Headlines – Page 1443
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Public procurement rules are causing dismay among contracting authorities
Like some mythical beast which rises from the depths of the legislative...
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Bar Council to launch legal action against MoJ
The Bar Council and the Criminal Bar Association are set to take the government to court for the first time in 20 years over what they claim are ‘inadequate and unfair’ consultations on new fees for criminal legal aid work. They have instructed solicitors to take ...
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Allen & Overy launches in Australia
Magic circle firm Allen & Overy announced the launch of an Australian practice today. The firm has appointed 17 new partners, with 14 based in Sydney and three in Perth. It said analysis of the Australian market had shown there was space ...
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Commuting – a cold comfort
I work from home most of the time, but when I call my lawyer clients they are almost invariably in the office. All that changed during the recent cold snap, when heavy snowfalls made travelling very hazardous. Suddenly, lawyers up and down the country were logging onto their networks from ...
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Lawyers who merit judicial appointment are not reaching the bench
When I was very young – in 1994, to be precise – I published a book in which I called on the lord chancellor to hang up at least one and preferably two of his three wigs. ‘We would then have an independent speaker in the House of Lords, an ...
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Civil procedure
Conflict of laws – European Union – Real property Meletios Apostolides (appellant) v (1) David Charles Orams (2) Linda Elizabeth Orams (respondents) & British Residents’ Society (intervener): CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justice Pill, Lloyd, Sir Paul Kennedy): 19 ...
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Competition
Broadcsters – Media and entertainment acquisitions – Judicial review British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc v (1) Virgin Media Inc (2) Competition Commission (3) Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform: CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justice Rix, Lloyd, ...
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Art of the matter
In these cash-strapped times, it is good to hear that solicitors are still prepared to spend a quid or two on cultural pursuits. The annual exhibition of the Law Society’s art group, which featured paintings and sculptures by solicitors, had a record year in terms of the works sold. ...
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You’re not fired
They often say that lawyers do not make good businesspeople, but now we have evidence to the contrary. A not-remotely-disgusted solicitor from Tunbridge Wells has become the town’s entrepreneur of the year. Pam Loch, name partner at employment law firm Loch Associates, emerged as the winner from a gruelling four-stage ...
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Jurassic lark
Believe it or not, parliamentary committee meetings are not always enthralling. But when dealing with the less riveting matters that must fall under parliamentary scrutiny, such as a recent Justice Committee session on the appointment of a new chief of HM CPS Inspectorate, at least MPs occasionally make an effort ...
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False comparison
I read with interest Christopher Digby-Bell’s comments that solicitors should be able to factor in the likely additional costs to be incurred by incompetent solicitors on the other side when dealing with any transaction.
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Judgement call
Christopher Digby-Bell is missing an important distinction in the debate about time-based charging. The heart surgeon is in a position to judge...
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Touch of hypocrisy?
The Gazette carried a front-page article on 28 January under the headline ‘Blacklisted solicitors site plans growth’. The site facilitator says (with alarming frankness) ‘I don’t have the time or the resources to look at the argument from both sides’, so instead a flat fee is paid by solicitors to ...
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A licence to die
Sir Terry Pratchett’s proposals for a tribunal to license assisted dying will add a welcome and significant boost an idea we have long advocated.
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MPs have performed a valuable service for legal aid
This has hardly been a vintage session for the dignity of parliament, with politicians of all major parties bundled into the stocks for claiming expenses for duck houses and the like. However, the Public Accounts Committee’s damning report on legal aid procurement does at least suggest that our elected representatives ...
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Solicitors can be vital in preventing the abuse and neglect of elderly people
Caroline Bielanska the chair of Solicitors for the Elderly, the national association of specialist lawyers who advise older and vulnerable adults, their families and carers On 7 ...
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Restaurant sales, education buyout and pension plans
Ringing off: City firm Herbert Smith advised accountants Ernst & Young as administrators to the Europe, Middle East and Africa entities of telecoms manufacturer Nortel Networks, on selling off Nortel businesses worth $2bn (£1.26bn).
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Commercial property triggers recruitment surge for litigators
High-end commercial property litigators will be the most in-demand breed of lawyer in London over the coming year, recruitment consultants Badenoch & Clark predicted this week. Banks that have already refinanced commercial property loans are beginning to call in specialist litigators to try and recover massive ...
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MoJ and City firms test new business model for law centres
The Ministry of Justice has launched a pilot initiative in partnership with City law firms and charitable trusts to test a new business model for law centres. The project will harness City firms’ know-how to ensure law centres across the country are run in the most ...
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Local government lawyers make PC fee plea to the SRA
Local government lawyers are pressing the Solicitors Regulation Authority to concede more ground in its proposals to lower the practising certificate fee payable by employed solicitors. The SRA has proposed that the PC fee be split into two elements, with 40% of the costs to ...