All articles by John Hyde – Page 340
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Oligarch case judge laments ‘heavily lawyered’ approach
The judge presiding over the acrimonious High Court battle between Russian oligarchs has criticised the ‘heavily lawyered’ nature of the case that undermined witness statements.
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August sees spurt of ABS activity
More than a dozen alternative business structures were approved in August in the busiest period of licensing activity yet. The Solicitors Regulation Authority has approved 13 new ABSs since 1 August, taking its total up to 27. Irwin Mitchell was the highest-profile new entrant. The ...
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Sampson in the lions' den
In the race to Room 101, claims management companies (CMCs) are rivaled in the public mind only by chuggers and those ‘freshen up’ toilet attendants. But unlike those second two groups, there is never the satisfaction of telling them in person where to go. The most ...
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Co-op, like Man Utd, gets an early wake-up call
There will be people looking at Co-op Legal Services’ interim financial results with the same glee as football fans savouring Manchester United’s defeat on Monday. United were the big spenders, the brand leaders, the swaggering, bold, competition-crushing favourites, brought down a peg or two. Victory for ...
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Investment drive hits profits at Co-op Legal
Operating profits for Co-operative Legal Services (CLS) fell year-on-year by 63% during the first half of 2012, the organisation revealed today. In its half-year financial report, the Co-operative Group says its legal services arm made a profit of £700,000 as it spent heavily on recruitment and expansion. ...
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Petition fights clinical negligence clawback
Campaigners for accident victims have launched a petition to stop a levy being taken from successful claims funded through legal aid. The Ministry of Justice intends to impose the Supplementary Legal Aid Scheme (SLAS) from April 2013, to allow for up to 25% of damages awards ...
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Oral contracts to be banned in claims clampdown
Claims management companies (CMCs) will be forced to end oral contract arrangements under rules proposed by the Ministry of Justice today. The MoJ’s Claims Management Regulator (the regulator) will insist that CMCs have to agree contracts with clients in writing before any fees can be taken. ...
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ABSs: a veritable ‘who’s that?’
Watching the trickle of new alternative business structure licence announcements has been like the opening night of Celebrity Big Brother. We’ve had a couple of famous faces we knew about in advance and a few surprises, but mostly it’s been a case of running to Google to find out who ...
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ABSs ‘put 2,000 firms at risk’
More than 2,000 law firms are at risk of failure in the next year because of competition from alternative business structures (ABSs). That is the claim of insolvency trade body R3, after studying data from Bureau van Dijk’s ‘Fame’ database. The figures, which place existing businesses ...
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We’ll publish all on complaints, LeO states
The Legal Ombudsman has reaffirmed its commitment to making public complaints data about lawyers and firms despite a delay in publication. Chief Ombudsman Adam Sampson (pictured) said the first quarter’s data – including around 900 decisions – will be published ‘sometime in the autumn’.
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MoJ improving – but financial performance ‘unacceptable’, MPs say
The Ministry of Justice is blighted by poor financial management and a lack of expertise for drawing up outsourcing contracts, a select committee states today. A report by the Justice Select Committee says while improvements had been made in structure in the five years since the ...
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American bar closes door on 'lowest common denominator' ABSs
Leading US lawyers have voted down a proposal to rule out all further studies on non-lawyer ownership of firms – while indicating that alternative business structure (ABS) arrangements remain firmly off the agenda for now.
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Only parliament can help Tony Nicklinson
If Tony Nicklinson had the ability, he would take his own life. The father-of-two says his current existence, paralysed from the neck down and communicating through blinking, is intolerable. Without the physical capability, he will need someone to assist him, but the law will not grant ...
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Clarke looks again at discount rate deductions
Justice secretary Kenneth Clarke has opened talks with the personal injury sector amidst concerns that claimants are missing out on their rightful compensation. Clarke and his equivalents in Scotland and Northern Ireland are looking again at the discount rate; the amount deducted from settlements on the ...
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Doctors blame 'no win, no fee' for rise in legal actions
Doctors are facing unprecedented increases in claims for compensation for clinical negligence, according to the head of the Medical Defence Union. The mutual organisation, which indemnifies clinicians against claims, has revealed plans for a campaign to persuade ministers to cut the costs of damages awards. ...
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Property management business becomes latest ABS
A property management company based in London has become the latest organisation to be granted a licence as an alternative business structure. Crabtree Property Management, established in 1983, says it runs more than 17,000 units in a portfolio spread across London and the south of England. ...
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Two-year PII deals gain in popularity as 2013 uncertainty looms
An underwriting agency specialising in two-year insurance deals is targeting £25m of business for this year’s professional indemnity insurance (PII) renewal period. Indemnity Risk Solutions says law firms will be looking for longer-term options in advance of the phasing out next year of the assigned risks ...
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SRA ponders policing of referral fee ban
The Solicitors Regulation Authority will set out within weeks how it intends to police the forthcoming ban on referral fees. The SRA has confirmed it will draw up a formal policy position in advance of a 12-week consultation starting this autumn. The ...
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Firm pays tribute to kind solicitor
The funeral will be held next week of solicitor and father-of-three James Ward, who died last month after being shot in his office. The 58-year-old, who helped to found Wiltshire firm Morris Goddard & Ward more than 20 years ago, was described by colleagues as a ...
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City lawyers cautious on fast-track scheme
City lawyers have cautiously welcomed government proposals for a fast-track procedure for smaller businesses launching private actions under competition law. The City of London Law Society said a fast-track scheme would make bringing an action cheaper and simpler for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Responding ...