Last 3 months headlines – Page 1480
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Law Society warning over immigration cap proposals
The government’s immigration cap must be scrapped completely, or the international competitiveness of the UK will be damaged, the Law Society warned today. In a speech at the Policy Exchange thinktank, home secretary Theresa May confirmed that restrictions on highly skilled workers entering the UK will ...
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EMI case: the judge and the jury
The attention of the business and legal worlds was drawn to Manhattan this week, where private equity baron Guy Hands lost his law suit against US bank Citigroup. This was a jury trial before Jed Rakoff, US district court judge for the Southern District of New ...
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Family law
Ancillary relief – Discretion – Fairness – Foreign nationals Radmacher v Granatino Sub Nom NG V KR (pre-nuptial contract): SC (Lords Phillips (president), Hope (deputy president), Rodger, Walker, Brown, Mance, Collins, Kerr, Lady Hale): 20 October 2010 ...
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In the loop
Those concerned that the ‘pillar of the community’ image once enjoyed by the solicitors’ profession is now crumbling, like an ancient ruin, may be interested to read the findings of some research examining which lawyers have received the most press coverage in the last year. According to an analysis by ...
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Negligence
Health and safety at work – Local government – Breach of statutory duty – Risk assessments Steven Threlfall v Hull City Council: CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justices Ward, Jackson, Lady Justice Smith): 20 October 2010 ...
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Good boys in court
Probably the most fearsome judge I ever saw was Melford Stevenson, writes James Morton, but there again I never saw the Lord Chief Rayner Goddard, who was reputed to begin to pick his nose when he was bored and about to dismiss an appeal. Entering court, Stevenson would stand, ...
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Pre-nups in fashion
Following the widespread press coverage of glamorous heiress Katrin Radmacher’s legs – sorry legal case – in recent weeks, it seems the Manchester branch of upmarket department store Harvey Nichols has spotted an opportunity. Given that pre-nups are currently more fashionable than the ankle boot (as Obiter is given to ...
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Spell test
Legal aid minister Jonathan Djanogly does not have the easiest surname to pronounce. Indeed, in this electronic era, he must find much of his highly valuable time devoted to spelling out his email address letter by letter. But it has come to Obiter’s attention that many in the solicitors’ profession ...
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Corking correspondence
Obiter was tickled by a letter received by Nigel Spoor, a partner at Fairchild Dodds in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire. He writes: ‘My day has just been considerably brightened by reading a response from solicitors to my enquiry on maintenance arrangements for an unadopted ...
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Costs liability on discontinuing a claim
It is not uncommon for a claimant to decide to discontinue his claim after he has issued proceedings. If this is done then clearly the costs consequences set out in Civil Procedure Rule 38.6 (1) will apply. CPR 38.6(1) provides: ‘Unless the court orders otherwise, ...
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Well-targeted training will give solicitors the skills to succeed
Marketing skills, languages, project management, business development, customer relationship management – the job spec for lawyers is changing radically, whether private practice, in-house or public sector. Leaders of the biggest UK law firms warn there are too many lawyers and too many law firms. Businesses are ...
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Restrict the LPC
I write following the article by Carly Moore-Martin . It is a sad fact that a great many young people wish to qualify as lawyers but the opportunities to do so are simply not available. There are now websites where graduates ...
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Overhaul intestacy rules
I read with interest the short article on the current intestacy rules. The situation needs a considerable overhaul but I doubt whether this or any other government will find time to grasp the nettle and improve the position. Although the situation of ...
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Capacity issue
I have just come off the telephone with an anxious client regarding lasting powers of attorney and Court of Protection applications. I was concerned to hear that a manager from NatWest had told a client of mine that I had incorrectly completed a Court of ...
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We need a level regulatory playing field
Two weeks ago we saw the publication of the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s consultation on the ‘architecture of change’: the SRA’s new handbook. A lot of the debate up until now has been about the pros and cons of outcomes-focused regulation (OFR) coinciding with the introduction of alternative business structures (ABSs). ...
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Conveyancing quality scheme raises standards
Your article on the launch of a conveyancing quality scheme is excellent news, not just for conveyancing clients but also for insurers of conveyancing risk. The introduction of the conveyancing quality scheme (CQS) represents a huge opportunity for all law firms. There are several great initiatives ...
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Home loan, electric issues, cement refinancing and BMW lease
Home loan: Magic circle firm Allen & Overy advised Nationwide Building Society on creating a £1.5bn residential mortgage-backed security on a £32bn loan portfolio. Lead managers UBS, Deutsche Bank and Bank of America Merrill Lynch were advised by US firm Sidley Austin. ...
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How legal aid sector is challenging assumptions about pro bono work
by Jon Robins, editor of Pro Bono: Good Enough?, part of the ‘justice gap’ series, produced by the legal research company Jures ‘Pro bono work can be like foreign aid projects and cause more harm than good,’ argues one contributor in a new collection of ...