribution to the Gazette. As an ambitious trainee with my former firm, Betesh, I had a letter published in which I bemoaned the absence of an adequate forum or mechanism for the assessment of costs in cases settled pre-issue. The ...
-
News
Talks on fixed fees for fast-track cases fail
A bid to fix the level of legal fees paid for all ‘fast-track’ cases has failed, the Gazette can reveal. The deadline for a mediation process conducted by the Civil Justice Council, which attempted to reach a deal between insurers and solicitors representing claimants and defendants, ...
-
News
City firms publish environmental performance
A group of 138 legal sector organisations including top City firms will publish a report on their climate change performance in a live webcast next week. The Legal Sector Alliance (LSA) report will show the extent to which members of the group have complied with ...