All articles by John Hyde – Page 350
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News
Man shot in solicitors’ office
A man is in a life-threatening condition after a shooting at a solicitors’ office in Wiltshire. The victim suffered serious head injuries after a single shot was fired at Morris, Goddard and Ward in Devizes on Monday afternoon, a police statement said. He was airlifted to ...
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Profits leap at Clifford Chance
Magic circle firm Clifford Chance says it has defied market uncertainty to post a ‘strong performance’ for the last financial year. The firm today said that its 2011/12 profits leaped by 13% to £431m while revenues rose by 7% to £1.3bn. Profit per equity partner was ...
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A&O profits steady
More than 400 partners at Allen & Overy will earn at least £640,000 this year, the firm revealed as it kicked off the magic circle reporting season today. Allen & Overy’s results for the year ending 30 April show profits up by 7% to £486m on ...
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High Court vindicates RSA on ‘in-house’ repair deals
An insurance company was entitled to set its own rates for vehicle repairs after claimants suffered accidents, a High Court judge has ruled. In his preliminary judgment on the case of Coles v Hetherton released today, Mr Justice Cooke said RSA Insurance was entitled to ...
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Quindell snaps up claims networker to sidestep referral fee ban
One of the biggest new entrants to the legal market has invested in a networking business that brings together claims management companies (CMCs). AIM-listed Quindell Portfolio, which already owns a law firm and has applied to become an alternative business structure, said the move was designed ...
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News
Top GP backs government plans to check whiplash claims
A leading GP has backed government plans to cut the cost of whiplash claims by requiring claimants to see specialists. Dr Peter Swinyard, chairman of the Family Doctors Association, told the Gazette there had been a marked increase in patients complaining of stiff necks following car ...
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News
Women ‘out-perform men in judicial appointments’
Women made up around half the judicial appointments during a six-month period, despite forming as little as a fifth of the candidate pool. The sixth set of official statistics published today by the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) shows women starting to outperform men. Based on 13 ...
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News
Chancery Lane warns of ‘anomalies’ in referral fee ban
The Law Society has warned of a ‘danger of anomalies’ in the government’s plan for banning referral fees. The Ministry of Justice is finalising the specifics of the ban, which will apply only to personal injury cases. Payment and receipt of the fees will be prohibited ...
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News
SIFA warns against liberalisation of referrals process
Solicitors referring clients for financial advice will be exposed to indemnity claims if the process is liberalised, the profession has been warned. The Solicitors Regulation Authority is considering relaxing rules which dictate that lawyers can refer clients only to independent financial advisers, as opposed to advisers ...
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Referral fee ban is SRA's mission impossible
As any lazy person knows (I’m told), it’s pretty easy to get out of doing a job you hate. Just moan incessantly about having to make the tea/clean the bathroom/take a trip to Westfield, to the point where you’ll never be asked again. If all else fails, do such a ...
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News
SRA powerless to stop ABSs circumventing referral ban
Regulators have warned they will be powerless to prevent the establishment of companies that would get around the ban on referral fees. Alternative business structures encompassing both law firms and claims management companies may not fall within the scope of any ban, the Solicitors Regulation Authority ...
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News
Private equity firm takes stake in ABS
Former Dragon’s Den investor James Caan (pictured) has announced that his private equity company is to invest in a regional commercial firm. Caan’s company Hamilton Bradshaw will invest an undisclosed sum in Staffordshire-based Knights as it applies to become an alternative business structure. ...
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News
Executive committee takes reins at regional firm Fosters
A regional firm has ditched the traditional partnership model after clients pressed for a more familiar management structure. Fosters Solicitors, a legal disciplinary practice operating from eight offices across East Anglia, has appointed a new executive committee to take over the day-to-day running of the business. ...
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News
Call for curbs on legal lobbyists
MPs have called for tighter restrictions on law firms that act as lobbyists for their clients. Firms should be forced to sign up to a new register for lobbyists if they are acting beyond simply advising their clients, they have urged.
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News
London firms ‘boosted’ by foreign competition
A leading representative of City lawyers has said competition from foreign firms has provided a welcome boost to the London market - and he urged government to do everything possible to encourage more. Alasdair Douglas, chairman of the City of London Law Society, told the Gazette ...
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News
Is a 'liberal' approach to knife crime working?
Don’t tell the Daily Mail, but the government is getting softer on knife crime - and it might just be working. Yesterday the Ministry of Justice confirmed the offences and sentencing figures for the first quarter of 2012. You can tell they’re ...
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News
LSB report highlights web advice shortfall
Consumers of legal services want more tailored support from the internet as a first point of contact for their legal problems, a report has found. Research carried out by the Legal Services Board found consumers were often ‘swamped’ by information online and gave up halfway through ...
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DWF to merge with Scots firm
National firm DWF has announced plans to merge with Scottish firm Biggart Baillie from next month. The business law firm, which last week topped the £100m turnover mark for the first time, will add to its 10 existing offices with further bases in Glasgow and Edinburgh. ...
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News
Portal won’t cope with extension, says Law Society
The Law Society will refuse to support an extension of the RTA portal until there are major structural changes to the system. The Society has warned the government it will be impossible to extend the portal to include employer and public liability cases.
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News
Osborne Clarke continues strong revenue trend
National firm Osborne Clarke has reported a new high in revenues for the last financial year of £97.7m. The figure was an increase of 8% on the previous year and reflected the firm’s best financial performance in its history. Net profit increased by 6% during 2011/12. ...