Features – Page 75
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FeatureWeather Eye
Law firms are in a ‘unique’ position to influence employees, suppliers, clients and policymakers on climate change, according to Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson.
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Business rate relief; misconduct in public office
To most people (who, surprisingly to some, include lawyers) occupation of premises connotes actual physical possession of the land in question or its use. But what if a charitable organisation takes a lease of commercial premises and installs one or more Wi-Fi transmitters (each similar in size to domestic broadband ...
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Assessing costs in clinical negligence cases
Clinical negligence practitioners on both the claimant and defendant sides are waiting with bated breath to see how courts will deal with arguments on proportionality.
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FeatureNice work
More good news on the employment front. If you’re an exceptional leader, capable of leading an independent organisation to deliver (sic) outstanding customer service, the Office for Legal Complaints has the job for you. It is advertising for a chair to replace Elizabeth France. The pay: £52,500 for 60 days ...
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The seventh Python
As most fules kno, Monty Python’s Flying Circus was a TV comedy series in the 1960s and 1970s that spawned several films and, in 2005, a stage musical called Spamalot. So ingrained is Python in the public consciousness that (according to Wikipedia) questions about it feature in the examination for ...
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FeatureActed for Angolan man unlawfully killed
Who? Mark Scott, 47, partner at London firm Bhatt Murphy. Why is he in the news? Represented the family of Jimmy Mubenga, a 46-year-old Angolan who an inquest jury found had been unlawfully killed after being restrained by three G4S guards on a BA flight while being deported. In their ...
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Privy Council judgment broadens litigation scope
In its recent decision in Crawford Adjusters v Sagicor General Insurance (Cayman) Ltd [2013] UKPC 17, the judicial committee of the Privy Council decided, by a majority of three to two, to depart from the long-established rule confining actions for malicious prosecution of a civil action to a small category ...
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Piercing the corporate veil
The unanimous judgment of the Supreme Court in Petrodel Resources Ltd v Prest led to a media circus. Now the dust has settled, we have more clarity on the repercussions of the case for those involved in family and company law.
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FeaturePrivate client: pitfalls of using will-writing companies
As a solicitor specialising in private client work, I am becoming increasingly frustrated by attacks on my profession by big businesses muscling into the legal arena
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Private Client: a new quality standard
Last week, Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson formally launched the Society’s new accreditation scheme for wills and inheritance work
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Turkey: challenges for international law firms
Turkey is going through troubled times with anti-government protests - at times involving local lawyers - dominating the headlines since 28 May.
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FeatureInternational Marketplace Conference: report
London is the global hub for legal services and English law remains the law of choice for business transactions worldwide.
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Arbitration agreements and anti-suit injunctions outside the EU
The sanctity of the arbitration agreement is well known. Parties can only refer their dispute to an arbitral tribunal if the parties have agreed to resolve their dispute through arbitration. This agreement can either take the form of an arbitration clause incorporated within a contract between the parties, or it ...
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FeatureCase fee decisions
We all like to complain. There is probably somebody sat nearby in your office complaining about something right now.
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Increased use of Tasers is a potential breach of human rights legislation
The recent Law Society public debate about the use of Tasers and human rights was well timed as there has been a dramatic increase in the use of Tasers across the country, especially on the vulnerable. This needs to be addressed. In Kent, 50% of Taser use is on those ...
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FeatureNew legal aid regulations
The latest criminal legal aid regime came into force on 1 April for all grants of legal aid made on or after that date. The old law will continue to apply for a considerable time in relation to cases where legal aid was granted before then. Because of changes to ...
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FeatureDoes the Legal Education and Training Review live up to its billing?
There is one quote in the long-delayed Legal Education and Training Review report that gives the game away
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How agents work when the SRA intervenes into a failing firm
When the Solicitors Regulation Authority intervenes in a failing practice, it is a fast-moving process – and one that is often misunderstood by clients, creditors and practitioners alike. Within hours of the decision being made, the firm’s practice accounts will be frozen and within days its files, computers and accounting ...
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A transatlantic trade pact could reshape market rules
A transatlantic free trade agreement between the US and the EU, long dreamed of in some policy circles, is suddenly close to becoming a reality. In February, a high-level transatlantic working group published a recommendation that negotiations over the envisaged Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) should start. The European ...
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Specialist courts under microscope on costs budgeting
Exempting mandatory costs budgeting for claims in excess of £2m may be ‘unnecessary and inappropriate’, a newly established sub-group of the Civil Procedure Rule committee has suggested. An intervention from the Judicial Office in February ensured that high-value commercial cases would be exempt from impending Jackson reforms. It meant that ...