All articles by John Hyde – Page 376
-
News
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 ...
-
News
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.
-
News
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 ...
-
News
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 ...
-
News
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 ...
-
News
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. ...
-
News
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. ...
-
News
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.
-
News
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 ...
-
News
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 ...
-
News
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 ...
-
News
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 ...
-
News
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 ...
-
News
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 ...
-
News
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 ...
-
News
Newspapers warned against prejudicing trials
Newspapers have been warned they risk impeding the course of justice if they vilify a suspect who is under arrest. The Sun and Daily Mirror were today both found to have breached the Contempt of Court Act 1981 through their reporting of the investigation into the ...
-
News
Clyde & Co and BLG confirm merger
Partners at top-40 firms Clyde & Co and Barlow Lyde & Gilbert have voted to proceed with a merger. The management of both firms have agreed the move, which will bring together the insurance specialists. Clyde & Co posted a £212m turnover ...
-
News
The press should take more care not to prejudice trials
If you were searching for a flat in Bristol and found out the landlord was Christopher Jefferies, would you still sign the contract? If you were walking your kids to school and he was approaching, would you cross the road to avoid him? ...
-
News
Bar Council to examine Bribery Act action on referral fees
Bar Council leaders have condemned the Legal Services Board for refusing to ban referral fees, and will look into whether the fees break the terms of the Bribery Act. Writing in an update to members, chair Peter Lodder and vice-chair Michael Todd said they were ‘surprised ...
-
News
LSB to review ‘reserved activities’
The Legal Services Board has outlined plans to modernise regulation and create a consistent approach to ‘reserved’ activities. In a discussion paper launched today, the LSB says the list of legal services that only a qualified lawyer can undertake, including conveyancing, litigation and advocacy, has grown ...