Headlines – Page 1537
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Law lords ruling on control orders ‘turning point’ on secret evidence
The House of Lords today ruled that three terror suspects have been denied a ‘fair’ trial because they have not been told about, or allowed to challenge, the secret intelligence evidence against them. The suspects, who cannot be named, have been subject to control orders for ...
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Most students do not understand the reality of a legal career
by Beth Wanonowho is a trainee at Halliwells and a member (elect) of the Law Society Council. There is a difference between a crunch and a squeeze. My impression of the trainee market is that the situation is akin to 10,000 people trying to cram onto ...
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SRA appoints 16-strong panel to work on its actions
The Solicitors Regulation Authority today appointed 16 law firms and solicitor-advocates to work on its disciplinary and regulatory actions.
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The reporting season has started - but only up to a point
At the dawn of this year’s financial reporting season, it appears that the UK’s top corporate law firms have become a little coy. Of the four major firms that have announced results so far, not one has released figures for all three key financial performance indicators: revenue, profit, and profit ...
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Virtual courts – justice on the cheap?
Since 2006, ‘simple, speedy, summary’ justice has been the mantra of successive justice secretaries and at the heart of the government’s reforms to ‘rebalance the criminal justice system and increase public confidence’.
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Speak out on best value tendering, solicitors urged
The Law Society has called on members to respond to the government’s consultation on the introduction of best value tendering (BVT). Chancery Lane has warned that the Legal Services Commission’s plans, which will require firms to bid against each other to win contracts for legal aid ...
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Posting the case for email
Post has a reassuring quality. You can see it before you sign it, think about it a bit more before approving it, and have a printed copy on your file for ease of reference.
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Compensation fund
I see from your story ‘Compensation fund levy set to treble?’ that the SRA is trying to justify a large increase on the basis that, if the Law Society had accepted their advice last year, the rise would have been less this year (see [2009] Gazette, 21 May, 1).
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Justice before costs
I am writing in response to the preliminary report of Lord Justice Jackson concerning civil costs reform. I act exclusively for claimants, mostly injured in work accidents.
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Soft targets
Here we go again. A couple of years ago, it was ‘fat cat’ legal aid lawyers. Now our justice secretary is setting his sights on ‘irresponsible’ employment lawyers (see [2009] Gazette, 21 May, 1).
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Radical changes on costs will transform many aspects of civil litigation
by Peter Smith, managing director of FirstAssist Legal Protection Whatever the outcome of the final report, due at the end of the year, there is little doubt that the review of the civil justice costs regime being conducted by Lord Justice Jackson will transform many aspects ...
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Internet is ever more powerful when finding a solicitor
Newly published ComRes research on how the public perceives solicitors has much to tell the SRA about its communication priorities. Most people still haven’t a clue who regulates solicitors and even those who think they know are more likely than not to be wrong. Some 19% think it’s the government ...
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Battle for legal aid's future is not about the profession
Last month, Law Society president Paul Marsh opened a debate entitled ‘Legal aid: a vision for the next 60 years’. The panel included the legal aid minister, Lord Bach. There was plenty of talk about the parlous state of legal aid. Vision, however, was in short supply.
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Government undervalues professions, says study
The contribution of the professions to the UK is ‘comprehensively undervalued’, according to a new study commissioned by the Law Society and other professional bodies. The public interest in peril?, published this week, estimates that roughly 8% of ...
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Kids are kids, even when they come from abroad
It happened without fanfare, but in September 2008 the UK finally agreed to protect and promote the wellbeing of every child on British soil – irrespective of their immigration or asylum status.
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Lovells reports decline in partner profit take
City firm Lovells has become the latest major firm to report a fall in profit per equity partner (PEP). The 11% dip, to £585,000 in 2008/09 from £661,000 in the previous 12 months, came after national firm Eversheds reported a 27% fall in PEP ...
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Tory human rights plan ‘could lead to departure from EU’
The UK could find itself parting company from the EU if Tory pledges to scrap the Human Rights Act (HRA) are carried through, the head of the Council of Europe has warned Conservative party activists. David Cameron has pledged to repeal the HRA, which since ...
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Legal aid firms campaign against CLAC plan
Legal aid firms in west London have formed a campaign group to fight proposals to set up a community legal advice centre (CLAC) in their area. SAGE – Solicitors Action Group for Ealing – has asked the London borough of Ealing to reconsider working with the ...
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New sole practitioners chairwoman promises to fight ‘frightening’ agenda
The newly elected chairwoman of the Sole Practitioners Group (SPG) has promised to fight the government’s ‘frightening, almost sinister agenda’ on funding and regulation. Sushila Abraham (pictured), of Surrey firm S Abraham Solicitors, told 180 delegates at the SPG’s annual conference that the group is ...