Last 3 months headlines – Page 1257

  • News

    Public authorities and datasets

    2012-10-04T00:00:00Z

    The past few months have seen a number of developments in Freedom of Information law. In May, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) announced changes that will be made to the information public authorities will need to release proactively as part of their Publication Scheme (under ...

  • News

    IBA 2012: former president of American bar dismisses 'risky' ABS model

    2012-10-04T00:00:00Z

    The immediate past-president of the American Bar Association has strongly denounced alternative business structures, arguing that non-lawyer investment in law firms compromises the client's best interests and undermines professional independence. William T (Bill) Robinson III gave the strongest indication yet that the US will ...

  • News

    Irish rise

    2012-10-04T00:00:00Z

    Is this year’s International Bar Association conference the biggest global gathering of lawyers ever, anywhere? The organisers certainly seem to think so, and, though vast, the premises of the Royal Dublin Society struggled to cope with a cast of thousands at Sunday’s opening ceremony. About 150 latecomers were locked out ...

  • News

    Middle Eastern promise

    2012-10-04T00:00:00Z

    Fancy somewhere different for a holiday this year? With sunshine, mountains and a fascinating local culture and history? Obiter suggests Iraqi Kurdistan. The semi-autonomous province is accessible, friendly and the prospect of oil wealth has encouraged a spate of luxury hotel building. Though you’ll want to avoid the seven-star end ...

  • News

    Easy Ryder

    2012-10-04T00:00:00Z

    Nice to see the national press playing to stereotype at the lord chief justice’s annual press conference at the Royal Courts of Justice last week. The Daily Mail asked if capital punishment should return, the Evening Standard wanted to know if the Abu Hamza case had ...

  • News

    Focus on value proposition

    2012-10-04T00:00:00Z

    Law firm marketing is often seen as the department which does the brochures, the website and runs events. It is relatively rare that the marketing team is consulted in areas such as pricing, but all a firm’s effort and expenditure on promotion may amount to nothing if the solicitor receiving ...

  • News

    Novel approach

    2012-10-04T00:00:00Z

    The irresistible combination of culture, charity and immigration law was enough to send Obiter hotfooting it across London last week to hear novelist Marina Lewycka (pictured) reading excerpts from her latest book, Various Pets Alive and Dead. Author of the improbably named bestseller A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, ...

  • News

    Immigration

    2012-10-04T00:00:00Z

    Liberty - Detention - Sentence of imprisonment for public protection Secretary of State for the Home Department v FV (Italy): CA (Civ Div) (Lord Justices Pill, Aikens, Lady Justice Rafferty): 14 September 2012 ...

  • News

    Labour conference: Khan he deliver the goods?

    2012-10-04T00:00:00Z

    The centrepiece of Labour’s conference, as with any party conference, was the leader’s speech. In Manchester Ed Miliband’s hour-long noteless oration went down well with the press on performance, but it was noticeably lacking on the minor detail of policy. I seemed to spend my ...

  • News

    Criminal reaccreditation scheme on hold

    2012-10-04T00:00:00Z

    The Law Society has postponed plans to reaccredit criminal solicitors every five years, following consultation with the profession. The Society consulted in April on a proposal that members of the Criminal Litigation Accreditation Scheme (CLAS) should undergo a regulatory check every five years, confirming that they ...

  • News

    Human rights

    2012-10-04T00:00:00Z

    Liberty - Detention - Sentence of imprisonment for public protection James and others v United Kingdom (app nos 25119/09, 57715/09 and 57877/09): European Court of Human Rights (Judges Lech Garlicki (president), David Thór Björgvinsson, Nicolas Bratza, George Nicolaou, Zdravka ...

  • News

    IBA 2012: 'banker to the poor' calls for company law rethink

    2012-10-04T00:00:00Z

    Nobel Peace laureate and anti-poverty campaigner Professor Muhammad Yunus today called for a fundamental rethink of company law in order to help the world's poor. The Bangladeshi banker and former economics professor wants to see a relaxation of the obligation on public company directors to ...

  • News

    Contract

    2012-10-04T00:00:00Z

    Oral contract - Losses - Credibility of parties Berezovsky v Abramovich; Berezovsky v Hine and others: QBD (Comm) (Mrs Justice Gloster): 31 August 2012 The claimant commenced proceedings against the ...

  • News

    Memory lane

    2012-10-04T00:00:00Z

    Law Society’s Gazette, 11 October 1972 Excerpts from the inaugural address by President of the Law Society Sir Desmond Heap LLM People and Lawyers It is a matter of astonishment for lawyers that they seem to be regarded ...

  • News

    Saga targets confused legal consumers

    2012-10-03T00:00:00Z

    Over-50s holiday specialist Saga said it would target clients ‘bamboozled’ by jargon as it became the second consumer brand name to enter the legal services market. Roger Ramsden, chief executive of Saga Services, said: ‘People want legal advice and products at a price they understand, ...

  • News

    Banks agree new protocol for estate administration

    2012-10-03T00:00:00Z

    New rules for the exchange of information between banks and solicitors administering an estate have been agreed by the British Bankers’ Association (BBA), the Law Society and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).

  • News

    Squatting made a criminal offence

    2012-10-03T00:00:00Z

    Historically if a property owner or occupier was not able to 'persuade' squatters to leave residential property the property owner or occupier was only able to use one of two legal processes to evict a squatter from residential property: ...

  • News

    We’re keeping our options open, says ABS applicant AA

    2012-10-03T00:00:00Z

    Breakdown recovery and insurance business AA has insisted it is merely ‘keeping its options open’ by applying for an alternative business structure licence. The company today confirmed it has applied to the Solicitors Regulation Authority with a view to providing legal services in the future. It ...

  • News

    IBA 2012: inside the bubble

    2012-10-03T00:00:00Z

    At the risk of appearing graceless to my host, I can't help wondering if the International Bar Association ought to be more important than it is. After all, the world's biggest organisation of international bars and legal practitioners has this week convened what is thought to be the biggest gathering ...

  • News

    Khan: we’ll be tough on the causes of reoffending

    2012-10-03T00:00:00Z

    A women’s justice board and a minister to tackle offenders’ mental health problems would be among a Labour government’s plans to fight crime and open a ‘war on reoffending’, the shadow justice secretary told the Labour party conference today.