Last 3 months headlines – Page 1713
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Blunt words from the sharp end
Why should executive directors at the LSC earn so much more than those at the sharp end of legal services? I see that the Legal Services Commission (LSC) is advertising for no less than three executive directors at salaries of up to £140K each, ‘possibly more ...
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Rules & revolution
How extraordinary that the chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority should state, in relation to non-lawyer managers, ‘there is little regulatory sense in requiring, for example, those who have worked within firms and already have a detailed understanding of the accounts rules to go on a prescriptive course'. (see ...
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Supply and demand
For some years now the number of LPC passes (first sitting and after re-sitting) has been around 6,000 each year, while the number of training contracts signed has also been around 6,000. There is some slippage, which probably amounts to a few hundred not finding a training contract and, of ...
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Chancel be a fine thing
The providers of chancel repair searches and insurance have displayed an enviable instinct for business, but some of their advertising is lamentably wide of the mark. ChancelCheck’s paperwork features the west front of Westminster Abbey, which is not a parish church and therefore (perhaps fortunately ...
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Blast from the past
It does worry me when our own professional magazine still thinks that writs exist (‘Solicitor slaps writ on county court’, [2008] Gazette, 24 July, 3), when they were abolished (at least in terms of the issue of an originating action) in 1999 with the introduction of the Civil Procedure Rules ...
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Lasting power to the people?
More often than not, government, public bodies and other authorities appear to be opposed to revising, or repealing, new legislation that has been hugely unpopular or problematic – no matter what. So it is a refreshing change to hear that the new public guardian, Martin ...
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A suspect package
The ‘telecoms package’ is a potentially dangerous piece of legislation that will lead to many users losing internet access. The ‘telecoms package’ is winging its way through the European Parliament under the watchful eye of French president Nicolas Sarkozy. Our representatives ...
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Lawyers targeted in insurance fraud fight
The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) and Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) are planning a joint crackdown on criminal gangs and solicitors involved in fraudulent insurance scams, the Gazette can reveal. The IFB and APIL have held talks with a view to thrashing out an information-sharing ...
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Costs warning to solicitors over terminating retainers
A solicitor should not terminate his retainer because he disagrees with the client’s legitimate instructions, the High Court ruled last week.
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Call to divide AG's dual role
Parliamentary support for the government’s decision not to split the Attorney General’s legal and political functions has attracted scathing criticism from experts. Last Thursday, the Joint Committee on the Draft Constitutional Renewal Bill published its report that, controversially, ignored the advice of the Justice Committee to ...
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HIPs questionnaire 'biased against solicitors'
The proposed home information pack (HIP) questionnaire has been branded a ‘crude attempt’ to help non-solicitor pack providers and push solicitors out of the conveyancing market. A year after the introduction of the controversial packs, the government has launched a consultation to add an extra document ...
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Victory for firm over client account funds
Irwin Mitchell has won approval to claim funds paid on account even though the client’s finances were later subject to a restraint order. The national firm was acting for a client facing a Revenue & Customs investigation, who paid £5,000 on account of costs into its ...
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Helpline to make appointments at law firms for legal aid clients
A pilot helpline enabling civil legal aid clients to book face-to-face appointments with solicitors could boost the numbers of people receiving publicly funded advice, the chairman of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG) has told the Gazette. The Legal Services Commission (LSC) launched the trial Community ...
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Libel success fees decision
The government has decided not to push ahead with imposing fixed recoverable success fees and capped recoverability on after-the-event insurance (ATE) premiums in defamation and privacy cases. After eight months of waiting for an announcement following its defamation consultation last year, the government has opted to ...
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Reality warning for 'optimistic' firms
Experts have warned small firms not to be ‘blind to reality’ after a new survey indicated the vast majority have no intention of cutting spending over the next six months – despite turbulent economic conditions. More than a quarter (27%) of UK firms with three to ...
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Public guardian to order LPA review
A fifth of applications to register a lasting power of attorney (LPA) contain mistakes that render them invalid or prevent registration, the new public guardian has told the Gazette. Martin John, who was appointed in June, said ‘about 20% of applications have real issues’ and announced ...
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US firm promotes lawyer
PRIVATE PRACTICE Partners Regional firm Thring Townsend Lee & Pembertons hires employment specialist Jeremy Nixon from Bird & Bird. The firm also promotes Graeme Fearon in the ...
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Security for costs
The recovery, or not, of pre-action costs in an application for security for costs just got a little easier to work out, say Chris Warren-Smith and Ian Pegram In adding up the costs incurred ...
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Comparative advertising - the ECJ fizzes it up
In a ruling that could have a noticeable impact on advertising in the UK and across Europe, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) last month ruled that businesses can use the distinctive trademarks of their competitors when comparing their goods and services.
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Media and entertainment
Administration of justice – Broadcasting – Contempt of court – Fines – Sub judice Attorney general v ITV Central Ltd (2008): DC (Lord Justice Pill, Mr Justice King): 15 July 2008 ...