All articles by John Hyde – Page 374
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News
Landmark ruling on miscarriages of justice expected
Hundreds of people wrongly convicted of a serious crime will hear this week if they can make a fresh bid for compensation. Nine senior judges from the Supreme Court will decide the exact definition of a ‘miscarriage of justice’ in a landmark ruling expected tomorrow. ...
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News
Barnardo’s issues warning over asbo repeal
A leading children’s charity this week warned of the dangers of government plans to repeal the anti-social behaviour order (asbo). The Home Office is currently consulting on its ‘More Effective Responses to Anti-Social Behaviour’ policy, which aims to give the police, courts and the community extra ...
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Law firms in the dark over Quinn PII payments
Law firms that took out professional indemnity insurance (PII) policies with stricken Irish company Quinn Insurance are still in the dark about when claims will be paid.
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Domestic violence courts to close
More than one in six specialist domestic violence courts are set to close as part of the government’s nationwide court closures plan, it has emerged. Shadow justice minister Andy Slaughter has tabled a series of parliamentary questions to justice secretary Kenneth Clarke on the impact of ...
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Will ruling opens way for family claims
Family members who are snubbed in a relative’s will in favour of charities could find it easier to lay claim to the estate following a recent judgment. The Court of Appeal ruled last month that Heather Ilott could request a larger share of her mother Melita ...
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Cuts to court reporters are bad news for justice
Here’s a spot of philosophy to keep you going during this tortuous four-day week: if a judge speaks but there’s nobody in his courtroom, does he still make a sound? I ask because there are an awful lot of courtrooms now where the press bench is ...
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Top firms involved in merger talks
Almost three-quarters of UK law firms have entered into talks about mergers in the past year, according to research. The survey of the country’s top-200 law firms by turnover found that 74.2% have made an approach to, or been approached by, another firm with a view ...
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New website launches for personal injury claims
A new website has launched to gather personal injury claims for solicitors. The site selects only one firm per geographical area. Firms pay a flat monthly fee for the service which is based on the population of the area covered. ...
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News
Clifford Chance promotes nine partners in greater China
Magic Circle firm Clifford Chance has promoted 23 lawyers to its partnership – including 12 in Asia. The firm said the partnership promotions, which took effect on May 1, reflected a new commitment to business in the Far East, with nine of the new partners focused on the Greater China ...
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Holman Fenwick Willan posts increase in revenue
Global expansion has seen international firm Holman Fenwick Willan secure revenue of £112.5m for the last year. The figure represents a 6% increase on a comparative 12-month period for 2009/10, with revenue from offices outside of London up by 45%. That jump ...
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SRA launches roadshow events on future of the profession
A series of talks on the future of the legal profession will start this week as the Solicitors Regulation Authority goes on the road. Around 2,500 lawyers are expected to attend the 2011 roadshows across the country – starting at the Law Society headquarters in Chancery ...
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Court stenographers to be replaced with digital recording
The quiet tapping of the court stenographer will be silenced by next year to be replaced with a high-tech recording system.
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Pannone launches ‘white label’ legal services
A Manchester firm has launched a new division to tap into the customer base of major retail, insurance and financial services companies. Pannone is negotiating with several potential partners to join its ‘white label’ legal services division, known as Affinity Solutions, with one unnamed business already ...
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Lawyers call for mobility scooter insurance changes
Personal injury lawyers have called for a comprehensive review of the Road Traffic Act to ensure mobility scooter riders have to take out insurance cover. Simon O’Loughlin, a partner at Hodges, Jones & Allen, said a sharp rise in scooter riders is inevitable with an ageing ...
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News
The problem with injunctions
I know the name of the Premier League footballer who has taken out an injunction to prevent his private life being thrust into public consumption. Or at least, I think I know. I’ve certainly heard his name mentioned over a chat at the bar. ...
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News
Irwin Mitchell to seek external investment
National firm Irwin Mitchell has become one of the first law firms to give notice that it will seek external investment as it embraces the opportunities presented by the Legal Services Act. The firm, which has nine offices in the UK, will seek external investment ...
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News
SRA to rubber stamp next phase of red tape cuts
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has said it is open to further ideas for cutting regulation after several demands from members of the profession. The regulator is this week expected to rubber stamp the second phase of its programme to reduce red tape. Under the new reforms, compliance officers will no ...
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News
LETR: consumer watchdog is ‘greatly disappointed’
The Legal and Education Training Review is a ‘missed opportunity’ because it fails to heed calls for a re-accreditation scheme for solicitors, the legal consumer watchdog said today.
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News
Education review comes out for ‘incremental’ reform
Legal education and training is not ‘fundamentally broken’ but is failing to ensure consistent levels of quality across the profession, a long-awaited pan-profession report says today.
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News
Dishonesty reports double as solicitors 'take chances' - SRA
Reports of solicitor dishonesty have almost doubled in the past two years as economic pressures start to bite across the profession, the Solicitors Regulation Authority revealed today.