Headlines – Page 1366
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Abolish single PII renewal date and review conveyancing, says report
The single renewal date for professional indemnity insurance (PII) should be scrapped, and there should be an investigation into whether more regulation is needed in the conveyancing process, according to a ‘root and branch’ review of client financial protection commissioned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
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Unregulated will-writers and building case studies
The Law Society has asked members to inform it of any problems their clients may have experienced with unregulated will-writers.
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Regulators consult on tougher rules for law degrees
A joint committee of the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board has released two consultations on the future of the undergraduate law degree. The first Joint Academic Stage Board (JASB) paper asks for views on whether students who have failed a single foundation subject within ...
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Immigration lawyers issue warning over appeals fee
Immigration lawyers have warned that immigrants could be ‘penalised’ as a result of government plans to introduce fees in certain immigration and asylum appeals. Court fees of up to £250 could be charged for immigration and asylum tribunal appeals. No fees are currently charged.
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Lord chief justice calls for reform of family system
The adversarial court system is not appropriate for settling parental disputes over the custody of children, the lord chief justice said today. Giving evidence to the House of Commons’ justice committee, Lord Judge (pictured) said he has ‘real concerns’ that the adversarial system ‘leaves a ...
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The right to choose your own lawyer – part 2
A year ago, I wrote about the Eschig decision of the European Court of Justice, which held that insured individuals in a mass tort case retain the right to choose their own lawyers. Now there is another case on its way to the European Court of Justice on the same ...
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New advocacy proposals ‘prejudice’ solicitors
A proposed new quality assurance scheme for criminal advocates could prejudice solicitors because it places too much weight on the views of judges, an advocates’ group has warned. The Solicitors Association of Higher Court Advocates (SAHCA) has voiced concerns over the ‘over-reliance’ on judicial evaluation proposed ...
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Support victims of rape, says Stern
The government must support the victims of serious violent crime despite financial constraints following its spending review, Baroness Stern said last night. The crossbench peer, who led the independent review into how rape complainants are treated by public bodies, said justice had to be balanced, and ...
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Des Collins named Gazette Legal Personality of the Year
High-profile civil litigation solicitor Des Collins, senior partner of Collins in Watford, was named Gazette Legal Personality of the Year at the Law Society’s Excellence Awards last night.
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Children at risk over court fees
Solicitors have warned that local authorities may be deterred from placing vulnerable children into care, following the government’s decision not to scrap the controversial court fees paid by local authorities in care and supervision cases. In a written ministerial statement yesterday, justice minister Jonathan Djanogly (pictured) ...
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Public procurement
Legal advice and funding - Accreditation - Consultation documents - Legal profession R (on the application of the Law Society) v Legal Services Commission: QBD (Admin) (Lord Justice Moses, Mr Justice Beatson): 30 September 2010 ...
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Civil procedure
Costs - Insolvency - Local government - Bankruptcy petitions Banfield v Harrow London Borough Council: ChD (Mr Justice Lewison): 6 October 2010 The appellant (B) appealed against a costs decision ...
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Intellectual property
Equity - Median and entertainment - BBC - Breach of confidence BBC v (1) Harpercollins Publishers Ltd (2) Ben Collins (3) Collins Autosport Ltd: Ch D (Mr Justice Morgan): 4 October 2010 ...
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Improperly obtained documents in divorce proceedings
In light of the Court of Appeal’s decision in Tchenguiz v Imerman; Imerman v Imerman [2010] EWCA Civ 908, all family lawyers are obliged to reconsider the advice given to clients in respect of improperly obtained documents.
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Brush with the stars
It has been an Indian summer for one Manchester sports lawyer. Mark Hovell, managing partner at Manchester firm George Davies, has spent the last fortnight at the 2010 Commonwealth Games as the British representative on the six-strong legal panel of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, helping settle disputes arising ...
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Party people
Watch out, the barristers are coming. That message came through loud and clear at last week’s christening of criminal set QEB Hollis Whiteman’s new retro-chic offices in the heart of the City of London. The briefs must have set aside a few hefty retainers for 1 & 2 Laurence Pountney ...
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The Solicitors Benevolent Association has a modern makeover
Many years ago Establishment publications like the Telegraph carried advertisements for the Distressed Gentlefolks Aid Association. This charity’s raison d’être appeared to be to ease the money problems of well-bred Home Counties types who had fallen on hard times. I remember thinking then that this must have been a ‘tough ...
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Catching clients
One of the troubles with criminal clients of the 1970s was their ‘out of court – out of mind’ syndrome, writes James Morton.
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Judging the jury
Obiter was heartened to learn of the faith that attorney general, Dominic Grieve QC (pictured), has in the jury system, forged with the help of a cantankerous Old Bailey judge. Delivering the annual Kalisher lecture in memory of criminal barrister Michael Kalisher QC ...