Headlines – Page 1445
-
News
Criminal procedure
Bail – Legitimate expectation – Reasonableness – Crown Prosecution Service R (on the application of Burns) (claimant) v Woolwich Crown Court (defendant) & Crown Prosecution Service (interested party): DC (Lord Justice Aikens, Mr Justice Openshaw): 14 January 2010 ...
-
News
Trial bundles: why they are important and how to get them right
A well-prepared trial bundle, available in good time, gives you an advantage in negotiations and the prospect of making a favourable impression on the court. Let us consider paragraph 3 of the practice direction to Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) rule 39 for civil cases and the ...
-
News
Watching brief
Readers may recall that Obiter recently reviewed the BBC’s entertaining 18th century courtroom drama, Garrow’s Law. The pioneering and passionate hero William Garrow made great strides in respect of the rights of defendants, coining the term ‘innocent until proven guilty’, and driving through the principle that defendants should have legal ...
-
News
Over and out
Genghis Khan, the Gobi Desert and yaks are all most of us know about Mongolia. But an intrepid lawyer from Kent and Sussex firm ASB Law, legal executive Laura Over, will soon be an expert on the place. Over and her friend Paul Evans are driving the 10,000 miles from ...
-
News
Letter of the law
Sarcasm may be the lowest form of wit, but it has its place nevertheless. And we are pleased to see that solicitors are not so dessicated as to spurn the chance to employ a little acerbic humour in their client letters when the chance presents itself. ...
-
News
Jackson’s final report has sent shockwaves through the industry
The weekend after Lord Justice Jackson published his final report on civil litigation costs, says Simon Gibbs, would have seen many of those working in the costs industry updating their CVs.
-
News
Plumbing depths
In the months since Home Information Packs (HIPs) were introduced, we at the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors have seen and are still seeing alarmingly poor quality in all aspects of building work which requires notification.
-
News
Britain’s fault-based divorce is anachronistic and in need of reform
by Edward Heatona senior solicitor at Mills & Reeve LLP With divorce enquiries reportedly at a 10-year high, pressure is growing from family law professionals – led by family law solicitors’ association Resolution – for reform of the existing ‘fault-based’ system to enable spouses to divorce ...
-
News
Web entrepreneurs entitled to target serial litigants
Early day motions (EDMs), formal motions submitted in principle for debate in the House of Commons, can sometimes lack gravity as well as credibility. MPs have in the past seen fit to spend your money extolling the virtues of Dolly Parton’s oeuvre and the quality of Stornoway’s black pudding. Not ...
-
News
West Ham United is sold and a flotation by Tiger Airways
Rights move: Magic circle firm Linklaters advised financial group UniCredit on a €4bn (£3.49bn) rights issue. US firm Shearman & Sterling advised Bank of America Merrill Lynch and UniCredit Bank as global coordinators and bookrunners, and a consortium of other banks as bookrunners ...
-
News
Defamation fees cap risks 'restricting access to justice’
Government proposals to limit lawyers’ fees in defamation cases risk ‘restricting access to justice’ according to claimant solicitors, while those representing defendants say they do not go far enough.
-
News
Top US firms plan London push
Top US firms are planning to expand in London in 2010, with trainee, associate and partner positions expected to be up for grabs over the course of the year. White & Case will bring in between 25 and 30 new associates in London this year, London ...
-
News
Vietnamese lawyer escapes death sentence
A Vietnamese lawyer who acts as a consultant for a magic circle firm has been found guilty of activities aimed at ending communist rule, but his death sentence has been commuted to five years’ imprisonment. Le Cong Dinh was charged with activities including posting articles ...
-
News
MPs condemn 'serial litigant’ website
A website set up by an employment solicitor to enable lawyers to identify ‘serial litigants’ in employment cases has been ‘condemned’ in a parliamentary early day motion (EDM) signed by more than 40 MPs. The website, serial-litigants.com, uses records ...
-
News
BRM Solicitors could repay up to £89,000 to former miners
Chesterfield firm BRM Solicitors could repay up to £89,000 to former miners after being taken to task by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for its handling of government compensation claims. BRM partner Peter James McGowan has appeared before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal after admitting a number of ...
-
News
Firm launches website for 'undersettled’ coal miner compensation claims
A Yorkshire firm has set up a new website to gather claims from former coal miners who believe that solicitors undersettled their original government compensation claims. The site, Minerscompensationclaims.com, was launched in December by nine-partner firm Jordans. The website aims to gather previously settled claims from ...
-
News
Legal world comes to aid of Haitian survivors
Law firms around the world have offered financial and pro bono support to help survivors of the Haitian earthquake, while the Law Society has launched an appeal to gather donations. Chancery Lane has set up an online appeal which will aggregate money raised by the legal ...
-
News
Lawyers unite to oppose further criminal legal aid cutbacks
The government has united solicitors and barristers in their opposition to proposals to make further cuts to criminal legal aid work. But as both sides seek a solution that protects their members’ interests, there are differences over the best way forward. The Bar Council and Criminal ...
-
News
Recession fears leaves corporate and property lawyers overstretched
Corporate and property lawyers are being overstretched as firms remain fearful of a double-dip recession and refuse to recruit new staff to deal with an upturn in work, the Gazette has learned. At a national meeting of the Junior Lawyers Division (JLD), which represents lawyers from ...
-
News
Conveyancing solicitors face higher bank charges over Registry portal
Conveyancing solicitors will face higher bank charges as a result of the Land Registry’s new electronic portal. On 31 March, Land Registry Direct, the means by which solicitors access the Land Registry’s e-business services, will be replaced by a new electronic platform. ...