Last 3 months headlines – Page 1387
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Many lawyers remain ignorant of what MEPs do
by Timothy Kirkhope MEP, (Yorkshire and the Humber) There are several areas of importance to solicitors in England and Wales arising out of the work of the European parliament; in particular, upcoming issues from the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, on which I ...
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Market deregulation does not always lead to more choice and increased quality
The Legal Services Board’s research note on alternative business structures seems to be preparing the ground for a slow start, with more transformative developments anticipated later on. So far, so cautious; though, yet again, the board cannot resist a bout of free-market proselytising. Market liberalisation will ...
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Portal progress
While discussions about the concept of splitting the costs of using the RTA portal are ongoing, the notion that any decision has been made is premature. The key concern is how independence in decision-making in the portal can be ensured and all options in relation ...
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We can all read the Equality Act
For as long as I can remember, the Law Society has tried to collect diversity data from me, as an individual, and my response has always been the same. Mind your own business. Now the Legal Services Board is to require regulators to ensure firms collect information on their staff. ...
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A pointless exercise in self-justification
Your news item ‘Compulsory diversity data' goes some way to explaining why lawyers have become so disenchanted with the ever increasing regulatory bureaucracy.
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SRA set to license ABSs in early 2012
The Solicitors Regulation Authority does not expect to start licensing alternative business structures until early 2012, it has said in a new guide to help prospective ABS owners. The guide includes information about which firms need to be authorised as ABSs, essential requirements and details about ...
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Working party established to help implement Jackson
The Civil Justice Council has today announced the membership of an expert working party that will consider implementation of the Jackson (pictured) reforms of civil litigation costs. The working party will help develop practical proposals to assist with the implementation of secondary legislation on: qualified one-way ...
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LeO goes to court to enforce decisions against law firms
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has resorted to court action for the first time to enforce a decision against a firm of solicitors. Only after the action was launched did the firm pay out £2,650 in compensation to a client, as the ombudsman had ordered, plus interest. ...
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Halliwells’ administration - nice work if you can get it
When I grow up I want to be an insolvency practitioner. That was my rather facetious thought upon reading BDO’s latest administrators’ report on the collapse of Halliwells. Nothing to do with the defunct firm’s travails as such – though since RBS is down over £15m it looks like taxpayers ...
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Advocacy assurance scheme is ‘bar-centric’, solicitor claims
A significant number of solicitor advocates will not qualify for higher rights advocacy under a proposed ‘bar-centric’ Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA), the chair of the Solicitors Association of Higher Court Advocates (SAHCA) has claimed. SAHCA chairman Jo Cooper said that advocacy regulator the Joint ...
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Society sends letter of claim to Solicitors from Hell owner
The Law Society sent a letter of claim to the owner of the Solicitors from Hell website last week, as it prepared to launch a class action against him on behalf of the profession. The letter demands that website owner Rick Kordowski must close the site, ...
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News from ABA’s annual meeting in Toronto
I attended the American Bar Association’s annual meeting in Toronto last week. The global economy looked as if it was about to crash, but it was too late to incorporate that into the programme. The organisers did manage to include the previous US crisis into the opening ceremony, since the ...
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Growing problem of child abduction
Almost every other day a child is abducted from England and Wales to a country where they are unprotected by international conventions to ensure their return home. Recently published statistics from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) state that the last 12 months saw a 10% increase from the previous ...
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Lawyers see rise in insolvency and employment work
Law firms have seen a surge in insolvency-related work and employment advice, as tough economic conditions continue to affect clients. Figures from law firm referral service Contact Law showed a significant rise in calls from members of the public and businesses relating to employment and insolvency. ...
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Halliwells partners appoint Irwin Mitchell to fight claims
Fourteen former partners at collapsed law firm Halliwells have appointed national firm Irwin Mitchell to represent them as they fight claims brought by the firm’s administrator. The group comprises individuals who did not transfer to one of the four firms that acquired parts of Halliwells’ business ...
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Is the Legal Services Board expecting a slow start to ABSs?
The Legal Services Board published a research paper last week outlining its ‘latest thinking’ on the impact of alternative business structures. The paper seems to be preparing the ground for a slow start, with bigger developments later on. It predicts that the ...
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Society to set up pro bono riot helpline for victims
The Law Society is to launch a telephone helpline next week which will direct small independent shopkeepers and other victims of the recent riots to pro bono legal advice. The Society will be working in collaboration with participating law firms and pro bono legal advice charity ...
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Solicitors report ‘chaotic scenes’ as rioters processed through court
Defence solicitors and prosecutors have reported scenes of chaos as they worked day and night to represent or prosecute more than 1,000 alleged rioters and looters arrested so far this week. Magistrates’ courts in London and other cities across England have been sitting 24 hours a ...
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Marsh launches PII service targeted at small firms
Insurance broker Marsh has launched a new service targeted at providing professional indemnity insurance (PII) for smaller firms. Marsh said its service would offer two to three-partner firms exclusive access to Liberty Mutual Insurance Europe, while four to 10-partner firms would have exclusive access to XL ...