All articles by Catherine Baksi – Page 43
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News
Solicitors' outcry at weekend court sittings
Government plans to extend weekend court sittings could be in jeopardy following a Law Society warning that ‘very few’ defence solicitors will take part in pilot schemes. In a letter to justice secretary Kenneth Clarke, Society president Lucy Scott-Moncrieff said solicitors feel ‘strongly alienated’ by the ...
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Society warning over conveyancing
Separate legal representation for homebuyers and mortgage lenders could reduce solicitors’ share of the conveyancing market and hand work ‘on a plate’ to other sectors, the Law Society has warned.
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SRA courts BME solicitors and sole practitioners
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has invited black and minority ethnic (BME) solicitors to attend a workshop on outcomes-focused regulation (OFR) as part of its programme of ‘constructive engagement’ with stakeholders.
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News
Legal education system ‘not fit for purpose’
Evidence of ‘fundamental gaps’ in lawyers’ skills suggests that the current education system is not fit for purpose, according to a discussion paper published as part of the Legal Education and Training Review (LETR).
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Olympic fast-track justice declared a ‘success’
Fast-track procedures to deal with offences committed during the Olympics were today declared a success by the government, even though the Ministry of Justice revealed that they were used in fewer than 100 cases. Since the procedures came into force on 1 July, 84 cases have ...
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Money launderers set sights on new targets, Chancery Lane warns
The Law Society has warned litigation practices that money launderers are targeting matrimonial law and debt recovery. Guidance to help firms avoid being the victim of fraudsters has been reissued by Chancery Lane.
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News
Fee-earners shed at Addleshaw Goddard
National firm Addleshaw Goddard has made 24 fee-earners redundant following a two-month consultation. Jobs will be affected at the firm's three UK offices – in London, Leeds and Manchester - and in Singapore.
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News
Profits fall as Baker & McKenzie reports record turnover
Global giant Baker & McKenzie has reported a 2.1% rise in its fee income, taking its turnover to a record US$2.3 billion (£1.5bn) for the financial year ending 30 June 2012. However net income fell by 34%, from $1.2bn (£0.7m) to $790m (£506m). Profit per equity partner was down 9% ...
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Santander puts panel review on hold
Santander has agreed to pause the ongoing quarterly review of its conveyancing panel and postpone the next review as talks with the Law Society over the process continue. The Society contacted the bank earlier this month seeking an urgent meeting to raise concerns over the review. ...
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News
Private equity marches in to ABSs as Parabis application cleared
City-backed Parabis Law has become the first firm owned by private equity to be licensed as an alternative business structure (ABS). The announcement today brings to 20 the number of ABS applications to be cleared by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
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Irwin Mitchell shows a flush of ABS licences
National firm Irwin Mitchell has today become the first multi-licensed alternative business structure, with five licences covering a range of its business operations.
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MoJ moves on claims companies
Claims management companies (CMCs) will be banned from offering incentives to the public if their solicitors accept a case, under new rules to be introduced in April 2013, the claims management regulation (CMR) unit has announced today. The CMR unit’s annual report, published today, also revealed ...
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Chancery Lane confronts Santander on panel membership
The Law Society is to hold ‘urgent’ talks with Santander to address its ‘grave’ concerns over the lender’s decision to remove hundreds of solicitors from its conveyancing panel. The move follows claims by the Law Society that hundreds of firms have been taken off the lender’s ...
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News
SRA research reveals 'power' of high street firms
High street firms have ‘power’ and are known in their communities, the first phase of a consumer research project conducted by the Solicitors Regulation Authority has revealed. The study to look at how the public access legal services was commenced last month and announced today. Over ...
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News
Preservation of the Youth Justice Board is vital
Action over the last decade to tackle youth offending appears to be succeeding, according to the annual report from the Youth Justice Board (YJB), published this summer. The board was set up in 1997 to oversee the youth justice system and safeguard the welfare of ...
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Top-100 law firm Howard Kennedy and Finers Stephens Innocent to merge
UK top-100 law firm Howard Kennedy and Finers Stephens Innocent LLP (FSI) have agreed a deal to merge later this year. The London firms announced they have signed heads of agreement with a view to merging under the name of Howard Kennedy FSI by 1 November ...
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News
SRA ditches online roll list
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has abandoned its online system for maintaining a list of solicitors who want to stay on the roll, costing it hundreds of thousands of pounds in lost fees. There are around 35,000 qualified solicitors who do not have practising certificates, but who ...
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News
Helena Kennedy QC to co-chair IBAHRI
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) has announced that Lady Helena Kennedy QC will become its first female co-chair. The peer and former barrister will join existing co-chair Sternford Moyo, the former president of the Zimbabwe Law Society, to lead the IBAHRI Council. ...
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News
DPAs must be transparent, Chancery Lane warns
Deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) could improve the way economic crime committed by commercial organisations is dealt with, but the process must be transparent to retain public confidence, the Law Society has said.
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News
DPAs must be transparent, Chancery Lane warns
Deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) could improve the way economic crime committed by commercial organisations is dealt with, but the process must be transparent to retain public confidence, the Law Society has said.