Headlines – Page 1479
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Probate services company ITC signs deal with Barclays
A probate services company which has signed a deal to handle Barclays customers was the subject of criticism this week. ITC Legal Services (ITC), which according to its website has a transparent fixed-fee policy which makes it competitive on price with solicitors, has agreed a third-party ...
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Europe to gain new justice commissioner
Europe’s legal profession made a significant breakthrough last week when European Commission president José Manuel Barroso agreed to establish a special post of EU Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Civil Liberties. Barroso made the concession to help secure the backing of liberal MEPs for his reappointment, which was confirmed ...
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Halifax seeks firms for nationwide panel
The Halifax is looking to build a nationwide law firm panel to support its new Legal Express service, the Gazette can reveal, enabling solicitors to ‘ride on the coat tails’ of the bank’s brand power. The move is seen as countering those who warn that the ...
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'Scrap training contract for unreserved work', thinktank urges
An influential thinktank has proposed scrapping the training contract for non-reserved work as part of a radical overhaul of the qualification process. The College of Law’s Legal Services Policy Institute advances far-reaching proposals for change in a strategy document to be published this week. ...
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Law firms 'over the worst' of recession, PwC report reveals
Large law firms have ‘weathered the storm’ of the recession, with profits up sharply since the start of the year, research by PricewaterhouseCoopers seen exclusively by the Gazette has revealed. PwC’s quarterly benchmarking survey showed an 18% rise in profits per equity partner (PEP) since January ...
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Personal injury interest calculation tables
The standard rate of interest on general damages for pain and suffering and loss of amenities in personal injury cases was fixed at 2% per annum by the House of Lords in Birkett v Hayes [1982] 1 WLR 816; [1982] 2 All ER 70. This was confirmed as appropriate by ...
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Dignity speaks volumes on assisted suicide
The sanctity of one’s right to choose whether to live or die will forever attract heated argument. Yesterday, the director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, reignited the debate by publishing new guidelines for prosecutors on assisted suicide.
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Government moves to cut ‘no win, no fee’ libel costs
The Ministry of Justice will bring in new rules from 1 October to cut ‘no win, no fee’ libel costs, as revealed by the Gazette in August (see [2009] Gazette, 20 August). The ‘first raft’ of measures constitutes the government response to its February consultation ‘Controlling ...
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Might affordable video meetings finally be here for law firms?
Last week, I needed to walk my client through some workflows that I had created for his firm. The trouble was he is based in Hull, which is around 270 miles away from me.
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Lawyers to stand trial on insider-dealing charges
Two former City lawyers charged with eight counts of insider dealing by the Financial Services Authority have been committed to stand trial at Southwark Crown Court. Andrew Rimmington, former partner at US firm Dorsey & Whitney, and Michael McFall, former partner at US firm McDermott Will ...
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SRA launches tender for new legal panel
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has invited law firms to tender for the provision of regulatory work. The regulator is seeking to appoint a panel for three years that will coordinate: dealing with court ...
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New guidance issued on assisted suicide law
New guidance intended to clarify the law on assisted suicide does not provide any guarantee against prosecution, director of public prosecutions Keir Starmer QC warned today. The guidance sets out the legal boundaries for people who help somebody commit suicide. It follows a ruling in the ...
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Should more cash be spent on ad campaign to help solicitors’ own brand?
When the Law Society ran an ad campaign last year, the reaction from the profession was pretty strong. While some supported it, the Gazette received a good number of letters questioning...
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Lawyers, the rule of law and trust
On a happy introductory note, I can record that lawyers gained a major victory this week at European level. Before submitting himself to a vote in the European Parliament to support his candidacy to be renominated as president of the European Commission (a vote he won), José Manuel Barroso conceded ...
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Law Society publishes Excellence Awards shortlist
The Law Society published the shortlist for its legal Excellence Awards this week. Entrants range from David Wilde, the senior partner of a two-partner Devonshire firm who has been shortlisted for private practice solicitor of the year, through to the microfinance working group at magic circle ...
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Surge in online professional networking
Nearly a third of professionals have set up an online professional profile, research showed this week. A study of more than 2,000 professionals commissioned by business network LinkedIn showed that 29% now have an online business profile. More than one-fifth of those ...
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Keep your head, and your past clients
It's difficult to write a positive article when solicitors' firms are facing the reality of Professor Stephen Mayson's prediction from a couple of years ago, when he told the profession that thousands of firms faced extinction.
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Getting to grips with points-based immigration
Immigration continues to be a highly politicised and sensitive area. The government is keen to use objective data received on the impact of migration on the British economy to continue to monitor and change the newly introduced points-based system (PBS). The government is eager to demonstrate that the pledged flexibility ...
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Real property
Compensation – Compulsory purchase – Neighbouring land – Rental value (1) Stewart John Pattle (2) Craig Pattle v Secretary of State for Transport: UT (Lands) (Judge Huskinson, Andrew Trott): 21 July 2009 ...
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Barclays’ group GC Mark Harding discusses business, management and law
As group general counsel at Barclays, Mark Harding is a powerful man about the City. The drama of the last two years has left his company in a strong position: Barclays declined the government’s offers of direct financial assistance, while Royal Bank of Scotland accepted a 70% taxpayer stake and ...