Headlines – Page 1570
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News
Legal advice
Breach of contract - Conditional fee arrangements - Costs - Retainers (1) Bray Walker Solicitors (a firm) (2) Bevans Bray Walkers Ltd (t/a Bevans) v Carlo Moise Silvera: QBD (Mr Justice Blake): 18 December 2008 ...
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Human rights
Sentencing - EC law - Foreign travel - Notification - Sex offenders R (on the application of F) v Secretary of State for Justice: R (on the application of Angus Aubrey Thompson) v Secretary of State for Justice: DC ...
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Local government
Planning - Human rights - Change of use - Mobile homes (1) Theo Langton (2) Ruth McGill v (1) Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (2) West Dorset District Council: QBD (Admin) (Judge Gilbart QC): 7 January ...
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Human rights
Bicycles - Exemptions - Notification - Processions Kay v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis: HL (Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, Lord Rodger of Earlsferry, Baroness Hale of Richmond, Lord Carswell, Lord Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood): 26 November 2008 ...
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Criminal defence call centres may work, but are they justice?
At 9.37am on the Friday before Christmas, the display screen in the middle of the open-plan office indicates that 287 calls from police stations have so far been answered. It is the job of the Defence Solicitor Call Centre (DSCC) in Purley, Surrey (the DSCC’s other ...
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Promoting and enforcing contact
On 8 December 2008, the Children and Adoption Act 2006 (Commencement No 3) Order 2008 came into force.
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Human rights
Negligence - Duty of care - Health authorities - Nursing homes Trent Strategic Health Authority v Jain & anor: HL (Lord Scott of Foscote, Lord Rodger of Earlsferry, Baroness Hale of Richmond, Lord Carswell, Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury): 21 ...
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Human rights
Social welfare - Care workers - Listing system for protection of vulnerable adults R (on the application of Wright and others) v Secretary of State for Health: HL (Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, Lord Hoffmann, Lord Hope of Craighead, ...
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Capital economics
Like many institutions, the Law Society – and indeed the Gazette – get occasional stick for being allegedly metro-centric. Unfairly, of course – here in Chancery Lane we are perfectly cognisant of the world of flat hats and whippets that begins 100 metres north of the M25. And, contrary to ...
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Easy rider
Obiter has learned to be wary of horses, whether it comes to going near them or putting money on them. Not everybody, however, shares this caution. Trainee solicitor Simon Latchford (pictured) is one of 3,000 amateur jockeys who applied to compete in the ...
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Elephants in the room
When Obiter received an email headed ‘The Charity Lawyer Who Rides to the Rescue on an Elephant’ we just had to read on. Was this an example of a solicitor taking green transportation to the extreme? Not quite. It turned out to be about Felix Appelbe, former head of private ...
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Five alive
Hats off to the London chambers formerly known as 5 Paper Buildings for its part in demolishing the myth that the bar is conservative and resistant to change. According to a press release, the chambers has engaged a brand strategist and a communications adviser to come up with a radical ...
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Sixth-one years and one month - beat that
With some trepidation, Obiter announces a new holder of our secs appeal award for longest-serving legal secretary. Yvonne Drake began working as a legal secretary in January 1948 and, now a sprightly 77, is still working at Hampshire firm Footners. That’s 61 years and one month, a record that bumps ...
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‘Conveyancing factories’ devalue property lawyers
I cannot recall an occasion when I have gleaned any pleasure from someone else’s misery, but I confess to feeling a certain amount of schadenfreude at the news last week of the demise of another ‘conveyancing farm’. These ‘businesses’ have devalued conveyancing to the lowest possible level, operating tick-box systems, ...
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Liberty balance
In response to your editorial (see [2009] Gazette, 29 January, 8), I would like to express my agreement and fears for civil liberties. Placing coroners’ courts behind closed doors can only have been proposed to avoid government embarrassment and cover up mistakes. Jack Straw cannot be suggesting that ‘national security’ ...
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Equality strategy
It is a pity that you highlighted criticism of the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s equality and diversity strategy by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (see [2009] Gazette, 29 January, 4), but did not mention that 78% of the 133 people and organisations who took part in the consultation agreed with ...
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Crime can pay
With respect, I doubt that Mr Parkhouse takes home the minimum wage (see [2009] Gazette, 29 January, 9). Nor does he receive £150 an hour when representing clients privately. Mr Parkhouse surely receives a graduate-commensurate salary, as do the vast majority of criminal practitioners. His firm has obviously concluded that ...
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The balance of power
‘The common thread that underpins the Legal Services Board’s work is the consumer,’ declares the LSB’s first business plan, which was published a week ago. Nothing remarkable about that, though what is worth dwelling on is the role of the body’s consumer panel. Part critical friend, part watchdog’s watchdog, the ...
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Law on lock knives is in need of re-examination
When we buy from a reputable high street store, we trust the integrity of the store to sell goods that don’t have the potential of being illegal when we leave the store. The paradox here is the fact that selling is legal but possession is illegal. The lock knife is ...
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Law Society is working hard to fight the recession
January represents the mid-point of the presidential year. As I flew back from my trip to the far east on behalf of the profession last month, I reflected on the events of the first half of my tenure and looked to the priorities of my second six months.