All articles by Catherine Baksi – Page 47
-
News
Crichton among birthday honours lawyers
Two lawyers were among those knighted in the Queen’s birthday honours list announced at the weekend, while the judge behind the pioneering Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) received a CBE. Former deputy High Court judge Clive Callman received a knighthood, chief executive of the Crown ...
-
News
Courier ‘teething problems’ hit London courts
Courts in London have been disrupted this week because of ‘teething problems’ with the new courier service employed to deliver Crown Prosecution Service files to court. An executive officer of the London Criminal Courts Solicitors Association, Greg Powell, told the Gazette that prosecution files arrived ...
-
News
Law Society dismisses ‘nonsensical’ third-party redress plans
The Law Society has dismissed as ‘nonsensical’ a suggestion that solicitors should have to provide redress to third parties to whom they owe no professional duty. The Legal Services Consumer Panel’s proposal to create a general right for third parties – those who are not a ...
-
News
CPS delays rollout of ALS interpreters
The Crown Prosecution Service has delayed its rollout of the Ministry of Justice framework agreement for the provision of interpreters and translators, the Gazette has learned. The CPS was due to sign up fully to the agreement on 1 June. The MoJ ...
-
News
Shared parenting presumption in law reform proposal
The government seeks to introduce a legal presumption of ‘shared parenting’ where relationships break down, under proposals outlined today. The plans to strengthen the law so children have an ongoing relationship with both parents if they separate are set out in the Ministry of Justice consulation. ...
-
News
Doreen Lawrence first non-lawyer to win legal aid award
Doreen Lawrence (pictured) and her 'rock’ of a solicitor Imran Khan were honoured for their contribution to justice at the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year (LALY) awards last night. Khan, the senior partner at London firm Imran Khan & Partners, who has acted for the ...
-
News
No reprieve for Specialist Support Service
The Specialist Support Service (SSS) will be scrapped at the end of this month, the Legal Services Commission has announced following a consultation. Under the scheme, lawyers and advisers at Citizens Advice, law centres and law firms across the country can get telephone advice from ...
-
News
Pro bono work celebrated in annual awards
City firm Linklaters and national firm Shoosmiths are among those recognised tonight at the annual LawWorks pro bono awards. Linklaters won the award for the best contribution by a law firm. It was nominated by the Mary Ward Legal Centre for its ‘unwavering and substantial’ support ...
-
News
Warning over digital move
Criminal firms should not invest in ‘kit’ to work electronically until all agents in the justice system are fully committed, a solicitor piloting the digital scheme with the Crown Prosecution Service has said. Liverpool firm Kirwans has been taking part in a digital working pilot with ...
-
News
Forced marriage to be criminalised
Forcing someone to marry will become a criminal offence in England and Wales, the prime minister confirmed today. But the legislation will not be introduced until the 2013/14 parliamentary session. The maximum sentence for the offence has yet to be decided. Breach of a Forced ...
-
News
Lawyer trust stats to inform Society campaign
The need to build public trust will inform a forthcoming Law Society campaign to promote the solicitor brand, after a high-profile survey revealed a contrasting picture of consumer perceptions. Satisfaction with the value for money of legal services rose from 56% in 2011 to 59% ...
-
News
Watchdog calls for Ombudsman to be opened up to third parties
Third parties should be able to complain about lawyers to the Legal Ombudsman, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has suggested. It proposes creating a general right for third parties - those which are not a lawyer’s client - to complain, except in situations where it would ...
-
News
Practising levy could 'pay for every law centre in Britain'
A £25 levy on each solicitor in private practice could pay for every Law Centre in Britain to retain an experienced practitioner, the Law Centres Federation chief has suggested. The levy on practising certificates was one idea mooted at the LCF’s general meeting last week, at ...
-
News
City’s aid sought for post-LASPO project
The Law Society is seeking the backing of big City firms for a high-profile initiative aimed at helping high street practices and their clients meet the challenges posed by legal aid cuts.
-
News
'Self-serving' interpreter figures slammed
The shadow justice minister has criticised as ‘self-serving’ performance data released on the company contracted to provide court interpreters. The data, published by the Ministry of Justice last week, revealed that hundreds of cases were still being disrupted by a shortage of interpreters three months into the contract. ...
-
News
Trust in lawyers falling, says consumer panel
Consumer satisfaction with the value for money of legal services has risen over the past year, but trust in lawyers has fallen, according to the second ‘tracker’ survey carried out for the Legal Services Consumer Panel. The YouGov survey showed that satisfaction with the value for ...
-
News
Only two solicitors apply for silk round
The number of applications for silk has dropped for the third year running with only two solicitors among the 183 applicants, figures released by the independent selection panel revealed today. In 2011, there were 214 applications, compared with 251 in 2010 which was down from 275 ...
-
News
Law-making at decade low
The number of legislative changes last year fell to its lowest in almost a decade, according to figures published yesterday by Sweet & Maxwell. Data highlighted that 99% of the new laws were passed as statutory instruments, without being subjected to full parliamentary scrutiny. ...
-
News
New Society sections open to non-solicitors
The Law Society has announced that it has set up two new sections with membership open to non-solicitors. The Equality and Diversity (E&D) Section and the Family Section will both launch on 25 June. The E&D Section is open to solicitors practising ...
-
News
SARs ruling brings relief to law firms
A Court of Appeal ruling on anti-money-laundering obligations will bring relief for businesses, including law firms, and remind lawyers of the importance of having appropriate systems to evidence concerns leading to suspicious activity reports (SARs). In a judgment last week, the court dismissed a claim made ...