All articles by John Hyde – Page 360
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News
You’re on candid camera, M’learned friend
And so it begins. Cameras will soon be allowed into court, according to justice secretary Ken Clarke, beaming judges’ verdicts into living rooms like a horror version of Jackanory. Opponents to change will mourn the announcement like Luddites watching the machines start up, raging against the ...
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Stephen Mayson - ABS licensing is a 'shambles'
The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s failure to meet the 6 October target date for licensing alternative business structures was branded a ‘shambles’ by a leading market commentator this week. Professor Stephen Mayson (pictured), director of the Legal Services Policy Institute, told delegates at a Westminster Legal Policy ...
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New provider enters PII market
A new provider has entered the professional indemnity insurance market with less than a month to go until the renewal deadline. Lloyd’s of London broker Bar Professions has secured a new insurer that will look to cover firms of between one and 25 partners of any ...
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MoJ overturns ban on cameras in court
Justice secretary Ken Clarke has confirmed the blanket ban on filming in law courts will be overturned ‘to improve public understanding’ of the justice system. Broadcasting will initially be allowed from the Court of Appeal before expanding to include the Crown court. ...
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Claimant lawyers blast ABI claims over compensation
Claimant solicitors have hit out at claims by insurers that consumers get more compensation when they avoid dealing with solicitors. The Association of British Insurers suggested yesterday that the number of personal injury claims received by insurers leapt by 72% between 2002 and 2010. ...
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Sky News: riot sentences strengthen case for cameras in court
The head of Sky News has made a renewed appeal for court proceedings to be televised in the light of the August riots. John Ryley has written to justice secretary Kenneth Clarke calling for an end to the ban on television cameras entering the courtroom.
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Labour tables amendments to legal aid and costs reforms
Opponents to government strategy for civil litigation and legal aid reform have launched a multi-pronged ‘victim-centric’ attack on the proposals. Labour MPs have tabled a series of amendments to the coalition government’s planned changes under the umbrella of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders ...
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Abbey Protection to exploit Legal Services Act
Insurance firm Abbey Protection has indicated it will take full advantage of the future deregulation of legal services. The firm, which announced its financial results this week, saw post-tax profits increase by 10% to £3.8m in the first half of 2011 – of which £1.2m was ...
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Law Society runs SafetyNet PII scheme
The Law Society has revealed that it will again offer help for firms having difficulty in securing professional indemnity insurance. The SafetyNet scheme will assist law firms trying to avoid entering the assigned risks pool or help those who want to leave it. ...
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Law Society to hold superinjunction debate
A Law Society debate will this month consider how superinjunctions can survive in an era of social media. The free discussion, entitled Privacy, Free Press and the Public Interest, will look at how anonymity orders can be enforced when information is so readily available through sites ...
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Clyde & Co commences Canadian merger
City firm Clyde & Co has continued its expansion with the formal takeover of Canadian insurance specialist Nicholl Paskell-Mede. The London-based firm recently announced a merger with Barlow Lyde & Gilbert and has now crossed the Atlantic for a further tie-up. As ...
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Insurance lawyers urge government to implement cost reforms in full
Insurance lawyers have urged ministers not to water down civil litigation reform in the face of vocal opposition. The government has faced repeated criticism over the summer from claimant representatives over changes proposed in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill. ...
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Wotton stresses ‘opportunity’ presented by ABSs
Law Society president John Wotton will today spell out his belief that alternative business structures can present a significant opportunity for the legal sector.
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Claimant solicitors to pay half of RTA portal costs
Claimant solicitors are to fund half of the cost of the Road Traffic Accident Portal, the Gazette has learned, in a move that claimant lawyers believe will give them more say in how the system operates. The portal, which launched last year as an information exchange ...
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CJC to set up working party on civil costs reforms
A working party is being put together by the Civil Justice Council (CJC) to examine the technicalities of civil litigation reform. Experts will attempt to thrash out practical proposals to follow up on measures planned by the government following the review of litigation costs by Lord ...
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E-petitions are dangerous and pointless – so why bother with them?
Winston Churchill once claimed that the best argument against democracy was a five-minute conversation with the average voter. One look at the terrifying e-petition website, and the old boy would doubtless have choked on his brandy in horror. What a Pandora’s box ...
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Diversity boss calls for 'inclusive culture' at legal firms
The incoming global head of diversity and inclusion at City giant Herbert Smith has warned that some law firms still need to do much more to create an ‘inclusive culture’. David Shields, a former director at gay rights organisation Stonewall, said some practices were more concerned ...
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Clyde & Co and BLG give merger details
Management at City firms Clyde & Co and Barlow Lyde & Gilbert have revealed details of their forthcoming merger after partners gave their backing last week. The combined firm will be called Clyde & Co, and will have 270 partners, more than 1,250 fee earners and ...
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Big firms coy on external investment talks
Most leading law firms are discussing the potential for external investment ahead of the Legal Services Act coming fully into force – but they are not admitting to it, according to a financial advisory group. Few of the larger firms have shown any public interest in ...
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Claimant lawyers warn over health and safety review
Ministers have been warned they risk inviting a raft of claims by loosening health and safety legislation. Consultation closed last week on the Department for Work and Pensions review of workplace rules, with the results to be published in the autumn. Employment ...