Headlines – Page 1144
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Win a stay in legal London's coolest hotel
Summer holidays are here, and once again Obiter faces the shame of not quite having got round to sitting down in front of the Olivetti to churn out a bestseller. Time to start thinking ahead, clearly - and Obiter believes readers should be doing the same.
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UK ‘miscarriages’ model rejected by South Australia
South Australia is now highly unlikely to adopt a UK-style Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), following a report by the parliament’s legislative review committee. The committee also cautioned against the creation of a CCRC at a national level.
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General damages to increase by 10%
The Court of Appeal today confirmed that general damages will increase by 10% for all judgments made after 1 April 2013. Senior figures at the judiciary said the judgment was being made several months in advance to provide 'simplicity and clarity'. The ...
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PII outlook ‘positive’ as new entrant targets small firms
A new entrant has joined the solicitor professional indemnity insurance market with a strategy to target small firms. Specialist broker Prime Professions has launched a new product offering access to A-rated insurer Axis Specialty to sole practitioners or firms with up to three partners. The insurer ...
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HSBC sets date for conveyancing panel
All firms that are members of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) will be put on HSBC’s conveyancing panel from 29 August, the Society and lender announced today. The move follows the deal agreed between the Society and HBSC in May, under which ...
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Dinner winner
The winner of the prize draw organised by Hiscox, the home insurance provider officially endorsed by the Law Society, is Alastair Laing from London. He will enjoy a private dinner party prepared by an expert chef to be shared with five of his guests.
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March of time
Government proposals to speed up criminal justice have had a mixed reception. However, wearing the hat of a retired old fogey, as well as of a concerned layman, I wonder if the criminal justice system is really working today.
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QC to be charged with failing to pay £600,000 in VAT
A QC is to face charges over an alleged £600,000 VAT fraud, the Crown Prosecution Service announced today. Rohan Anthony Pershad QC, who practises from London’s Thirty Nine Essex Street, will face one charge of cheating the public revenue. CPS central ...
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Intellectual property
Copyright - Infringement - Disclosure and inspection of documents - Claimants holding licences in copyrighted works Golden Eye (International) Ltd and others v Telefonica UK Ltd: ChD (Mr Justice Arnold): 26 March 2012 ...
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Vicarious liability
Roman Catholic Church - Liability for tortious acts of priest - Claimant alleging sexual abuse and rape by Roman Catholic priest JGE v Trustees of the Portsmouth Roman Catholic Diocesan: CA (Civ) (Lord Justices Ward, Tomlinson, Davis): 12 July ...
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Panel identifies consumer trust shortfall
Legal services consumers are becoming less confident about protection of their rights as the market liberalises, research has found. The second consumer ‘healthcheck’ released by the Legal Services Consumer Panel today identified declining public trust in lawyers, though it pointed out that this is true of ...
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'Commonsense' regulation
I was moved to contribute some observations on regulation following a discussion with a solicitor client pulling their hair out at the delays in the Solicitors Regulation Authority investigation process; and having read Gregory Treverton-Jones QC’s article on the dangers of entity regulation.
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Consolidation - should we all be doing it?
Merger activity within the UK legal profession is significant. Every week the legal press brings new stories of mergers, team defection and acquisition and firms being rescued as the cashflow requirements of the business prove to be overwhelming.
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Forensic science vandalism
He is almost 70 years old and still manning the barricades nearly 24 years after his most high-profile triumph as a solicitor - the freeing of four victims of a miscarriage of justice who had spent 15 years in prison for a crime they did not commit.
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Employment lawyers slam ‘out-of-the-blue’ reform plans
A group representing 6,000 employment lawyers has savaged government plans to cut red tape for businesses, claiming that they will prolong rather than settle disputes and stretch resources ‘beyond breaking point’. The Employment Lawyers Association (ELA) says that the proposals, in the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform ...
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Insurance fund deal for mesothelioma victims
Insurers will pay £300m over the next 10 years into a scheme to support newly diagnosed victims of mesothelioma, the government confirmed today. The money will go into a new fund for the 3,000 victims across the UK who are unable to claim compensation because ...
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Supreme Court backs ‘unbeliever’ asylum right
The Supreme Court today unanimously upheld the right of asylum seekers not to be forced to hold, seem to hold or express a political opinion in order to protect themselves from persecution in their own countries. The judgment, for the first time, makes the law clear ...
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Lessons from the low-value RTA process
Last week the Ministry of Justice finally revealed Professor Fenn’s independent report on the operation of the low-value road traffic accident process. And it was rather disappointing. Fenn found that costs under the process, which uses an electronic portal, appeared to be 3-4% lower than previously, ...
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‘New litigation industry’ will deter investors, CBI warns
Government proposals for ‘opt-out’ class actions for consumers could spark a new ‘litigation industry’ around competition law and deter inward investment and growth, business lobby group the Confederation of British Industry warned today. Businesses need incentives such as reduced fines to participate in alternative dispute ...