Headlines – Page 1351
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Clyde & Co fails to thwart partner’s tribunal hearing
A City firm has failed to stop a former partner from bringing sex and pregnancy discrimination claims to the Employment Tribunal by seeking to rely on an arbitration clause in its partnership agreement. Clyde & Co dismissed Krista Bates van Winkelhof in January. She then filed ...
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Wragge & Co advises Phones 4u, Unilever's Sanex sale and JJB Sports stock exchange switch
It’s for you: Birmingham firm Wragge & Co advised the management of mobile phone retailer Phones 4u on its sale to private equity house BC Partners, for an undisclosed sum. US firm Weil Gotshal & Manges advised private ...
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QC appointment system outdated
I write with reference to the article ‘Excellence comes with experience’ by Lucy Scott-Moncrieff (see [2011] Gazette, 10 March, 10). Ms Scott-Moncrieff says that ‘the QC appointments system, both now and in the past, is intended to identify excellence in higher court advocacy, which excludes the ...
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Riding roughshod over the rules
I read with some interest and no little surprise that it seems that insurers are not disclosing to their policyholders referral arrangements and the level of fees they receive. After the introduction of the Solicitors Code of Conduct in 2007, there was a personal injury conference ...
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Time to adopt US libel model
Lawsuits fought by foreigners who often have no link with Britain should soon be an historical anomaly if Kenneth Clarke has his way. But putting an end to ‘libel tourism’ is only part of the problem. Defendants can already put forward the defence of fair ...
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Coalition failing on law reform
I read with interest your Opinion highlighting the helter-skelter approach to law reform being pursued by the coalition, While the Con-Dems certainly appear keen to sell to public opinion their reforming credentials, their words do not match their deeds. That rancid chestnut – the ‘compensation culture’ ...
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Snooze control
The justice secretary copped some stick for – allegedly – nodding off during chancellor George Osborne’s budget speech last week. But while Ed Miliband accused the lord chancellor of catching 40 winks, and Ladbrokes revealed it had paid out a four-figure sum to a customer ...
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A royal ding-dong
While Obiter will be having a quiet word with the postman about the strange non-arrival of a Royal Wedding invite, there is some comfort in the knowledge that there is another exciting royal event – with plenty of bells – in 2012. Next year will ...
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Age-old problem
How many firms of solicitors are complying with equality legislation, with particular regard to age discrimination? Time and time again (indeed it is the norm) I see jobs advertised for staff who are, for example, ‘1-3 years qualified’, or ‘5-10 years qualified’. ...
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Train of thought
Obiter applauds Helen Molyneux, managing partner and director of New Law Legal in Cardiff, for winning Woman of the Year at the Welsh Women Mean Business Awards this month. Molyneux ditched a partnership with a global law firm to set up the firm in 2004 ...
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NatWest shame
I am a newly qualified criminal defence solicitor. I write with reference to your recent item on NatWest’s decision effectively to scrap graduate loans. I am one of those solicitors who would not have made it without such financial backing. I came from a comprehensive school, ...
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Loopy litigants
More or less the first training I had during my articles in the 1950s was the morning rounds of summonses held in the Bear Garden at the Royal Courts of Justice, writes James Morton. Today, everything is probably done electronically, but back then there was ...
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Ombudsman under fire over ‘cautious’ approach to complaints publishing
The Legal Ombudsman was accused of having fallen for ‘spurious objections from the legal profession’ today as it revealed its plans for a ‘staged approach’ to publishing information about complaints against law firms. In the first part of a three-stage approach, LeO has immediately begun ...
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Businesses fear hike in employment claims
A survey by national firm Irwin Mitchell has revealed the extent to which businesses believe government plans to scrap the default retirement age (DRA) will cause a hike in employment claims against them. Some 57% of businesses said they thought the removal of the DRA would ...
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Making the most of law firm mergers
In the last few days we have seen announcements of two mergers: Noble is merging with Wembley and Watford http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/legal-aid-firm-merger-embrace-new-opportunities .
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Making the most of law firm mergers
In the last few days we have seen announcements of two mergers: Noble is merging with Wembley and Watford to create critical mass in the criminal defence market and Weightmans is to merge with Mace and Jones on 1 May.
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Proposals address ‘scandalous’ delays in family proceedings
The Family Justice System is ‘not working’ with ‘scandalous’ delays which are harmful to vulnerable children and adults, according to the independent Family Justice Review panel. The panel’s interim report, published today, said the system needs significant reform to tackle delays and ensure the 500,000 children ...
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Police cuts force Tesco Law announcement
Controversial amendments being considered to the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill are aimed at giving interested businesses a role in front line policing. Supermarket giant Tesco is known to be among the credible companies actively looking to diversify into this area. ...
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Employment law changes could ‘affect women’
Changes to employment laws announced in last week's budget are encouraging for small employers but could disproportionately affect women, solicitors have warned. Plans revealed by chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne included a three-year moratorium on new regulations for small companies and start-ups; a consultation to ...