Headlines – Page 1499
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European Commission criticises lawyers over lobbying
Law firms that carry out EU lobbying work have been criticised by the European Commission for failing to enter their clients’ names on its voluntary lobbying register. The commission said that law firms, in arguing that they would breach professional conduct rules by revealing clients’ names, ...
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Lovells moves closer to transatlantic merger
City firm Lovells and US firm Hogan & Hartson moved closer to a transatlantic merger today as management at each firm agreed to recommend the tie-up to partners. Information on the proposed merger will be sent to partners at each firm late next week, before a ...
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Solicitors overpaid millions by LSC for legal aid work
Solicitors have been overpaid nearly £25m for legal aid work, public spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO) reported today. The NAO said solicitors overclaimed for legal aid work to the tune of £18.3m in 2008-09, while £6.4m was erroneously paid to solicitors who provided legal ...
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Code of Conduct - several important areas in need of greater clarity
by Tony Guise, partner at Guise and a member of the Solicitors Assistance Scheme and the duty solicitor rota at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal Though the new Code of Conduct has been updated, it is still unclear in its wording and could lead unwary solicitors into ...
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Barnetts launches iPhone application
Conveyancing firm Barnetts has launched an iPhone application that allows clients to get an instant quote and follow the progress of their case via their phone. The in-house IT team at Barnetts developed the software, which other firms will be able to licence and use. ...
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Costs: how to lose when you win
It appears the banks still don't know how to save a penny or two – makes one wonder how good their advice is to customers.In a recent case brought against Barclays, the old adage of 'only bite off what you can chew' was dragged...
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Criminal solicitors and barristers unite against the MoJ
The rise of solicitor higher court advocates and the perception that barristers have come off better than solicitors in legal aid fee cuts has, over the past couple of years, led to frostiness between the two branches of the profession.
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Is the EU speaking the right language?
Multilingualism is close to the heart of the EU project, but is not something we do well in the UK. Working in an organisation with two official languages, English and French, I have begun to speak a different kind of English. For instance, we use the word ‘deontology’ to mean ...
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Former bar chief questions wisdom of legal services reforms
The former chairman of the bar who led the profession when the legal services reforms were working their way through parliament has voiced strong reservations about the changes. Stephen Hockman QC (pictured), chairman of the bar in 2006, believes the public and not just the bar ...
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Children and young people facing legal advice ‘crisis’, charities warn
Four leading advice charities have today warned of a legal advice ‘crisis’ facing more than a million children and young people, as a report reveals they are not getting the legal advice they need. The JustRights campaign, which brings together the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, ...
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Government launches legal helpline for families of murder victims
The Ministry of Justice has launched a free telephone helpline to give legal advice and practical support to families bereaved by murder and manslaughter. The helpline is staffed by legal advisers who are specially trained to deal with bereaved families.
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Law Society Excellence Award winners announced
The Law Society announced the winners of the 2009 Excellence Awards last night at a ceremony attended by 550 at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London The winners were: Awards for individuals: ...
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What makes a good rainmaker, and does gender matter?
Princeton University defines a rainmaker as an ’executive who is very successful in bringing in business to his company or firm’.
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Banking and finance
Mortgage fraud – Recovery orders Serious Organised Crime Agency v Athos Thanos Pelekanos: QBD (Mr Justice Hamblen): 2 October 2009 The applicant agency applied for a recovery order under part ...
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Criminal law roundup: more than just the usual suspects
Many suspects now surrender themselves to the police when it is known that they are subject to an investigation. They attend the police station as volunteers. Police culture is still deeply committed to making an arrest at that point. However, every arrest must be justified under section 24 of the ...
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Outsourcing boasts many benefits, but it is not a quick fix in hard times
In these challenging economic times, even the most conservative law firms are looking at ways to remain competitive and profitable, often by reducing costs.
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Sweet plinth
Aspiring barrister Melanie Smith (pictured) has found a novel way of standing out from the crowd when it comes to pupillage applications. The bar vocational course student at London’s College of Law took to the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square to recite famous speeches, including the defence counsel’s closing speech ...
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Winter of our discontent
As any lawyer knows, statutes are not normally up there with a Dan Brown novel when it comes to page-turning over-the-top drama. Let’s face it, they tend to be pretty dull. But it turns out the law has not always been such a snore – it has simply lost its ...
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Supreme follies
Having spent the afternoon hearing how the British government is undermining the right to custodial legal advice by reducing lawyers’ fees, Clive Stafford Smith, director of Reprieve, took to the stage to cheer up delegates at the Law Society’s conference on legal advice at the police station last week.