Last 3 months headlines – Page 1426
-
News
A law unto itself
I fully endorse the comments of Michael Freeman, regarding the county court system failure in London. Under the Civil Procedure Rules, trial dates are supposed to be sacrosanct, yet my day-long case scheduled for the end of April was cancelled, causing additional expense and anxiety for ...
-
News
Absolute truth
I read with interest Andrea Minichiello Williams’s article on the victimising of Christians. With the exception of the Johns case, which was appallingly reported by the BBC, I agree entirely with everything she says. It may not seem important to many that Christians in this country ...
-
News
Moral high ground?
In 2011, it is frankly crazy for Andrea Minichiello Williams to be making statements such as ‘without Christianity, there can be no morality’ and ‘law cannot be divorced from Christianity’. Furthermore, it is offensive to suggest that secularism is a variant of fascism, as Ms ...
-
News
Domestic violence courts to close
More than one in six specialist domestic violence courts are set to close as part of the government’s nationwide court closures plan, it has emerged. Shadow justice minister Andy Slaughter has tabled a series of parliamentary questions to justice secretary Kenneth Clarke on the impact of ...
-
News
Barristers' chambers will be 'attractive alternative' for litigation
Barristers’ chambers will become an ‘attractive alternative’ to law firms for litigation work, a leading industry commentator suggested this week, after the bar’s regulator decided to remove its ban on barristers conducting litigation. The move will permit barristers to offer a ‘one-stop shop’ service, including both ...
-
News
Insurers 'discriminate' against black and ethnic law firms
Black and minority ethnic (BME) law firms are over-represented in the assigned risks pool – but almost twice as likely as their white counterparts to secure market insurance and leave the ARP, according to research by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The ARP is the insurer ...
-
News
Persecution claims are undermined by religious privileges
I’ve known for a while that my BBC licence fee is used for religious proselytising in the shape of ‘Thought for the day’, and now I fear my practising certificate fee awaits a similar fate (Andrea Minichiello Williams, ‘Equality law is victimising Christians’). Ms Williams believes ...
-
News
Law firms set to reclaim Legal Services Commission family fees
Law firms may seek to claim back ‘substantial’ sums from the Legal Services Commission following a clarification of its rules governing family fees, solicitors suggested this week. In private law cases involving a ‘significant family dispute’, the LSC’s unified contract with providers requires firms to carry ...
-
News
Police officers give evidence via video link pilot scheme
Police officers are giving evidence to court via a live video link from the police station, under a scheme being piloted by the Ministry of Justice. The scheme is currently being tested between South Norwood Police Station in London and Croydon Magistrates’ Court, and will ...
-
News
Jail for trust probate executive in £100k fraud
A trust probate executive from Hove has been jailed for 30 months for defrauding four elderly women clients out of a total of £100,000. Jacqueline D’Hazzard (pictured), 44, pleaded guilty to four offences committed while she was a trust probate executive at Brighton firm Engleharts ...
-
News
Society appeal to UN over Mexico human rights abuses
The Law Society has written to the UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers to call for an end to the ‘atmosphere of impunity’ in Mexico that it claims allows military and state authorities to harass, criminalise and threaten lawyers acting for the victims of human rights ...
-
News
Law firms in the dark over Quinn PII payments
Law firms that took out professional indemnity insurance (PII) policies with stricken Irish company Quinn Insurance are still in the dark about when claims will be paid.
-
News
Will ruling opens way for family claims
Family members who are snubbed in a relative’s will in favour of charities could find it easier to lay claim to the estate following a recent judgment. The Court of Appeal ruled last month that Heather Ilott could request a larger share of her mother Melita ...
-
News
Is it possible, or moral, to safeguard the rule of law while applying it selectively?
The killing of Bin Laden was a cathartic experience for the US, and brought a degree of welcome closure to those bereaved on 9/11. In the US especially, it was an occasion more for celebration than reflection. In the aftermath, however, ...
-
News
Reform plans from coalition on resolving workplace disputes are flawed
by Stephen Levinson, solicitor and partner at RadcliffesLeBrasseur, and a member of ELA’s legislative and policy committee The Employment Lawyers Association (ELA) has responded robustly to government proposals to change the way disputes in the workplace are resolved.
-
News
Cuts to court reporters are bad news for justice
Here’s a spot of philosophy to keep you going during this tortuous four-day week: if a judge speaks but there’s nobody in his courtroom, does he still make a sound? I ask because there are an awful lot of courtrooms now where the press bench is ...
-
News
Giving greater influence to victims could prove dangerous for justice
Of all the various parties involved in the criminal justice system, ‘the victim’ has always had a pretty raw deal. Not only was he or she unfortunate enough to have a crime committed against them in the first place, but they then become entangled in ...
-
News
New website launches for personal injury claims
A new website has launched to gather personal injury claims for solicitors. The site selects only one firm per geographical area. Firms pay a flat monthly fee for the service which is based on the population of the area covered. ...
-
News
Clifford Chance promotes nine partners in greater China
Magic Circle firm Clifford Chance has promoted 23 lawyers to its partnership – including 12 in Asia. The firm said the partnership promotions, which took effect on May 1, reflected a new commitment to business in the Far East, with nine of the new partners focused on the Greater China ...
-
News
Top firms involved in merger talks
Almost three-quarters of UK law firms have entered into talks about mergers in the past year, according to research. The survey of the country’s top-200 law firms by turnover found that 74.2% have made an approach to, or been approached by, another firm with a view ...