Last 3 months headlines – Page 1445
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Self-preservation society plea
Many of your correspondents state that the level of service provided by lending institutions is deplorable. However, of greater concern is their prospective elimination (in concert with the estate agency fraternity), of the high-street solicitor’s practice. In 1984, my then senior partner, William Heath, and I ...
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New 'behaviour committee' to police RTA portal
Disputes between solicitors and insurers over alleged abuses of the new road traffic accident (RTA) claims portal are to be dealt with by a special ‘behaviour committee’. The RTA Portal Company, a collaboration of representatives from the insurance and legal industries that oversee the portal’s operation, ...
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Why firms would be foolish to ignore ABSs
I was pleased to see that your recent critique of our draft business plan and our aspirations for a vigorous and competitive legal services sector demanded action over rhetoric from the Legal Services Board. I agree and we have spent the last two years doing just that by ensuring the ...
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Russia pressured on Sergei Magnitsky death
Prime minister David Cameron has thrown his weight behind a campaign to expose the truth behind the death of a lawyer investigating an alleged £142m fraud against a UK company in Russia. Sergei Magnitsky (pictured) was working for UK investment firm Hermitage Capital when, after alleging ...
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Women still half as likely as men to become partners in private practice
Forty years on from the Equal Pay Act, the Law Society and Legal Services Board continue to highlight gender differences as a significant category of career disadvantage. The raw data remains extremely dispiriting; although the proportion of women admitted as solicitors continues to increase, pressing issues remain concerning retention, progression, ...
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Government to amend 'crucial error' in retirement age plans
The government has promised to amend a ‘crucial error’ in its transitional provisions for abolishing the default retirement age, following Law Society warnings that the current drafting could put employers at risk of unfair dismissal claims.
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Defence solicitors warn MoJ over interpreter outsourcing
Criminal defence solicitors have urged the Ministry of Justice to ensure that the standard of interpreters does not deteriorate as a result of cost-cutting plans to outsource translation services across the criminal justice system.
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Overseas employees tribunal ruling could affect international firms
A Court of Appeal ruling on the right of overseas employees to bring tribunal claims in the UK could have implications for international law firms, an employment lawyer suggested this week. The court ruled that a group of British Airways air stewardesses who are based in ...
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Lawyers are not just motivated by money
I have to take issue with something Lord Neuberger said in his recent Bentham lecture. ‘Now, it is no part of my function to defend lawyers’ fees,’ said the master of the rolls, ‘although I would say that, unless you pay lawyers properly, you won’t attract able people to the ...
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Women lawyers believe they are paid less than male peers
Most women lawyers believe their male colleagues earn more than they do, research has suggested. A survey of 200 UK lawyers by jobs board twosteps showed that 61% of women lawyers thought they earned less than men, while 100% of those earning £95,000 or more ...
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Legal bodies fear government interference
The independence of the legal profession is being threatened by government ‘diktats’ ordering that the websites of three legal quangos be closed, the chair of the Legal Services Consumer Panel (LSCP) told a House of Lords debate this week. Baroness Hayter said that the Legal Services ...
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An assault on rights of children with special needs?
The consultation paper on changes to special educational needs and disability arrived with an alarming headline proposal yesterday: that statements of special educational need (SEN) would no longer be legally enforceable.
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Disbursement? VAT depends…
A common query posed to VAT advisers is: can a particular cost be recharged without VAT as a disbursement? Well, that depends. The recent case of Barratt, Goff & Tomlinson (BGT) [MAN/2009/0219] highlights just how muddy the issue of disbursements has become. The appellant was ...
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Leading judge was libelled
A Court of Appeal judge has today received a libel apology and damages from a daily newspaper. Lord Justice Sedley, represented by London firm Bindmans, has accepted an apology and damages, which will be paid to charities, from the ...
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‘More needs to be done’ to address inequality in the profession
The Law Society is ‘making strides’ to promote equality and equal practice in the legal profession, Law Society president Linda Lee said today as the Society marks the global centenary of International Women’s Day. Lee, who will host a roundtable discussion on women in the ...
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Some thoughts after the Arab revolutions
It has been interesting to see that lawyers have played a prominent role in the actions to overthrow dictatorships in the Arab world. In Tunisia, the overwhelming majority of lawyers went on strike rather early in the protests. The courthouse in Benghazi, Libya was apparently ...
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Firms make ‘initial contact’ with external investors
More than two-thirds of law firms would be ‘comfortable’ securing funding from an external investor when Alternative Business Structures are introduced in October, and 30% have already made initial contact with potential investors, according to research released today. A survey of 200 solicitors carried out for ...
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Failure to manage your data could be criminal
The way a law firm handles information could represent a ticking time bomb. Every document you file carries legal, financial and practical implications for your business. It is vital to understand these implications, and the actions required to protect the business and its clients.
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College of Law launches part-time BPTC programme
The College of Law in Birmingham is to offer a part-time Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) beginning September 2011. BPTC course leader Paul Shoulders said: ‘The new part-time course, subject to validation by the Bar Standards Board, will open up the potential rewards of a career ...
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Disability hate crime victims ‘let down’ by system, says DPP
Victims and witnesses with disabilities have been let down by the criminal justice system, the Director of Public Prosecutions said this week as he called for a change in society’s attitude towards disability hate crime. Keir Starmer QC said victims and witnesses with disabilities ‘have not ...