Last 3 months headlines – Page 1454
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ProcureCo fears
Thirteen police station cases create 12 charged to court, 11 representation orders in magistrates’ court and one Crown court case. A ProcureCo would have to capture all duty work, and generate its own clients overnight (as that is where most work is) in several courts, not to mention covering police ...
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High Court ruling paves the way for patent attorneys
A High Court ruling has cleared the way for patent attorney litigators to conduct litigation in High Court cases. In what is believed to be the first judgment on the scope of patent attorney litigators’ rights, Mr Justice Lewison clarified that they are entitled to conduct ...
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Easing the burden on employment tribunals
There seems to be a consensus that our employment tribunals are unable to cope with the rise in claims. Much of the weight could be lifted simply by a tightened approach on compliance with directions. Employment lawyers are familiar with tribunal orders that contain references to ...
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Jackson and clinical negligence claims
by Roger Wicks, partner at Gadsby Wicks in Chelmsford As the deadline approaches for responses to the Jackson review, many continue to ask why Lord Justice Jackson and those around him appear so keen to withhold justice from thousands of deserving people.
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Will the profession follow the Supreme Court's endorsement of Twitter?
Twitter is either an indispensable communications tool, perfectly suited to a breathless and urgent age, or akin to ethereal bindweed, adding little or nothing of value and banal in its ubiquity. Take your pick. What seems clear, though, is that lawyers are going to have ...
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Is opposition to legal aid cuts gaining momentum?
There are now five days left before the consultation on the government’s proposed reforms to legal aid closes on 14 February, St Valentine’s Day. It is noticeable that in the last few weeks lobbying against the plans, which would see the scope of legal aid radically ...
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CPS consults over guidance on retracted rape claims
The Crown Prosecution Service has issued a 12-week consultation on its new guidance over when to prosecute people who retract allegations of rape or domestic violence. The interim guidance, which is effective from today, applies in cases where a complainant of rape or domestic violence retracts ...
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Legal services generate £23bn for UK economy
The UK’s top 100 law firms cut their running costs by £500m to help tip themselves into profit last year, research by trade body TheCityUK has found. Profits of the largest 100 UK law firms increased by 1% in 2009/10 to £4.07bn, despite a 4% fall ...
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Family lawyers should adapt to challenging new market
This is going to be a tough year for family lawyers. For many, the recession has already affected their practices, with a decline in divorce figures and a reluctance on the part of clients to engage solicitors as fully as they did beforehand. It is ...
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Embrace electronic working, criminal law solicitors told
The Law Society has called on criminal law firms to embrace electronic working, as the Crown Prosecution Services seeks to become completely digital by April 2012. Both bodies want to see more firms sign up to use secure email, to enable information to be shared between ...
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ACS:Law cannot drop filesharing cases – judge
The Patents County Court yesterday stayed the hearing of actions for alleged illegal file-sharing, brought by London firm ACS:Law on behalf of its clients MediaCAT. His Honour Judge Birss refused to discontinue the cases in the manner requested by the claimants, saying the notices of ...
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Consumer research: will it tell you all?
Recent consumer and market research, with the debates they foster, reminded me to be careful when looking at and using research findings. There are two quotes that are worth keeping in mind when looking at research data and reports; both are currently relevant to the legal services market. ...
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Recession-hit firms dispute government contracts
More recession-hit businesses are complaining about how government public sector contracts are awarded, according to research by law firm EMW. There was an 84% rise in complaints made to the Office of Government Commerce in the year to the end of September 2010, to 57 complaints, ...
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When lawyers lobby
It looks as if the UK is set for the same painful debate that we have had in the EU recently over what to do about government lobbyists, and in particular the lawyer lobbyists among them. Maybe something can be learned from the EU experience. The ...
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Does threat to CFAs mean that libel redress will be only for the rich?
The misuse of conditional fee agreements (CFAs) is one of the most significant causes of what is referred to as ‘the chilling effect’. Bad cases make bad law; bad CFA users make CFAs seem bad.
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Law Society launches legal aid campaign for the public
The Law Society is to launch a high-profile campaign, ‘Sound off for justice’, this week – aimed at harnessing public opposition to legal aid cuts. The initiative will seek to raise awareness of what the cuts could mean for members of the public, in advance of ...
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New planning proposals risk ‘uncertainty and chaos’ in property market
Proposed changes in the government’s Localism Bill could bring uncertainty and chaos to the property market, the Law Society has warned. The bill proposes changes to planning rules, including strengthening the power of local authorities to tackle abuses of the system. It ...
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Surge in disputes over trusts, figures show
Legal disputes over trusts have soared by 238% during the recession, according to City firm Wedlake Bell. Figures from the Ministry of Justice show the number of claims in the High Court in London involving trusts rose to 44 in 2009, up from 13 in ...
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How Lotto rapist publicity has helped claimants seeking compensation
The publicity generated by the Lotto rapist case, a newspaper favourite for many years, seems to be helping those who suffered serious crimes against their person. This week, national firm Thompsons said that this publicity, as well as the precedent it set, has helped a group of men win compensation ...
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Marketing collective for brain injury specialists to launch in April
A nationwide network of specialist brain injury lawyers, The Brain Injury Group, is set to launch this April, the Gazette can reveal. The Brain Injury Group will work in tandem with other professional services that provide medical, rehabilitation, welfare and financial support to people who have ...