All articles by John Hyde – Page 368
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News
Fix costs to save the planet, says Jackson
Lord Justice Jackson has recommended a fixed costs regime to ensure the government fulfils its duty in environmental judicial review cases. The Ministry of Justice launched a consultation last year to ask how to comply with the UK’s international obligations as part of the UN Aarhus ...
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An ABS game-changer as UK says g’day to Aussies
Those Aussies just can’t resist a bit of competition. From their cricket team beating us with depressing regularity in the 1990s to Paul Hogan ('you call that a knife?'), it seems a nation devoted to one-upmanship. So we shouldn’t be too surprised to see an Aussie ...
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McNally unmoved as he rejects third-party capture ban
Justice minister Lord McNally has reiterated that the government has no intention of banning insurers from third-party capture. Speaking during Wednesday’s House of Lords debate on civil litigation reform, McNally said there was no proof that accident victims were harmed by a direct approach from insurance ...
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SRA sorry for online delays
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has apologised for further delays to online renewals of practising certificates as it starts to clear a backlog of applications. The SRA’s new mySRA system, which replaces paper forms and cheques, has been the subject of widespread criticism in the profession.
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Jackson civil cost reforms deferred until April 2013
The government has deferred Lord Justice Jackson's civil costs reforms until April 2013 but fought off attempts to scale back the changes. The Ministry of Justice this week confirmed that civil litigation reform will be put back by six months to give law firms time to ...
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RJW to be limited company following £53.8m Aussie takeover
Top-100 firm Russell Jones & Walker this week became the biggest beast in the new world of alternative business structures by announcing a £53.8m takeover by a stock-exchange listed Australian firm. Slater & Gordon of Melbourne announced the acquisition on Monday, saying it planned to create one the UK’s biggest ...
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US warning on third-party funding reform
An influential US legal lobbying group has warned of 'serious concerns' about the growing power of third-party litigation funding in the UK. The Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) has already pleaded with the American Bar Association to halt the increasing use of external litigation funding ...
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Downtrodden sidekick gets a moment in the spotlight
You can’t help but feel sorry for the less glamorous half of a partnership. Shunted to the side, often ignored and with their other half stealing all the glory: theirs is a life destined for second best. In the LASPO bill, civil ...
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News
Merger talks off
Talks over a possible merger between national firms DWF and Cobbetts have ended just weeks after they were first confirmed. In a joint statement released today, the firms said the decision had been made not to progress with talks due to ‘current uncertainty in market conditions’. ...
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We’re clearing web backlog, says SRA
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has apologised for delays to online practising certificate renewal as it starts to clear the backlog of applications.
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Leading firms ponder ABS options
At least 10 of the top 100 UK law firms are considering applying to become alternative business structures, the Gazette can reveal. International firm Kennedys and Midlands firm Browne Jacobson are among those to confirm this week that discussions are ongoing about a possible application - ...
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News
Ban on PI adverts in hospitals 'unworkable'
Banning leaflets advertising personal injury lawyers and claims management companies from NHS hospitals is unworkable and counter-productive, the government has been warned. Health minister Simon Burns last week told English NHS hospitals it was ‘not acceptable’ to display adverts for law firms. He said patients should ...
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News
Cost assessment scheme to go national
Lord Justice Jackson has stated that the costs provisional assessment scheme is ready to go national after a year-long pilot. District judges in three county courts were required to assess on paper any bill of costs in which the base costs claimed were £25,000 or less. ...
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Solicitors wary of new compliance roles
Solicitors fear the potential risks involved in taking on new roles as compliance officers within their firms, a legal consultancy has warned. The 360 Legal Group says it found ‘serious concerns’ over regulatory changes requiring individuals to monitor their firm’s behaviour and report any wrongdoing - ...
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News
Quoted company buys PI firm in ABS first
A personal injury firm is to be bought by a listed company in a £19.3m deal to create an alternative business structure (ABS). Liverpool-based Silverbeck Rymer will be acquired by AIM-listed Quindell Portfolio for an initial £10.25m in cash, and the issue of up to 120.8m ...
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News
Twitter ban in Redknapp trial
The judge in the trial of Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has banned the use of Twitter from inside the courtroom. Judge Leonard ordered the ban for both the press and members of the public attending the trial of Redknapp (pictured) and former Portsmouth chairman Milan ...
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News
Kudos to trainee minimum wage
I’d like to say I became a journalist through a lifelong obsession with Woodward and Bernstein, a duty to inform and passion for the English language. In truth my career path probably owes more to a computer program named Kudos, which filtered your hobbies and dislikes to find your perfect ...
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News
Pinsent Masons in Anglo-Scottish merger talks
Top 20 London firm Pinsent Masons has confirmed it is in cross-border merger talks with Edinburgh-based McGrigors. If successful, the merger would create a business with a turnover of more than £300m, headquartered in London and with six offices across Asia. In ...
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News
ATE insurer enters solicitors PII market
A leading after-the-event insurer has confirmed it will enter the solicitors professional indemnity insurance market this year. Elite Insurance will open a book of £3m for smaller, niche firms it has worked with in the past.
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News
Hundreds of court posts axed
More than 1,200 posts were cut by HM Courts and Tribunals Service last year, just as it faced an upsurge in workload caused by rising numbers of litigants in person. A response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request by the Gazette discloses that full-time equivalent ...