Last 3 months headlines – Page 1698
-
News
Let the Hunt begin
Rare opportunity for grassroots lawyers to make their voices heard. Few subjects in the Gazette’s ambit generate such impassioned opinions as regulation. Every week our postbag is guaranteed to contain numerous missives from lawyers taking a swipe at the Solicitors Regulation Authority and/or Legal Complaints Service. ...
-
News
The truth is out there
Public inquiries are cathartic for grieving families but often fail to address the very failings they identify. In recent years, public inquiries have become part of the fabric of our political life. Their recommendations are often the platform for major public policy changes.
-
News
How to earn your green spurs
In the A-Z of Global Warming, personal injury lawyer Simon Rosser has written a compact and useful guide, making the complexities of climate change more accessible to the lay person. The book is aimed at the reader who is aware of climate change as an issue, ...
-
News
The enema of reason
And still they come, those legal typos. Some bring tears to our eyes, for more reasons than one. Sarah O’Leary of Dobson Solicitors recalls a brief to counsel on a rape case referring to a client undergoing a ‘penile swap’ at the police station. ‘Politicians might see this as an ...
-
News
SAL takes a dim view of Diwali date clash
Oh dear. In a worthy bid to promote equality and diversity in the profession, the Bar Council South East Circuit (SEC) intended to hold an event called ‘Against the Odds’ on 28 October. Good stuff, except for one small detail: no one noticed that the date clashed with Diwali. ...
-
News
Dead funny show
Who said the death penalty wasn’t funny? Trained solicitor and Irish comic Keith Farnan will be telling some dead funny jokes as part of his one-man comedy act about the death penalty. In Cruel and Unusual, Farnan’s stand-up show tells his story from law school in ...
-
News
Thistle be the youngest advocate yet
They are getting younger. Since May 2008 Morgan Rees at West Midlands firm Bell Lax has been proud to bear the title of the youngest solicitor-advocate (see [2008] Gazette, 8 May, 8). He gained his higher rights aged 24 years and 297 days. However, his claim to fame has been ...
-
News
Tough training pays off at the O2
Solicitors just can’t stop running – perhaps it’s the best training for dealing with legal services reform and City meltdown. Angie Crush, Vanda James and Abigail Harding, of Warners Solicitors, braved torrential rain and gale-force winds to complete London’s ‘Run to the Beat’ half-marathon. The race started and finished at ...
-
News
Concern mounts over justice budget cuts
The Law Society has entered the row over revelations that the government may be planning swingeing budget cuts to the justice system. President Paul Marsh voiced fears over the future of the Courts Service and warned justice secretary Jack Straw that legal aid is ‘already ...
-
News
Regulation: 'There are no "no-go" areas' - Lord Hunt
Lord Hunt of Wirral has stressed that he has a ‘completely open mind’ on the likely outcome of his profession-wide review of regulation. The former cabinet minister, solicitor David Hunt, said he had agreed his own terms of reference for the exercise, which was commissioned by the Law Society. ...
-
News
Judge intervenes as VHCC barristers' row rocks trial
A judge has stepped in to try to prevent a trial being derailed by the row over barristers’ refusal to do very high cost criminal cases (VHCC). Several defendants in a case listed for trial at Oxford Crown Court early next year have been unable to ...
-
News
SRA eyes simplified higher rights plan
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has proposed a streamlined route for solicitors who wish to gain higher rights of audience. After last month dropping a plan to introduce voluntary accreditation, the SRA board has applied to the Ministry of Justice to close off the accreditation and ...
-
News
Turnout looks to be low for Law Society's 'afiliate' ballot
Turnout for a Law Society ballot to create a new ‘affiliate’ category has been low, anecdotal evidence suggests. The postal ballot closes tomorrow. Affiliate status would be open to certain categories of non-solicitors working in the legal services market. Past President ...
-
News
'Conflicts' cost accident victims dear
Lax regulation and ‘systemic conflicts of interest’ have deprived motor accident victims of legal advice and encouraged them to accept reduced compensation from insurers, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) alleged this week. APIL’s chief executive Denise Kitchener described as ‘institutionalised’ the practice of third-party ...
-
News
Solicitors fret over KBF
Solicitors have voiced concerns over the safety of money paid to a specialist lending arm of collapsed Icelandic bank Landsbanki as rescue talks failed to produce a new financial backer. As the Gazette went to press, Key Business Finance (KBF) – a subsidiary of Landsbanki’s ...
-
News
Post-charge questioning plans 'unacceptable'
Government proposals to allow defendants to be questioned after charge amount to ‘serious oppression’ and need to be carefully controlled, according to a leading academic. Michael Zander, emeritus professor at the London School of Economics, told the Criminal Law Solicitors Association (CLSA) conference last week that ...
-
News
China defence lawyers still face hostility
China’s defence lawyers still suffer violence, threats and arbitrary detention despite the country’s progress in embracing the rule of law, a Human Rights Watch researcher has warned. Nicholas Bequelin, speaking at the Law Society last week, said there is no room for a legal system independent ...
-
News
Firms make virtual lawyer hires
‘Virtual’ legal practices that allow employees to work from home are looking to mop up redundant City solicitors or those worried about losing jobs. A number of such practices – which employ freelance lawyers and pool their expertise – said this week that they are ...
-
News
Magic circle target $1bn Indian market
A number of magic circle, ‘top 50’ and specialist boutique firms are on the brink of signing deals to outsource legal work to India, according to legal process outsourcing (LPO) company CPA Global. Chris Veator, executive vice president at CPA North America, told the Gazette that the company plans to ...
-
News
Shipping investments and electrical developments
Dubai listing: National firm Pinsent Masons advised China Security & Surveillance Technology on the secondary listing of its shares on the Dubai International Financial Exchange – believed to be the first listing of a Chinese company in the Middle East. ...