All articles by Catherine Baksi – Page 36
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News
Justice secretary questions hiring of QCs in criminal trials
Taxpayer funding for criminal defence should to go to less-expensive lawyers than QCs, Chris Grayling, the justice secretary, said today. Grayling used an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme to criticise the way the annual £1bn criminal legal aid budget is spent, particularly ...
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‘Common sense’ fraud ruling lauded
The Court of Appeal’s ruling that a solicitor was not liable for a building society’s losses after being duped by a fraudster has been hailed as a ‘return to common sense’. Birmingham firm Davisons was instructed by Nationwide to act in respect of the purchase of ...
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Taxi for the cab rank rule
The barristers’ cab rank rule is ‘redundant’ and should be abolished, according to a report published today by the Legal Services Board. Authors Professor John Flood and Professor Morten Hviid suggest that the rule is ‘regularly breached’, and serves ‘no clear purpose’. They claim its ...
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Society and Bar clash over new standard contract terms
Solicitors have been warned to protect themselves against new terms governing their relationship with barristers which come into effect next week. In a practice note, the Law Society said the Bar Council’s new standard contractual terms of business, which for the first time enable barristers to sue for their fees, ...
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Grayling takes aim at the bar
After shooting civil legal aid to smithereens the government now has the criminal bar in its sights. Twice in the past week lord chancellor and justice secretary Chris Grayling has indicated that there is not enough money for criminal legal aid - and cuts have to be made.
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Legal advice agencies hit by funding cut
Organisations helping not-for-profit agencies and litigants in person have been dealt another blow by the decision to axe Community Legal Service grants. After consultation, the Legal Services Commission announced this week that funding to the Advice Services Alliance, Law Centres Network and the Royal Courts ...
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Solicitors warned on property joint ownership
Solicitors should encourage joint property purchasers to put in writing how ownership is apportioned between them to avoid disputes where relationships break down, the Law Society and Land Registry have warned. The two bodies have published a joint practice note in relation to joint property ownership, ...
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Parliament rubber-stamps increase to ombudsman’s powers
From 1 February the level of compensation the Legal Ombudsman can award to dissatisfied customers will rise from £30,000 to £50,000. The increase is one of several enhancements to the legal watchdog’s complaints-handling rules agreed by parliament. For the first time the ombudsman will be able ...
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High street super-survey paints upbeat picture
Business has increased or remained unchanged for nearly 60% of law firms over the past three years, despite the challenging economy and changing legal market, results of a unique joint survey reveal today. However nearly one-third of the 31% of participating firms undertaking legal aid said ...
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One in five firms likely to seek external investment
A third of small and mid-sized practices are considering merging in the next two or three years and one in five are likely to seek external investment, according to the results of the Law Society Law Management Section’s latest benchmarking survey. The report, published today, revealed ...
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Solicitors have ‘little to fear’ from Barco
Solicitors’ representatives and sector analysts have played down the likely impact of the bar’s latest move to attract clients directly. They were commenting after the Financial Services Authority approved a scheme allowing barristers to sidestep the current prohibition on holding client money, a major barrier ...
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MPs consider extradition forum bar
Government plans to amend extradition laws will be included in a wide-ranging justice reform bill, the home secretary told the House of Commons last night. During the second reading of the Crime and Courts Bill, Theresa May said the bill would propose amending the Extradition ...
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Legal aid warning over contract allocation
Legal aid firms may go out of business as a result of the allocation of work for new civil legal aid contracts, representative groups have warned. The Legal Services Commission notified firms last week of the outcome of tenders for family, housing and debt, and immigration, ...
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Society warns against Euro justice opt-out
Opting out of European Union law-and-order measures could jeopardise the UK’s ability to fight cross-border crime, the Law Society has warned. Its warning comes as a House of Lords Committee began taking evidence on the opt-out, which is likely to be announced by the government ...
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Law firms make gay-friendly top 100
Eight law firms feature in campaigning charity Stonewall’s list of the top-100 gay-friendly workplaces, published today. City firm Simmons & Simmons (pictured) leads the way, in ninth place. Baker & McKenzie is 19th, followed by Pinsent Masons, Herbert Smith Freehills and Hogan Lovells, which all have ...
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News
Video to come to 13 more court areas in 2013
Video-link technology will be extended to more than a dozen court areas during the coming year, the justice minister announced today. Thirteen areas, including Avon and Somerset, Cambridgeshire, Sussex, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Dorset, Northamptonshire, Devon and Cornwall, will start using live links in 2013 to allow police ...
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City and in-house summit calls for gender targets
Gender targets and embedding flexible working practices in corporate culture are among recommendations by over 130 senior City partners and in-house counsel to increase the number of women partners. The proposals, outlined in a report published today, follow an international summit attended by delegates from top ...
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Regulator approves bar’s client money scheme
The Financial Services Authority has given the go-ahead for the bar’s scheme that will allow barristers to hold client money through a third party, enabling clients to bypass solicitors and instruct barristers directly more widely. The FSA has granted regulatory approval under the Payment Services Regulations ...
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Birmingham Law Centre faces the axe after a century
Britain’s second biggest city could be without a law centre by the end of this month unless funding can be found to keep it afloat. Birmingham Law Centre is descended from bodies that have offered free legal advice and representation for nearly 100 years. ...
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Society adds voice to India rape trial concerns
The Law Society has called on the Indian authorities to protect the lawyers who will represent five men charged with the rape and murder of a 23-year-old medical student in Delhi in December. Local lawyers have refused to represent the suspects. ...