Last 3 months headlines – Page 1566

  • News

    Clifford Chance regains status as biggest firm by revenues

    2010-07-07T00:00:00Z

    Clifford Chance has retaken its place as the biggest law firm in the UK by revenues, pipping fellow magic circle firm Linklaters to the post. Clifford Chance also reported a strong resurgence in average profits per equity partner (PEP), which jumped by a quarter to £933,000 ...

  • News

    Government rules out appealing defence costs cap judgment

    2010-07-07T00:00:00Z

    The Law Society has welcomed the government's decision not to appeal against Chancery Lane’s recent court victory in defeating the previous administration’s plans to make acquitted defendants pay most of the costs of their own defence. The Law Society challenged the policy introduced by the ...

  • News

    The time has come to scrap the minimum salary for trainees

    2010-07-07T00:00:00Z

    LPC graduates face a pretty tough time getting training contracts at the moment. Not only is there an ever-increasing number of students graduating from the course – with training providers only too happy to offer more places – but the number of firms prepared to offer the training contract is ...

  • News

    Bulgaria opens up to foreign law firms

    2010-07-07T00:00:00Z

    Bulgaria is to amend its anti-competitive Bar Act and allow international law firms to practise within its borders following a two-year campaign by City firms and the Law Society. Bulgaria’s Bar Act, which will now be amended, prohibits international law firms from practising under their own ...

  • News

    Refugee and Migrant Justice clients lose High Court bid

    2010-07-07T00:00:00Z

    The High Court has rejected a bid to allow collapsed immigration advice charity Refugee and Migrant Justice to carry on representing its clients until their cases are transferred to other firms. Eight clients of RMJ, which went into administration last month, had sought a judicial review ...

  • News

    Munby calls for more openness in family courts

    2010-07-06T00:00:00Z

    Legislation intended to open up the family courts is a ‘lost opportunity’ that will fail to bring about the openness needed to improve confidence in family proceedings, a leading judge has said. Giving the 2010 Hershman-Levy memorial lecture last week, Lord Justice Munby called for ‘radical ...

  • News

    Linklaters reports fall in turnover

    2010-07-06T00:00:00Z

    Linklaters, the biggest law firm in the UK by revenues, has reported falls in turnover and average profits per equity partner (PEP) as it became the second of the magic circle to unveil full-year financial results. Turnover at the firm fell by 8.8% to £1.18bn in ...

  • News

    Exclusive: surge in merger activity as firms seek strength in numbers

    2010-07-05T00:00:00Z

    Merger activity at small and medium-sized firms climbed by a third in the first half of 2010, according to new research published by the Law Consultancy Network in association with the Gazette. Three-quarters of firms surveyed said they had actively considered the option.

  • News

    What about the European courts?

    2010-07-05T00:00:00Z

    Courts have problems, like everyone else. In the UK, there will be much heat over the coming months over the closure programme announced by the government.

  • News

    Family lawyers warn against dangers of cost cutting

    2010-07-05T00:00:00Z

    Family solicitors have welcomed the government’s aim of encouraging alternatives to court in its review of the family justice system, but warned the focus must not only be cost cutting. The Ministry of Justice launched a ‘comprehensive review’ of the family justice system last week, ...

  • News

    Costs

    2010-07-01T00:00:00Z

    Legal advice and funding – Costs – Rate of payment R (on the application of Law Society) v Lord Chancellor: DC (Lord Justice Elias, Mr Justice Keith): 15 June 2010 ...

  • News

    Criminal

    2010-07-01T00:00:00Z

    Expert evidence – Grievous bodily harm – Shaken baby syndrome R v Keran Louise Henderson : R v Ben Butler : R v Oladapo Oyediran: CA (Crim Div) (Lord Justice Moses, Mrs Justice Rafferty, Mr Justice Hedley, Mrs Justice ...

  • News

    Human rights

    2010-07-01T00:00:00Z

    Terrorism – Control orders – Right to liberty and security Secretary of State for the Home Department (respondent) v AP ­(appellant): SC (Lord Phillips, Lord Saville, Lord Rodger, Lord Walker, Lord Brown, Lord Clarke, Sir John Dyson): 16 June ...

  • News

    Criminal law: new offences, amendments and provisions

    2010-07-01T00:00:00Z

    Significant parts of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 took effect during the spring of this year. On 1 February section 59 was brought into force amending the Suicide Act 1961. For the old offence under section 2, there is now substituted a provision that ‘a person (D) commits an ...

  • News

    New ombudsman service Is ‘good value for money’

    2010-07-01T00:00:00Z

    The new legal ombudsman service set up to investigate and resolve complaints made by users of legal services will open on 6 October this year. Established by the Office for Legal Complaints and based in Birmingham, the service will replace the Law Society-run Legal Complaints Service ...

  • News

    Big screen actress sends law reeling

    2010-07-01T00:00:00Z

    Obiter sat in rapt silence while a young Roma man, for reasons unexplained, wrestled with a German shepherd dog before throwing himself off a cliff into the roiling waters below. Obiter was at the Strasbourg launch of the exquisitely named Fanny Ardant’s six-minute ...

  • News

    Memory Lane

    2010-07-01T00:00:00Z

    Law Society’s Gazette, June 1970 Solicitors Wine Society

  • News

    Birmingham's legal sector unites to battle effects of recession

    2010-07-01T00:00:00Z

    They may not have much else in common with the Liberal Democrats, but Simmons & Simmons and Birmingham-based firm Shakespeare Putsman know the value of power sharing. They are both looking to a coalition – if that’s the right word – with Mayer Brown and Needham & James respectively. Consolidation ...

  • News

    Lawyer strikes a chord

    2010-07-01T00:00:00Z

    Playing at the blues end of the musical spectrum this week we had Roger Bolt, senior partner at London firm Bolt Burdon Kemp, strumming his six-string on Saturday at Jazz after Dark in London’s Soho with eight-piece ensemble The Big Girls Blues Band. Elsewhere, we had the Gazette’s own City ...

  • News

    Rainmaker turns haymaker

    2010-07-01T00:00:00Z

    Magic circle lawyer turned boxer Laura Saperstein (right) has been offered a European title fight. The British Boxing Board of Control made the offer earlier this week, the day after Saperstein won a points victory over Bulgarian bruiser Borislava Goranova at York Hall, Bethnal Green.