All articles by Gazette reporter – Page 33
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News
PC renewal to start on 1 November
The president of The Law Society has today written to solicitors explaining the process for renewing practising certificates in 2012/13, which will begin on 1 November. Lucy Scott-Moncrieff outlines steps that have been taken to make the process run smoothly following last year’s well-publicised disruption. ...
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SRA offers support to struggling firms
Law firms facing financial problems as a result of the recession have today been urged to contact the Solicitors Regulation Authority for support and advice. SRA supervisors are already getting in touch with practices that may need help, as part of the regulator’s new approach under outcomes-focused regulation. ...
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Law Society announces Excellence Awards shortlist
The Law Society has unveiled the shortlist of lawyers and firms nominated for this year’s Excellence Awards. The awards recognise the most outstanding practitioners in the legal profession in categories ranging from Excellence in Innovation and Solicitor of the Year – Private Practice, to Excellence in ...
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Jersey court endorses third-party funding
The Royal Court of Jersey has once again endorsed the legitimate role of litigation funding in bringing cases on the island.
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New public service ABS seeks investors
A niche London legal practice styled as the only UK firm focusing on public service delivery is seeking external investment after becoming an alternative business structure (ABS). TPP Law Limited, based in Bankside, central London, was founded over a decade ago by current managing director Mark ...
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Dyson to succeed Neuberger as master of the rolls
Supreme Court judge Lord Dyson will succeed Lord Neuberger as master of the rolls when the latter becomes president of the Supreme Court, the government announced today. The appointment had been widely expected. Neuberger will take over from current SC president Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers ...
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Society cancels Law Conference 2012
The Law Society has postponed its national conference aimed at corporate-focused lawyers, it announced today. The event, which was to have been held next month, will now take place in 2013 in London. Law Conference 2012 was scheduled for 20-22 September at Celtic Manor, Newport. ...
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Administrators pursue former Halliwells partners for £20m
The administrators of collapsed law firm Halliwells have written to former equity partners demanding the repayment of a £20m ‘reverse premium’ which the partners shared when the firm moved into new premises in Manchester. BDO confirmed it wrote to the partners last week demanding they pay ...
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Solicitors warned about website clones
Lawyers are being warned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to keep a regular watch on their websites in order to foil 'cloning' criminals. With just minor changes to a solicitor’s website – such as an almost unnoticeable change of name or contact details – internet fraudsters ...
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Consumer panel wants lawyers to undergo ‘regular MOT’
Lawyers would have to demonstrate at regular intervals that they are competent to practise under radical proposals from consumer watchdogs for beefing up quality. The Legal Services Consumer Panel has today called for the introduction of ‘periodic validation’ – a review of permission to practise after a fixed time – ...
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Law Society warning over immigration cap proposals
The government’s immigration cap must be scrapped completely, or the international competitiveness of the UK will be damaged, the Law Society warned today. In a speech at the Policy Exchange thinktank, home secretary Theresa May confirmed that restrictions on highly skilled workers entering the UK will ...
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Chancery Lane publishes Jackson review response
The Law Society today warned against piecemeal implementation of Lord Justice Jackson’s proposals on civil litigation costs, telling the government that this could be ‘very damaging’ to access to justice. Jackson himself has said that his reforms will not succeed unless they are implemented as a whole.
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Court of Appeal confirms limits to legal professional privilege
The Court of Appeal today unanimously confirmed that legal professional privilege (LPP) only applies to qualified lawyers – solicitors and barristers. The decision was welcomed by the Law Society as giving certainty to solicitors and their clients.
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New ombudsman service Is ‘good value for money’
The new legal ombudsman service set up to investigate and resolve complaints made by users of legal services will open on 6 October this year. Established by the Office for Legal Complaints and based in Birmingham, the service will replace the Law Society-run Legal Complaints Service ...
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Chancery Lane warning over budget tax hike
The capital gains tax (CGT) increase announced in this week’s budget will mean trustees and personal representatives administering the estates of the deceased could feel the full brunt of the rise, the Law Society has warned, as gains made will be at risk of exposure to the new higher rate. ...
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SRA consults solicitors on overhaul of regulation
The Solicitors Regulation Authority today launched its biggest consultation to date, on root-and-branch changes to regulation of the legal sector. The campaign, Freedom in Practice: Better Outcomes for Consumers, will see the SRA enter a comprehensive dialogue with solicitors in England and Wales on the ...
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Brussels simplifies rules on cross-border successions
The European Commission has today adopted a proposal that should greatly simplify the rules on successions with an international dimension in the EU. The aim is to make life easier for citizens by laying down common rules enabling the competent authority and law applicable ...
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Veale Wasbrough poised to merge with Vizards Tweedie
Veale Wasbrough and Vizards Tweedie today announced that they are engaged in advanced merger talks. The combined firm would have about 330 members of staff and 46 partners, operating from offices in central Bristol and Fetter Lane in London and generating a combined turnover of £22m. ...
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Top 100 hit by downturn, says Deloitte survey
Fee income at the UK’s top 100 law firms decreased by 4.3% in the quarter ending 30 April 2009) compared with the same period last year, according to business advisory firm Deloitte’s Quarterly Legal Sector Survey. The report, published today, predicts that the quarter’s fall ...
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Eagle promoted at Ministry of Justice
Junior minister Maria Eagle MP, a former solicitor, was today promoted by under-fire prime minister Gordon Brown. Eagle, a parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Ministry of Justice since June 2007, was today appointed minister of state at the MoJ, one of several new ministerial ...