All articles by Catherine Baksi – Page 34
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News
MoJ acts after court interpreter fiasco
The Ministry of Justice says it has accepted all of the recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee in its report on the department’s ‘shambolic’ handling of the court interpreter contract. The committee last month published a damning verdict on the procurement and delivery of the ...
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News
One solicitor makes grade in new QC round
A single solicitor was among the 84 Queen’s Counsel appointments announced today. Karyl Nairn (pictured), litigation and arbitration partner at international firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom was the only successful solicitor-advocate to be awarded the rank. Just two of ...
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News
My conviction is unsafe, says QC jailed for VAT fraud
A London silk sentenced today to three and a half years in prison after being convicted of a £600,000 VAT fraud says he will fight to clear his name. Rohan Anthony Pershad, who practised from Thirty Nine Essex Street, was convicted at Blackfriars Crown Court earlier ...
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News
Three solicitors honoured for contribution to the law
Three solicitors and the chairman of the Bar Standards Board are among the eight honorary QCs appointed today in recognition of their contribution to the law outside courtrooms. Eileen Carroll, founder and deputy chief executive of the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR); equal pay champion Stefan Cross and Edward ...
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News
Divorce-related legal complaints most common
Family law accounted for the highest number of complaints dealt with by the Legal Ombudsman last year, a report published today reveals. Of the 7,500 complaints resolved last year, 18% were about divorce or cases related to family law. Residential conveyancing generated the second highest percentage ...
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Central property search register set for test
Property search information could be available from a single national electronic database if a prototype being developed by the Land Registry is successful. The Registry has announced that seven local authorities will take part in a pilot scheme to see if their local land charge information ...
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Coats gets key role at new Legal Aid Agency
Matthew Coats, chief executive of the Legal Services Commission, has been appointed to a key role at the new agency that will bring legal aid under the wing of the Ministry of Justice, the lord chancellor has announced.
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MP accuses QCs on tax avoidance
MPs have turned their attention to lawyers who advise promoters of tax avoidance schemes. In a report examining marketed tax avoidance schemes, the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) identifies ‘leading lawyers’, along with banks and accountancy firms, as supporting and advising on tax avoidance ...
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News
Lawyer jailed for £20m sham marriage scam
A London solicitor has been jailed for 10 years for running a £20m sham marriage scam. Tevfick Souleiman (pictured), partner at north London firm Souleiman GA Solicitors, and immigration advisers Cenk Guclu and Furrah Kosimov, were found guilty at the Central Criminal Court of conspiracy to ...
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News
Firms warming to outcomes-focused regulation, says the SRA
Firms believe outcomes-focused regulation (OFR) ‘costs too much money and takes too much time’ – but they are warming to it, the Solicitors Regulation Authority reports today. A survey of 1,000 firms on the impact of the first year of OFR shows that half of respondents ...
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News
No new money for defence in Green’s digital justice plan
Overlooked defence lawyers are central to criminal justice reform but will get no funding to help them engage in digital working, the justice minister said yesterday as he outlined plans to overhaul a system beset by ‘unforgivable’ delays. Damian Green (pictured) told an event organised by ...
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News
Tax warning over children’s wills
Thousands of parents may need to rewrite their wills to protect their children’s interests because of inheritance law changes introduced in the Finance Bill, the Law Society has warned. The Society’s tax law committee has written to HMRC to voice concerns over what it says are ...
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News
MPs: family judges should talk to children
Specialist family judges should talk to children whose care cases they deal with, according to an all-party group of MPs. In a report last week, the Child Protection All Party Parliamentary Group warned that government reforms to the family justice system set out in the ...
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News
Chancery Division upgrade planned
The Chancellor of the High Court has today announced a review of the practice and procedure of the Chancery Division in light of the imminent Jackson and legal aid reforms. The review will consider the working of the court both in and outside London, making recommendations ...
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News
Bar reviews conduct regime over ethnic disparities
The Bar Standards Board has commissioned a review of its professional conduct complaints processes, to examine if there is any bias in the way that black and minority ethnic (BME) barristers are treated. The move follows an internal report that showed BME barristers were over-represented ...
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News
Volunteers ‘unable to fill legal aid void’
Volunteers will not be able to fill the gap in advice and representation left by April’s legal aid cuts, the chief executive of one of the largest pro bono organisations has warned parliament. With less than 50 days to go until the Legal Aid, Sentencing and ...
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Bar goes ahead with aptitude test for entrants
Prospective barristers will have to take an aptitude test as part of their application to bar school, the Bar Standards Board confirmed. All students applying for a place on the bar professional training course (BPTC) will have to take the test, at a cost of ...
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News
High Court challenge over 17-year-olds’ custody rights
The High Court will hear a legal challenge to the practice of treating 17-year-olds detained in police custody as adults, in a judicial review being brought by Just For Kids Law next week. The charity questions the legality of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act code ...
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News
Fraud hotline set up for homeowners
A fraud hotline has been opened by the Land Registry for homeowners who fear their property might be subject to a fraudulent sale or mortgage. It will allow owners who believe they may be victims to alert specially trained Registry staff. The Law Society said ...
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News
LSC drops legal aid contract changes
The Legal Services Commission has agreed to drop controversial changes to ongoing legal aid contracts following talks with the Law Society. The commission is tendering for new contracts in the runup to legal aid reforms coming into effect on 1 April and had sought to ...