Headlines – Page 1580
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PII insurers face standards scrutiny
Insurers and brokers offering professional indemnity insurance (PII) could be given a set of service standards following complaints over this year’s renewals. Because some brokers provided ‘bad customer service’ to solicitors, the Law Society’s PII crisis group will discuss ‘appropriate service levels’ with insurers and brokers ...
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APIL slams Straw for attack on lawyers
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) has criticised comments about ‘ambulance-chasing’ lawyers, reportedly made by Justice Secretary Jack Straw. Denise Kitchener, APIL chief executive, accused Straw of taking ‘easy potshots’ at personal injury lawyers in an interview published in the Daily Mail. ...
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Bias ruling paves way for more claims by carers
A law firm has become the first employer to face a claim for ‘discrimination by association’ after a tribunal ruled a former employee could bring a claim on the grounds of her child’s disability. Sharon Coleman alleges disability discrimination against her former employer, London law firm ...
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Council lawyers 'in well-being denial'
Council lawyers have been told to change the way they work and become more entrepreneurial after research found many are not using a far-reaching legal power at their disposal. A four-year investigation carried out by the University of Birmingham, the Cities Research Centre and the University ...
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£75k payout in email claim
A Midlands law firm has paid a £75,000 out-of-court settlement to a Muslim former employee who claimed she had suffered harassment and religious discrimination from a partner and board member. Shakespeare Putsman has apologised to Saleca Faisal-Parkar for two emails describing the paralegal as a ‘tent ...
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ACAS: conciliation returns to the toolbox
Timing is often crucial. Do you wish that you had exchanged your Icelandic individual savings account for premium bonds (now the geriatric pin-up of the savings world) earlier this year? You would be far from alone. The ability to dance on the beat can often make or break you.
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Family law
Ancillary relief – Error of fact – Lump sum payments – Periodical payments – Transfer of assets – Acquisition of capital after marriage Paul Fallon v Ruth Fallon: CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justice Thorpe, Lawrence Collins, Goldring): 20 ...
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Criminal procedure
VAT – Benefit from criminal fraud – Carousel fraud R v (1) Bhovinder Singh Sangha (2) Brian Meehan (3) Gerard Martin McAllister: CA (Crim Div) (Lords Justice Richards, Mr Justice Stadlen, Judge Gordon): 18 November 2008. ...
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The Middle East: a legal goldrush or an ‘over-lawyered’ region?
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is fast becoming the jurisdiction with the most English solicitors outside the UK. The adage ‘go east, young man’ has heralded a talent goldrush as firms in the Middle East report a torrent of job applications from solicitors hoping to join the 500-plus England and ...
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Bar-room brawl
‘Putting advocacy at the heart of everything we do’ is the slogan of public relations giant Weber Shandwick. No doubt this philosophy is well honed when making the case for blue-chip clients like General Motors and Microsoft. But it’s especially appropriate when it comes to Obiter’s favourite Weber Shandwick client, ...
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Coode puts his oar into the law
Ed Coode MBE, Olympic gold medallist oarsman and now trainee solicitor at Burges Salmon, Bristol, says his former life as a professional sportsman had much in common with his fledgling career in the law, ‘like sitting on my arse going backwards, for instance’.
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Cold comfort
It’s that time of the year. You’ve used all your holiday entitlement and in a desperate need for a day off to do some Christmas shopping or recover from one of many parties, you pull a sickie. Not for those at personal injury practice Kingslegal. The ...
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Solicitor off the ropes
A two-punch combination came to the help of solicitor David Leach when he tried to calm a violent confrontation outside Burnley Magistrates’ Court. Leach, of the criminal department at the Burnley office of Donald Race & Newton, was attacked by a former local councillor who had been ticked off for ...
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Paper tigers
Paperless offices aren’t something you immediately associate with legal practice, so congratulations to south-west London firm DG Law for picking up a Green Business award from Wandsworth Council for just such an innovation. ‘Getting rid of paper means we can now support our clients much better,’ says managing director David ...
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Cultivating a wine’s connection with its area
Hurrying through Bordeaux airport last September, I spotted the chairman of a very smart London wine merchant waiting to board my plane. After a fair bit of manoeuvring on my part I managed to catch up with him, not least because I was interested to hear his opinion on the ...
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Working together to ride out the storm
I read with interest Jon Robins’s article ‘Under Pressure’ (see [2008] Gazette, 20 November, 14). It is unfortunate only one bank appears to have been approached for an attributable quote. A more rigorous process of engaging with banks to establish their views would have allowed a more balanced assessment. No ...
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Nursing support
I am writing in response to Jonathan Rayner’s article citing criticisms of medical provision in custody by forensic medical examiner Dr Jason Payne-James (see [2008] Gazette, 13 November, 1). I would like to put forward facts in support of the nurses working in police custody, prisons and other criminal justice ...
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Running for cover
I really hope there are some effective changes in the worrying lottery of obtaining cover each year. I for one really do not look forward to dealing with this and it is always the same – having to worryingly hold out to the last minute to get a reasonable quote. ...
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Committed to helping you through difficult economic times
One issue that all firms are grappling with today is of course the downturn in the economy. While it is impossible to be precise, it is clear that the recession will be deeper and longer than many anticipated and the next 12 months will be very challenging for us all. ...