Headlines – Page 1097
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All eyes on the Irish
Another six months has elapsed, and so another presidency of the EU Council of Ministers begins. For the next half-year, the Irish government is in charge, the seventh time that they have led in the past 40 years. The budget for their presidency is, not surprisingly, less than when they ...
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SRA survey is a waste of money
As I sit here at 6.30pm on 19 December wishing it was Christmas, I have just received an email from the Solicitors Regulation Authority in relation to its diversity survey carried out earlier this year. The SRA provides the report to me and ‘expect[s] you to have arrangements in place ...
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Working out data overload
We are obliged to produce a table of the categories of work for practising certificates, divided into percentages for each type of work undertaken. We must also do the same for professional indemnity insurance. However, the breakdown of types of work seems to vary for ...
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Education and training review delayed again
Publication of the Legal Education and Training Review’s (LETR’s) research report, which is expected to recommend the most fundamental reform of legal education in 30 years, has been delayed for a second time with no revised date for when it is likely to be released.
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Parliament rubber-stamps increase to ombudsman’s powers
From 1 February the level of compensation the Legal Ombudsman can award to dissatisfied customers will rise from £30,000 to £50,000. The increase is one of several enhancements to the legal watchdog’s complaints-handling rules agreed by parliament. For the first time the ombudsman will be able ...
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One in five firms likely to seek external investment
A third of small and mid-sized practices are considering merging in the next two or three years and one in five are likely to seek external investment, according to the results of the Law Society Law Management Section’s latest benchmarking survey. The report, published today, revealed ...
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Solicitors warned on property joint ownership
Solicitors should encourage joint property purchasers to put in writing how ownership is apportioned between them to avoid disputes where relationships break down, the Law Society and Land Registry have warned. The two bodies have published a joint practice note in relation to joint property ownership, ...
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Putting it simply: a handbook for LIPs
Last Friday, the judiciary published a special guide for ‘self-represented’ litigants to help them through the judicial process. It was a sign of the times if ever there was.
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Figuring out my future
The wheel has turned full circle. Well, at least it is turning toward the suggestion that a degree might no longer be necessary as an entry into the profession. And what help, one might ask, is a degree in macrame anyway? Thank goodness that back in the bad old days ...
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British Airways employee wins discrimination case
The European Court of Human Rights has today ruled that English courts breached a British woman’s freedom of religion rights to wear a crucifix - a visible symbol of her faith - in the workplace. However, in three other judgments on the right to manifest religion ...
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40 jobs at risk at CMS Cameron McKenna
City firm CMS Cameron McKenna has confirmed it has put 40 roles in the UK at risk of redundancy. The announcement was made today following a review of the domestic business structure. The roles are a mixture of legal, legal support and secretarial, with 26 of ...
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Six more firms win ABS status
Personal injury firms from both the defendant and claimant sectors are among a glut of new alternative business structures announced today. The Solicitors Regulation Authority confirmed the identities of six new licences to take the total it has granted up to 74. Six more are due ...
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MPs consider extradition forum bar
Government plans to amend extradition laws will be included in a wide-ranging justice reform bill, the home secretary told the House of Commons last night. During the second reading of the Crime and Courts Bill, Theresa May said the bill would propose amending the Extradition ...
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Fraudsters - an insider story?
Lawyers should be aware of the dangers of insider fraud when advising their clients, as the damage can be catastrophic for a business - no business is immune from the danger, not even law firms themselves.
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Training solicitors – a qualified success
Tucked away in the new year’s press was an announcement of an apprenticeship route to qualification as a solicitor. I wondered why and when the profession abandoned the five-year article route. Over the years there have been, as there is now, a number of ...
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High street super-survey paints upbeat picture
Business has increased or remained unchanged for nearly 60% of law firms over the past three years, despite the challenging economy and changing legal market, results of a unique joint survey reveal today. However nearly one-third of the 31% of participating firms undertaking legal aid said ...
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Call for criminal sanctions against care home owners
A former health minister today called for legislation to hold corporations criminally accountable for abuse and neglect in care homes. In a 10-minute rule motion, Lib Dem MP Paul Burstow proposed a new offence of corporate neglect where senior management allowed abuse to occur. ...
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Society warns against Euro justice opt-out
Opting out of European Union law-and-order measures could jeopardise the UK’s ability to fight cross-border crime, the Law Society has warned. Its warning comes as a House of Lords Committee began taking evidence on the opt-out, which is likely to be announced by the government ...
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Betfair founder backs new ABS Brilliant Law
A team of non-solicitors with financial support from the founder of betting exchange website Betfair has announced its arrival into the legal market. Former Minster Law chief executive Matthew Briggs (pictured) and one-time BSkyB director Jeremy Fenn will be joint managers of Leeds-based Brilliant Law. ...
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Lawyers can access unredacted records
In a groundbreaking Court of Appeal case, a distinguished panel of appeal judges (Lord Justices Kay and Munby) decided that the practice of redacting social care records was not usually necessary where litigation under civil procedure rules was being conducted. The judgment departed from reasoning in both lower courts, in ...