All articles by John Hyde – Page 369
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News
Anger over £600m in unpaid court fines
The government was accused of ‘economic illiteracy’ this week, as it emerged that the amount owed in outstanding court fines has risen to more than £600m in the past year, while the number of enforcement officers employed to collect them was slashed by 12%. Solicitors expressed ...
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Solicitor linked to drug dealer jailed
Legal practitioners have been warned not to turn a blind eye to criminality after a solicitor with links to a drug dealer was jailed for 16 months. James Thorburn-Muirhead was sentenced last month to 16 months in prison after abusing his professional posititon. ...
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News
Should we have the right to know a partner’s criminal past?
If I want to buy a car I can see the history of everyone that has owned it. If I am buying a house I can request a surveyor’s report and check every last detail before I commit to signing the deeds. And yet, in choosing ...
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News
Regulator clamps down on claims management companies
The regulator of claims management companies has reported a massive rise in the number of businesses refused authorisation. The Claims Management Regulation Unit warned there would be ‘no let-up’ in the coming year after seeing enforcement measures against firms leap from 35 in 2009/10 to 349 ...
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A&O opens in Morocco
Magic circle firm Allen & Overy has announced its first move into Africa with an office opening in Casablanca. The firm is looking to build on a number of recent deals in the continent, focusing on the region’s emerging markets. The new ...
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Ombudsman warns of ‘confusion’ over legal services
Confusion over regulation of legal services is leaving consumers vulnerable and exposed, the Legal Ombudsman concludes today. Adam Sampson will publish his first annual report to parliament later today, following the launch of the organisation in October 2010. Sampson said that despite ...
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Regulator to miss October deadline for ABSs
The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that the Solicitors Regulation Authority will miss its 6 October deadline for an ABS licence.
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News
Cameron supportive of referral fees ban
A ban on referral fees has edged one step closer with David Cameron admitting he is ‘sympathetic’ to the idea this week. The prime minister was drawn into the debate on the fees by a question from Liberal Democrat MP David Ward during PMQs on Wednesday. ...
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News
Has the once weak SRA morphed into the Incredible Hulk?
Are we seeing some sort of metamorphosis over at the SRA? This week saw the kind of rhetoric that will put the frighteners on any law firm veering dangerously close to the red. The language used on a report into outstanding premiums ...
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News
Firms urged to donate unused client funds
Law firms are being urged by two of the country’s top legal figures to donate funds being held for untraceable clients or beneficiaries to support advice centres. More than 7,000 law firms will receive letters in the coming days signed by attorney general Dominic Grieve and ...
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News
Magic circle firms post solid results
Three magic circle firms have posted steady but unremarkable financial results as testing market conditions continue to prevail. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Linklaters and Allen & Overy all released figures for the 2010/11 financial year. At Freshfields, revenue fell marginally on the previous year, with profits per equity partner down by ...
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News
‘City firms don’t need capital’ - CLLS chair
The new chair of the City of London Law Society wants to see more lawyers in positions of power and influence, he said this week. Alasdair Douglas, speaking in his first major interview since taking over the role last month, told the Gazette he is determined ...
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News
Mid-market firms review strategy ahead of alternative business structures
More than a third of mid-market law firms have changed their business strategies in the last year in response to the Legal Services Act. A survey of 101 firms, commissioned by legal information provider Lexis Nexis, also found that a further quarter will alter their structure ...
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News
ABS timetable in danger of slipping
The Solicitors Regulation Authority may not be ready to license alternative business structures from the target date of 6 October. SRA chairman Charles Plant told the regulator’s monthly board meeting today that the authority’s preparations for the change remain on schedule. ...
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ARP firms still owe £8.46m
Law firms in the Assigned Risks Pool still owe £8.46 million in premiums, despite debts falling during 2011. Outstanding premiums have come down from £9.3 million at the end of March this year as regulators clamp down on non-paying firms. The Solicitors ...
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Solicitor-advocates make final effort to halt scheme
Solicitor-advocates have made a final effort to stop a scheme that will see judges evaluating their competence, which they claim would discriminate against solicitors. The Solicitors Association of Higher Court Advocates (SAHCA) has written to Solicitors Regulation Authority board members and called on them to veto ...
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News
SRA braced for ABS interest from abroad
The SRA has been told to prepare for increasing interest from non-English law firms following the introduction of alternative business structures.
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News
Leading insurance broker predicts late entries in indemnity market
A leading insurance broker has predicted that there may still be late entrants to the solicitors’ professional indemnity market. Martin Ellis, director of Prime Professions, told the Gazette that some insurers had been interested in opening books for law firms until very recently. ...
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News
Civil litigation reforms give carte blanche to exploit developing nations
You know, I have a lot of sympathy for you ambulance-chasing solicitors. There you are, hurtling down busy streets in pursuit of the big white van - without a siren or flashing lights but still expected to keep up. Perhaps we should ...
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News
High Court backs children's guardian independence
A High Court ruling has reasserted the independence of children’s guardians from state control. In a landmark judgment, Sir Nicholas Wall said the court-appointed guardians were a vital element in protecting children. He told the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support ...