All Law Gazette articles in Archive – Page 1506
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News
Solicitors From Hell slander action is thrown out
The High Court has thrown out a defamation claim by the founder of the Solicitors from Hell website against Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson. Rick Kordowski began legal proceedings after a blog from Professor John Flood had alleged that Hudson claimed Kordowski was a ‘criminal’. ...
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Relationship management to be limited to big firms
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has given more details of its implementation strategy for outcomes-focused regulation. Its Relationship Management approach to risk-based supervision is to be rolled out to larger firms, after a pilot found that small firms did not require interaction with the regulator on ...
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News
Private equity buys into QualitySolicitors
QualitySolicitors has agreed a funding deal which marks the first major investment by private equity in the high street legal market, the Gazette can reveal. Pan-European private equity house Palamon Capital Partners has invested a ‘significant’ sum in QS. The agreement will see it gain a ...
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News
Service by email outside the jurisdiction
Can a defendant domiciled out of the jurisdiction be served by email with a claim form issued in England? That was the question before the High Court in the case of Louise Bacon v Automatic Inc and others [2011] EWHC 1072 (QB).
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News
RTA portal fee fracas
As the Gazette revealed last month, the government’s plans to ban referral fees in personal injury cases have led insurers to start pushing for a cut in the fixed fees payable to claimant lawyers under the RTA portal scheme. The Ministry of Justice itself acknowledged that the fees would need ...
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News
Family justice manifesto calls for rethink on cuts
An alliance of groups opposed to the government’s family legal aid cuts has published a Manifesto for Family Justice, urging MPs to reconsider the proposals. The groups are concerned about the impact that provisions in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill removing legal ...
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News
European Day of Justice - are you ready to party?
I suspect that you’ve been waiting all year for the anniversary which comes around on 25th October: the European Day of Justice. You are planning to dress up in lawyers’ robes, and dance in the streets.
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News
Human rights, words and lawyers
Last Saturday I attended part of the ‘Fairness, Justice and Human Rights’ conference, which was organised by the University of Essex Human Rights Centre, the Law Society and others. I was struck by a phrase used in passing by one speaker, who referred to the United ...
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Open all hours
Anyone who’s taken time out to read my recent Gazette features will know that I’ve received many pieces of legal services and legal market surveys and research down the years. Sometimes they impress, and sometimes they don’t - and unlike restaurant critics who haven’t worked ...
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Feature
BOOK REVIEW The Litigators
Author: John Grisham Meet Oscar Finley, the lawyer who found a way to lose a no-fault divorce that was uncontested on all issues. His incensed client, a Mrs Vallie Pennebaker, beat him up so badly he needed 14 stitches. ...
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News
Chambers Guide launched
Lawyer rankings have risen by 8% to almost 9,800 in the 2012 edition of Chambers UK. The client’s guide to the legal profession, which researches factors such as quality and profile of work, incorporating client and barrister feedback, was published last night. ...
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News
SRA consults on client financial protection
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to consult on implementing planned reforms of client financial protection. The changes, announced in April 2011, include: closing the assigned risks pool from October 2013; a 90-day extended policy period from October 2012, for firms which have not taken new ...
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News
Victim of crime - part 1
My partner has been praised by the police for helping put a criminal behind bars. She had a go, like the good citizen that she is, and the mean streets of Royal Tunbridge Wells are now just that little bit safer. ...
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News
1966 and all that
Lord Collins of Mapesbury (Lawrence Collins) couldn’t be present to pick up his lifetime achievement award at last week’s Law Society Excellence Awards. Instead, he recorded an acceptance speech, Hollywood-style, that was broadcast at the event. In it he reminisced about a less frantic age ...
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News
Criminal-case mediation ‘by 2020’
Compulsory mediation of civil disputes and mediation of criminal cases could be introduced in the UK by 2020, a High Court judge has suggested. Mr Justice Ramsey (pictured) predicted that in 10 years’ time a Mediation Act would make the process compulsory before parties could ...
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News
LSC improves its performance - but still overpays £51m
The National Audit Office has qualified the Legal Services Commission’s accounts for the third year running, due to overpayments made to providers. The commission’s annual report, published today, reveals that in 2010/11 the LSC overpaid legal aid providers an estimated £51 million; £29.5m due to solicitors’ ...
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News
Claimant solicitors to get fraud data access
Claimant solicitors are set to be given unprecedented access to fraud records to root out potentially bogus cases. Agreement that lawyers acting for claimants should have access to the same information as motor insurers and their representatives follows a ground-breaking meeting between the insurance industry and ...
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News
Judges not ‘quangocrats’ should accredit advocacy, says Deech
Judicial assessment will be a key component of the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA), rather than assessment by ‘quangocrats and drama coaches’ according to the Bar Standards Board chair. Lady Deech said the controversial scheme ‘depends on the involvement of judges as the assessors of ...
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News
Lawyers could avoid complaints by addressing simple quality issues
A year since we launched - and I suppose we have to accept that it is now officially the end of the beginning. Frankly, it is a bit of a shock to realise that we have been up and running for that length of time. It comes as an even ...
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News
The worst advice
According to reports, the government has asked Aviva, AXA, Direct Line and the Association of British Insurers to help shape its justice reforms. Having had the misfortune of dealing with these organisations for many years, I realise just how ridiculous a proposition this is, although perhaps ...