All articles by Catherine Baksi – Page 87
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News
Mediations double in two years
The number of mediations has doubled in the last two years, and most mediators expect workloads to increase, according to research seen exclusively by the Gazette. The fourth biennial survey of civil and commercial mediators, carried out by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR), showed ...
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New scheme to target personal injury claims
A new national legal partnership, Loyalty Law, is set to launch next month to generate personal injury leads for high-street firms, the Gazette can reveal. Around 30 firms have already signed up to ...
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Lawyers sceptical over latest IT rollout by LSC
Criminal law solicitors have expressed concerns over the Legal Services Commission’s track record on IT projects as it began a phased national rollout of its new electronic criminal billing and claim forms this month. The new eForms are part of the LSC’s delivery transformation programme, designed ...
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Spike in mergers predicted in 2010
The year ahead is likely to see a spike in mergers and team hires among the top 100 law firms, with 20% looking to expand overseas, according to research published this week. Sweet & Maxwell’s annual survey of law firm finance directors reveals that 40% of ...
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Barristers could have right to sue solicitors for unpaid fees
Barristers would be able to sue solicitors for unpaid fees under proposals published by the Bar Council last week to put the relationship between the two professions on a more commercial footing. The consultation proposes the introduction of new legally binding contractual terms to govern the ...
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QualitySolicitors to launch personal injury claims management scheme
National law firm network QualitySolicitors is to launch a new personal injury claims management scheme designed to target claimants from higher socio-economic groups and drive down the cost of referrals, the Gazette can reveal. QualitySolicitors Personal Injury (QSPI) is a members-only claims management-style company which will ...
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News
Spike in mergers predicted in 2010
The year ahead is likely to see a spike in mergers and team hires among the top 100 law firms, with 20% looking to expand overseas, according to research published this week. Sweet & Maxwell’s annual survey of law firm finance directors reveals that 40% of ...
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News
Solicitors to launch scheme to drive down PI referral costs
National law firm network QualitySolicitors is to launch a new personal injury scheme designed to target claimants from higher socio-economic groups and drive down the cost of referrals, the Gazette can reveal. QualitySolicitors Personal Injury (QSPI) is a members-only claims management-style company which will be launched ...
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Solicitors could face serious competition from the bar
There are many who have been critical of the bar for being slow to respond to the challenges or opportunities presented by the Legal Services Act.
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Children ‘at risk’ over expert witness fee cuts
Vulnerable children will pay the price if social workers are excluded from being expert family court witnesses, family practitioners have warned the government. Child care professionals met government representatives last week to educate them on the work done by independent social work experts (ISWs) and warn ...
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What the legal services reforms could mean for how bar does business
The Legal Services Act, in combination with changes to the bar’s Code of Conduct agreed last month by the Bar Standards Board, herald a historic sea change for the bar. They give barristers the opportunity to practise in new ways that could radically change the relationship they have with solicitors. ...
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Bar sets out guidance on how chambers can compete with solicitors
The Bar Council has published guidance to chambers on setting up a new business model that will enable barristers to bid for work in competition with solicitors. The new concept, dubbed ProcureCo, is a separate corporate vehicle that can be formed as an adjunct to ...
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Warning that local solicitors will become an ‘endangered species’
Support group the Lawyers Defence Group (LDG) has called on the next government to legislate to protect access to justice and high street firms by imposing marketing restrictions on alternative business structures. The group has warned that local solicitors will become ‘an endangered species’ if ...
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Could mediation be the answer to a hung parliament?
Proponents and practitioners of mediation often have an evangelical belief in its ability to bring about resolution to even the most intractable disputes.
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Legal Services Commission delays outcome of mental health tender
The Legal Services Commission has delayed the announcement of the outcome of the mental health tender. It said: ‘Following the election we will need to discuss the outcome of the tender process with any new ministers, and it is likely that notification to applicants will take ...
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News
Nationwide removes 300 firms from its conveyancing panel
Nationwide Group has shed around 300 firms from its conveyancing panel in what is understood to be a ‘risk-based review’. The Law Society has immediately entered into discussions with the lender. The group covers mortgages provided by Nationwide; the Mortgage Works; ...
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Surge in new laws sparked by recession, research reveals
Some 98% of new laws introduced by the government in 2009 were brought in as statutory instruments without full parliamentary debate, research has revealed today. Data from legal information provider Sweet & Maxwell showed that the number of laws introduced by the government during the last ...
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News
Child’s view holds sway in international abduction case
A six-year-old girl has become the youngest child to have her views influence a court’s decision, in an international child abduction case. In Re W (Children), the Court of Appeal last week refused a father permission to appeal against a High Court ruling which found that ...
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News
Don’t fall foul of Bribery Act, law firms warned
Law firms need to put risk mitigation procedures in place to avoid potential prosecutions under the new Bribery Act arising from corrupt clients, experts have warned. Eoin O’Shea, a partner at City firm LG, said: ‘As with money laundering, firms and practitioners need to be careful ...
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Regional administrative courts issue more cases than expected
The new regional administrative courts have issued more cases than expected in their first year of operation, according to figures seen by the Gazette. In April 2009, the Administrative Court began to sit in four regional venues in Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds and Manchester to increase access ...