Headlines – Page 1597
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Seeing red
‘A criminal crime simply does not make sense!’ shouted an exasperated Russian interpreter in front of stunned delegates, before slamming the door shut on his sound booth. Following an already fiery exchange regarding the recent conflict in Georgia, the Russia & Rule of Law seminar at the Bar Council’s Holborn ...
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Water warriors
It was no baptism of fire for trainee solicitor Ashley King. It was more a dunking in freezing, peat-stained water. The trainee at 11-partner Black Country commercial law firm George Green was part of a four-man team competing in the Lakes Challenge – a gruelling seven hours of mountain biking, ...
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Poles apart
The wolves are circling, the temperature is dropping, and darkness is all around. No, Obiter isn’t getting lyrical about the credit crunch and recession, but simply describing the icy reality soon to be experienced by a client of Sussex law firm Rix & Kay. Managing partner Bruce Hayter explains: ‘We ...
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Family law
Agreements – Ancillary relief – Reliance – Trust funds – Time limits – Notice to show cause S v S (2008): Fam Div (Mrs Justice Eleanor King): 20 August 2008. ...
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Criminal procedure
Administration of justice offences – Concept of court – Failure to attend – Service by the court – Witness summaries R v Harish Popat: CA (Crim Div) (Lord Justice Hughes, Mrs Justice Dobbs, Judge Pert QC): 28 July 2008. ...
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Criminal law
Benefit from criminal conduct – Confiscation orders – Fraudulent evasion of duty R v Steven Waller: CA (Crim Div) (Lord Justice Gage, Mr Justice Silber, Judge Radford): 18 July 2008.
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Human rights
Bail – Detention without charge – Right to liberty and security – Terrorism R (on the application of I) (claimant) v (1) City Of Westminster Magistrates’ Court (2) Chief Constable of Manchester Police (defendants) and Crown Prosecution Service ...
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Banking and finance
Hospitality and leisure – Credit – Debts – Dishonour of cheques – Gambling Aspinall’s Club Ltd v Fouad Al-Zayat: QBD (Comm) (Mr Justice Teare): 3 September 2008. The claimant ...
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PEP talks and hard lessons
Will the City learn from the recession of the early 1990s? These troubled economic times spell danger for big City firms in more ways than one. Clearly there are short-term difficulties in certain sectors – most notably property – and rarely a day goes by now ...
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A question of priorities
Government plans to slash the courts service budget will have a damaging effect on the public’s access to justice. Black holes in space are a scientific fact, but black holes in public sector budgets are often a matter of dispute. This is the case with the ...
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Calm after the storm?
Turbo-capitalism has hit the wall and City firms are already feeling the pain. But it could have been a lot worse, as lawyers seek to advise those affected by the market turmoil. It’s an ill wind and all that. As City law firms try to catch ...
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Market chaos sparks client money fears
The security of billions of pounds of client money held in UK banks was called into question this week following the apparent near-collapse of HBOS, Britain’s biggest mortgage lender. Law firms across the UK reported being inundated with calls from clients worried that cash pooled in ...
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Forty per cent of conveyancing firms lay off staff
Four out of ten conveyancing firms have cut staff numbers because of the fall in home sales, according to a survey by search provider Searchflow published this week. The poll, seen exclusively by the Gazette, revealed that 40% of firms have cut their headcount in response ...
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Investigation into lawyer assassinations
Colombia is setting up a special prosecution team dedicated to investigating the assassination of human rights lawyers following talks between government officials and a delegation of high-profile UK legal professionals.
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AIG bailout wards off PII catastrophe
The US Government’s $85bn (£48bn) bailout of insurer AIG has averted a catastrophe in the volatile solicitors’ professional indemnity insurance (PII) market, brokers have said. However, some reported that a minority of clients remained wary of obtaining AIG cover, and that the period between AIG’s share ...
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EU evidence exchange warning
The free exchange of forensic evidence across European Union (EU) member states could result in miscarriages of justice unless defence lawyers are properly trained to challenge expert evidence from different jurisdictions, a conference in London heard this week.
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NHS negligence cover comes under scrutiny
Pressure is mounting on the government to explain the relationship between the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA), which pays compensation to victims of clinical negligence, and after-the-event (ATE) insurer FirstAssist. In a letter to health secretary Alan Johnson and justice secretary Jack Straw – seen by the ...