Headlines – Page 1440
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‘Stretched resources’ to blame for poor CPS performances
‘Stretched resources’ at the frontline across the Crown Prosecution Service in London have resulted in ‘poor’ performance ratings for five boroughs and lower than average conviction rates in the capital, according to the organisation’s chief inspector. Reports of inspections in nine London boroughs by the HM ...
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Companies face publicity threat over corporate manslaughter
Judges will have the power to force companies convicted of corporate manslaughter to publicise their conviction after new measures came into force this week. Courts will be able to hand out publicity orders to companies and public bodies where gross corporate health and safety failures caused ...
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Microsoft to outsource general legal work to India
Software giant Microsoft will begin outsourcing general legal work to India after signing a deal with legal process outsourcing (LPO) company CPA Global. The news comes as CPA outlined plans to expand its Indian workforce from 600 to 1,000 by the end of 2011, and hinted at opening another outsourcing ...
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Survey reveals civil legal aid solicitors are ‘starved of cash'
A survey of law firms carried out by the newly launched Alliance for Legal Aid (AfLA) has revealed solicitors doing civil legal aid work are being ‘starved of cash to assist clients in desperate need’. AfLA launched this week to voice concerns about the provision of ...
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Insurance tracking plans welcomed by personal injury lawyers
Personal injury lawyers have welcomed government plans to help people obtain compensation if they cannot trace their employers’ liability insurance policies. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has launched a consultation on setting up an Employers’ Liability Tracing Office (ELTO), which will manage an electronic ...
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Miners' solicitors bombard government with FoI requests
The government has been overloaded with freedom of information (FoI) requests made by solicitors acting for former coal miners ahead of the first coordinated negligence action for alleged under-settlement of government compensation claims. In a letter to coalfield communities MPs, seen by the Gazette, junior energy ...
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Government ‘actively assessing’ Jackson report
The government and the opposition have hinted that they would implement some of Lord Justice Jackson’s recommendations on civil litigation costs, following the first parliamentary exchange on the judge’s report since its publication a month ago. Justice secretary Jack Straw said: ‘Lord Justice Jackson’s proposals… are ...
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Conveyancing solicitors ‘failing’ clients over survey advice
Conveyancing solicitors are running the risk of potential negligence actions by failing to advise buyers to obtain a survey before purchasing a property, an expert has claimed. Mike Ockenden, chief executive of the Federation of Property Information Providers, said: ‘The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook recommends ...
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Cafcass in ‘meltdown’, report claims
The organisation tasked with safeguarding the interests of vulnerable children is in ‘meltdown’, a report has suggested. However, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) has hit back at the claims, which it says are ‘not based on fact’ and undermine the ...
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Large firms in legal aid talks
The Ministry of Justice has met representatives from some of the larger criminal legal aid firms to discuss more ambitious plans for best value tendering (BVT), it has emerged. The news has sparked fears among smaller firms that they could be cut out of the market. ...
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Women jurors more likely to change their minds than men
Women jurors are more likely to change their minds as a result of jury deliberations than men, a Ministry of Justice report has revealed. The research showed that while female jurors were significantly more likely to convict at the start of deliberations, when discussions were completed ...
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SRA approves sweeping changes to practising fee charging regime
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has this week approved sweeping changes to the way the practising certificate (PC) is charged, which will come into force this October. The SRA board has pressed ahead with a new charging regime that will shift more of the PC fee burden ...
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Change is happening quicker than you think
Outside of the personal injury claims world (and within it in many quarters) a highly significant change in legal practice is slipping in almost unnoticed.
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Can the BNP change its spots?
At an extraordinary general meeting on Sunday 14 February the British National Party (BNP) approved its new constitution allowing people of all ethnicities to become members.
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HIPs reduce failed transactions and benefit solicitors, provider claims
Home Information Packs (HIPs) have reduced the number of failed conveyancing transactions, figures have suggested. Conveyancer and HIP provider myhomemove said the packs had caused the number of failed property transactions it was involved in to dip to 9% since the full introduction of HIPs ...
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Websites – to retain or gain clients?
The Gazette’s LinkedIn group is having a useful discussion centred around the launch of Shoosmiths Access Legal website. The responses mainly look at whether or how other solicitors should emulate Shoosmiths’ approach.
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Law Society Diversity Access Scheme calls for funds
An initiative designed to boost social mobility and help talented students become lawyers has appealed for greater financial support to help raise funds to assist candidates in need. The Law Society's Diversity Access Scheme (DAS), which is supported by the Law Society Charity, supports promising entrants ...
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Where is Gao Zhisheng?
A year ago, the Chinese human rights lawyer, Gao Zhisheng, disappeared. Efforts to find out what has happened to him have been brushed off by the Chinese authorities: ‘Honestly speaking, I don’t know where he is. China has 1.3 billion people and I can’t know all of their whereabouts.’
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Jackson: a victory for the propaganda machine of defendant insurers?
My firm, Coyne Learmonth, is a firm of solicitors practising in Crosby near Liverpool. We deal only with road traffic accident (RTA) claims and specialise in credit hire claims arising out of such accidents. I am not in a position to comment on any aspect of ...
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APIL attacks government over eligibility for bereavement damages
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) has criticised the government for ignoring Law Commission recommendations to increase general damages in personal injury cases. Responding to a Ministry of Justice consultation on the draft Civil Law Reform Bill, APIL said that ‘injured people will bear the ...