All Law Gazette articles in Archive – Page 1408
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News
Wales and Scotland consider legal implications of devolution
Iraq overshadowed what went before, of course, but devolution is accepted as one of the successes of Tony Blair’s tenure as premier. Certainly, as a former member of the Scottish press, the editor of this magazine finds it hard to believe that it is only a ...
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Small firms seek to consolidate
Leading consultants are predicting a ‘surge’ in mergers by small firms over the next 12 months. A six-monthly survey carried out by consultant Andrew Otterburn (pictured) on behalf of the Law Consultancy Network, seen exclusively by the Gazette, has revealed a 69% increase in the number ...
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A tax defence
David Kenyon-Vaughan expresses concern about a VAT concession . However he muddles avoidance and evasion. HMRC allows those whose turnover amounts to a sum small enough to come within the scheme to reclaim a flat-rate percentage of VAT without having to count their individual spending for VAT purposes. The new ...
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'Greedy' solicitor jailed for theft
A Lincolnshire firm has been praised by a judge for the ‘exemplary’ way it investigated a series of thefts by a solicitor, who was jailed last week. Jacquelina Laverick, who was head of the wills and probate department at the 200-year-old firm, stole cash from ...
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Intellectual property
Infringement - Trade marks – Irreparable harm – Balance of injustice Cowshed Products Ltd v (1) Island Origins Ltd (2) Patrick O’Connor (3) Bianca O’Connor: Chd (Judge Birss QC): 17 December 2010 ...
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Police practice of kettling protesters needs review
Most readers will never have been on a demonstration. Many may well feel that ‘kettling’ by the police of demonstrators is a perfectly reasonable tactic in the face of recent violence at education demonstrations. But, as we undoubtedly face more protests in what may well be a rather unhappy new ...
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Lawyer who took up literary reins
Somehow lawyers don’t seem to make as successful novelists as doctors (or even vets or ex-jockeys), writes James Morton. Certainly, there have been some notable exceptions; in the 19th century, Harrison Ainsworth, Anthony Hope and R S Surtees, although they are more or less forgotten ...
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Litigants in person set to rise
The Law Society has warned that the courts could be ‘thronged by countless individuals unable to have a lawyer, like a scene from Pickwick Papers’, if the government presses ahead with legal aid reforms without conducting research on the likely effect on the number of litigants in person. ...
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Pre-nup, I love you
The firm that brought feuding spouses the antithesis of the perfect Christmas present – the ‘divorce voucher’ – has now come up with a new gift idea in time for Valentine’s Day. In a timely coincidence, as the Law Commission published its consultation on whether ...
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Security overhaul
I write in response to Richard Williams’s letter highlighting the ‘over-the-top’ attitude of court security staff. While I and many of my colleagues are well known at our local courts, there is a great inconsistency in the security measures undertaken. Some security guards let us through without a search, ...
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Law firm creates ‘accident app’
A 150-year-old Manchester law firm has created an iPhone ‘accident app’ which it claims could revolutionise the personal injury claims process. Croftons has released the iPhone app to help claimants gather accurate evidence and information after an accident at work or on the road, and provide ...
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Bar Council seeks to raise its profile in Russia
The Bar Council has announced it is to send a delegation to Moscow and Kiev to raise its profile in the former Soviet republics. The trip next week, which will be led by bar chairman Peter Lodder QC, is supported by the British embassies in Russia ...
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Prosecute solicitors who lie to PII insurers, says Law Society
The Solicitors Regulation Authority should prosecute every solicitor who lies on their professional indemnity insurance (PII) application form, the chief executive of the Law Society said yesterday. Speaking at an Association of British Insurers (ABI) seminar on solicitors’ PII, Desmond Hudson said that the profession 'needs ...
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More than 1,000 solicitors support Will Aid charity scheme
More than 1,100 solicitors have participated in a will-writing scheme that is set to raise at least £1.5m for nine UK charities. Solicitors all over the country took part in November 2010’s Will Aid campaign, forgoing their usual fee for preparing a will, and instead asking ...
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Direct access to the bar
We always caution ourselves against stereotyping, but sometimes we just cannot help ourselves. The first time I ventured into London as a tyro lawyer to consult with the barrister my firm had instructed for a tricky commercial litigation, I was delighted to find my prejudices confirmed. A threadbare carpet, an ...
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Twitter for beginners
The CCBE has dipped its toe into the world of Twitter. In our office, we had all heard of it and its impact on the world, but none of us had ever used it. It was like the introduction of the first telephone into companies nearly a hundred years ago: ...
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Withers to open in Zurich to meet high-net-worth demand
City firm Withers will open an office in Zurich to cope with increasing demand from high-net-worth clients, the firm said today. The new office, set to open in April, will be headed by UK tax and trust partner Judith Ingham. The firm, which opened an office ...
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Where solicitors are going wrong in online wills
I had a meeting last week with Grahame Cohen, chief product and technology officer at Epoq – the company that writes software for many of the big brands now providing wills for consumers. I’ll confess that I was expecting something of a sales pitch from ...
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Legal professionals reveal ‘sins’ in survey
One in four lawyers and legal professionals does online shopping at work, while one in eight confesses to doing something at an office party that they later regretted, a recent survey of 500 members of the profession has revealed. Research by twosteps online job board also ...