Headlines – Page 1162
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Language barrier
There is a requirement, recently introduced, that those applying for Entry Clearance to come to the UK need to have passed an English Language Test in their own country. This is a special test designed for this purpose by the British Embassy/UK Border Agency. Unless an applicant has a certificate ...
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Poor argument
I can see the argument that trainee minimum salaries amount to an anti-competitive measure. If the SRA had justified its decision to abolish the minimum on those grounds I might not have been driven to comment, but the suggestion by the regulator that this measure will result in greater diversity ...
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Optimistic outlook
The accolade of being Lawyer In The News was overshadowed by the shock of reading the erroneous report that Neil Carr is ‘broken’ by the false accusations. Nothing could be further from the truth. My talented young client longs to return to the classroom and it ...
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New route for graduate entrepreneurs
On 6 April 2012, a number of changes to the UK Immigration Rules came into force. Among the significant reforms given effect at that time was the addition of a new scheme under the points-based system, Tier 1 (graduate entrepreneur).
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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 ...
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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.
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London firms ‘boosted’ by foreign competition
A leading representative of City lawyers has said competition from foreign firms has provided a welcome boost to the London market - and he urged government to do everything possible to encourage more. Alasdair Douglas, chairman of the City of London Law Society, told the Gazette ...
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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 ...
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Call for curbs on legal lobbyists
MPs have called for tighter restrictions on law firms that act as lobbyists for their clients. Firms should be forced to sign up to a new register for lobbyists if they are acting beyond simply advising their clients, they have urged.
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Dismissing workers at will 'counterproductive'
A group of 6,000 employment lawyers has warned that a proposal to cut red tape by allowing micro-businesses to sack staff who have done nothing wrong will not reduce tribunal claims.
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Lawyers wary of cost-shifting plan
Claimants who win their cases could still end up with nothing under the government’s new costs rules for personal injury, lawyers warned this week. Claimant solicitors said the way government plans to implement its qualified one-way costs-shifting (QOCS) rules will ‘undoubtedly’ deter people from making valid ...
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Deaf Law Centre hits out at discrimination ‘scandal’
Discrimination claims brought by deaf people climbed 37.5% in the last quarter, according to a legal charity. The ‘shocking’ increase underlines the need for more law firms to provide a service tailored to deaf people’s needs, the charity said. Society also needs to address the ‘scandal’ ...
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Heartbreak hotel
Bad news for any of Obiter’s family lawyer friends with plans for a cheap weekend away - the gain of out-of-season hotels may be their loss. We learned this week that Netherlands entrepreneur Jim Halfens intends to bring his ‘Divorce Hotel’ concept to the UK’s discreet shores (and to reality ...
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Nuisance call
With the House of Commons in the middle of another well-deserved break (it is Whitsun after all) it was left to the Lords to provide last week’s memorable lines.
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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 ...
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Going for gold
With shirts like these, it’s not surprising dark glasses were worn. You’re looking at the overall winners of the 22nd Manches Cup sailing regatta, a crew from City firm Banks Kelly. The event attracted over 350 solicitors and barristers for two days of yacht racing on the Solent. Magic circle ...
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Win a dinner
Chancery Lane commercial partner Hiscox is inviting readers to enter its exclusive Law Society prize draw to win a private dinner party. The winning Society member and five guests will be treated to a four-course meal prepared by an expert chef in the winner’s home. To enter, simply obtain a ...
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Stolen memories
The news that a fraudster tried to steal the papers from the judge’s desk during an adjournment reminds me of a number of incidents. Not least that of one of my clients, accused of passing a worthless cheque, who seized and ate it. There was also the somewhat seedy solicitor ...
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The unrestrained free market is now encroaching upon ‘middle class professionals’
It’s not miners and binmen this time. It’s you. Or people who look like you. In recent weeks, we have seen doctors, criminal barristers, and teachers (in an unprecedented show of solidarity) give notice of industrial action against coalition policy. Whether you sympathise is ...
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Local law societies will have to reassess role
During May, I welcomed the presidents and secretaries of local law societies from across England and Wales to Chancery Lane. We discussed the responsibility that flows from representing a profession that is, on the one hand, successful, diverse and adaptable and, on the other, faced with unprecedented changes.