Last 3 months headlines – Page 1576
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Lord Lester’s bill a ‘catalyst’ for libel reform
Liberal Democrat peer and barrister Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC has introduced a private member’s bill to reform the country’s ‘archaic’ libel laws. The peer’s Defamation Bill is designed to clarify and modernise the law of libel, protecting both the rights to reputation and freedom ...
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MoJ admits drafting error in fee-capping regulations
Acquitted defendants can claim the full cost of private legal fees, after the Ministry of Justice admitted there is a drafting error in the regulations intended to implement its controversial policy to cap awards. The admission came in documents submitted by the MoJ in connection ...
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BME solicitors and Chancery Lane devise plan to halt PII discrimination
The Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Forum of solicitors has put into action a ‘five-step plan’ together with the Law Society, which is designed to protect BME lawyers from discrimination when renewing their professional indemnity insurance (PII) cover. Law Society head of equality and diversity Pat ...
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LSC accused of squandering millions on VHCC tender process
Legal aid lawyers have accused the Legal Services Commission of wasting ‘millions’ on the tender process for the very high cost cases (VHCC) litigator’s panel. The LSC announced last week that the panel will be scrapped in July, after being in place for only two years. ...
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No way through the RTA portal
The MoJ RTA web portal continues to suffer from bad planning, implementation and a failure to consult. One legal software company has sent this communication to its clients: ‘We are pleased to announce that we can now provide Phase 1* ...
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City lawyer acquitted of insider dealing
A City lawyer accused by the financial services watchdog of insider dealing was today acquitted by Southwark Crown Court. Michael McFall, a former partner at US firm McDermott Will & Emery, was acquitted of eight counts of insider dealing by the Financial Services Authority (pictured). Finance ...
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Online reviews – part of the reputation management landscape
Having gone to the trouble and expense of obtaining a High Court injunction¸ Scott Eason has succeeded in having allegedly defamatory allegations removed from the Solicitorsfromhell website.
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In-house salaries fall for newly qualifieds
Average salaries for newly qualified in-house lawyers in the north-west of England fell from £40,000 to £37,000 last year, a new survey by Manchester recruitment consultancy BCL Legal has revealed. More experienced in-house lawyers, however, saw their pay remain unchanged at £43,000-£60,000 for one to ...
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Clarke urged to save cash-strapped immigration advice provider
Charities, faith leaders and human rights experts are calling on new justice secretary Kenneth Clarke (pictured) to save the UK’s largest immigration advice provider, which is facing closure because of delays in receiving legal aid payments. In an open letter to Clarke and home secretary ...
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Where will the spending axe fall next?
The new justice secretary’s in-tray is bulging. He has already found his department fighting judicial review proceedings; dealing with a drafting error that has rendered new defence costs rules...
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A day in the life of an international legal conference attendee
The flowering season for that most exotically located of plants, the international legal conference, has begun. It runs from May to October. It does not mean that there are no legal conferences outside those months...
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HIPs and consumer protection
Now that the home information pack regulations have been effectively scrapped, the unintended consequence is the loss of any consumer protection for the supply of CON29O and R and CON29DW standards searches. HIPs set out, for the first time, clear standards for the conditions upon which searches should be provided, ...
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Stop bleating
What a clever juxtaposition of letters (see [2010] Gazette, 27 May, 9) – 'Hurt in the pocket' and 'A Serious Fee'– where the question of low wages for conveyancers is posed, then answered.
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Tender trauma
I agree with the article 'LSC tender unfair' [link]. It is wholly unfair for the Legal Services Commission to favour those firms that have a Children Panel member or an Advanced Family Panel member over those that simply have a Family Panel member.The notification concerning domestic violence was not flagged ...
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Is outrage over anonymity for defendants in rape cases justified?
Lawyers representing rape victims have been up in arms over the coalition government’s recent commitment to introduce anonymity for defendants in rape cases, up until the point where they are convicted.
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Is outrage over anonymity for defendants in rape cases justified?
Lawyers representing rape victims have been up in arms over the coalition government’s recent commitment to introduce anonymity for defendants...
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Law Society action on panels
I was disappointed to read Melanie Carroll's call for the Law Society to stand up to lenders [see [2010] Gazette, 20 May] . We might all wish for a simple world where such problems could be dismissed so easily. It may help to note the enormous amount of work we ...
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Freedom of information: rights of access and endangerment
Section 38 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 exempts public authority information from the general right of access if its disclosure would, or would be likely to, endanger the physical or mental health of any individual and/or the safety of any individual. The term ‘endanger’ is the same as ...
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Chancery Lane welcomes Queen’s speech proposals
The Law Society has responded to the coalition government’s proposals contained in today’s Queen’s speech. The Society said it is ‘delighted’ with the government’s proposals to: bring forward plans to introduce a Freedom (Great Repeal) Bill; bring ...
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Memory lane
The changing decorum of women in law and assessing the double emphasis on a phrase in a 1950s article. Law Society’s Gazette, May 1960 ...