Last 3 months headlines – Page 1390
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Disappearing act
Obiter was amused last year by reports that some bobbies in the south-west had caused a stir by climbing through the open windows of houses, placing valuable items on show into a paper ‘swag bag’, and then leaving what must have been a remarkably irritating leaflet pointing out to homeowners ...
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Phone idle
Legal aid lawyers stuck in the Legal Services Commission’s payments system will be delighted to learn that, to free up staff time to deal with the backlog, the quango is reducing the hours it will operate the helpline that deals with queries. Solicitors owed money ...
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Miss-taken vocation
The solicitors’ profession could have a glamorous new entrant in a few years, after law student Rissikat Bade (pictured), the current Miss London, revealed that she plans to become a lawyer. Bade just missed out on the Miss England title last month, in what she ...
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Report highlights dire plight of Syrian lawyers
Human rights lawyers in Syria suffer surveillance and harassment by security officials, and are banned from holding meetings or travelling abroad, according to a report by the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI). The report said the international community had ‘great concerns’ over the treatment ...
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1,000 wills-related files found on pavement
More than 1,000 files containing wills and other confidential information were recently found dumped on the pavement outside a will-writing company in Doncaster, the Society of Will Writers (SWW) revealed this week. The files were left by staff at another will-writing company, Gainsborough-based Minster Legal Services ...
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Human rights breakthrough in Mexico
Mexico’s Supreme Court has ruled that military personnel accused of human rights violations against lawyers and others should be tried in civilian courts instead of military courts, where violations have historically gone unpunished. The ruling follows the publication in March of a Law Society human rights ...
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Criminal evidence
Procedure - Disclosure - Aggravated trespass - Whether conviction unsafe R v Barkshire and Others: Court of Appeal, Criminal Division (Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge, Mr Justice Treacy, Mr Justice Calvert-Smith): 20 July 2011 ...
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Criminal law
Trial - Prosecution - Prosecutorial misconduct - Court of Appeal R v Maxwell: Supreme Court (Justices of the Supreme Court: Lords Rodger, Brown, Mance, Collins, Dyson): 20 July 2011 In ...
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Thousands of the ‘Big Society’s’ most disadvantaged will be left vulnerable by law centre closures
Last month justice minister Jonathan Djanogly highlighted ‘the need to redefine and reposition the future role of not-for-profit agencies and their work’ as the government prepares to ‘reframe’ legal aid. He’d better get a move on; or is it too late already? A few short weeks ...
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Misinformed view that legal aid is too easily available
I write in response to Mr Comport’s letter. I do not think he is ‘reactionary’ in respect of legal aid – he voices the legitimately held view of many people in the UK. I do however think he is misinformed.
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More form filling
How gratifying that the Legal Services Board has decided that solicitors have so little to do and such a profitable business model that they should spend money, time and effort in keeping records of the diversity of their workforce. At a time when government is ...
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Comforting thought
Thank you for Roger Smith’s report on the International Legal Aid Group’s meeting in Helsinki. It is so comforting to see that those of us in England and Wales who are supportive of legal aid here are not totally misguided. Thanks to Roger also for ...
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Spot the difference
The letter from Timothy Simkins is timely, apt and hopefully will focus minds. As an extension to the debate, can anyone differentiate between the payment of referral fees to motor insurance companies and similar payments to estate agents? Gordon ...
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Advertise the halo
Regarding Mr Simkins' letter, my firm does not pay referral fees either. But I doubt you can go about banning things just because you disagree with them. Besides, a referral fee is just outsourced marketing with payment by results. Is it just the marketing you want ...
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No complaints
I was very pleased to read the comments of Dianne Hayter about client complaints in the article 'Hayter: solicitors "in denial"'. She says that if the person running Sainsbury's was told the customers were complaining they would take it very seriously.She is entirely correct. I ...
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Clyde & Co and BLG give merger details
Management at City firms Clyde & Co and Barlow Lyde & Gilbert have revealed details of their forthcoming merger after partners gave their backing last week. The combined firm will be called Clyde & Co, and will have 270 partners, more than 1,250 fee earners and ...
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E-petitions are dangerous and pointless – so why bother with them?
Winston Churchill once claimed that the best argument against democracy was a five-minute conversation with the average voter. One look at the terrifying e-petition website, and the old boy would doubtless have choked on his brandy in horror. What a Pandora’s box ...
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CJC to set up working party on civil costs reforms
A working party is being put together by the Civil Justice Council (CJC) to examine the technicalities of civil litigation reform. Experts will attempt to thrash out practical proposals to follow up on measures planned by the government following the review of litigation costs by Lord ...
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Claimant lawyers warn over health and safety review
Ministers have been warned they risk inviting a raft of claims by loosening health and safety legislation. Consultation closed last week on the Department for Work and Pensions review of workplace rules, with the results to be published in the autumn. Employment ...