Last 3 months headlines – Page 1495
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How to construct the foundations
In the article How Leeds law firms are battling the downturn, Karen Eckstein says: ‘There’s not a comprehensive handbook which tells you how to do it’ (set up a law firm). This ex-Leeds solicitor turned to the excellent Setting Up and Managing a Legal Practice by Martin Smith, published by ...
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Baroness Prashar steps down as chair of the JAC with a parting shot
by Baroness Prashar It is a testament to the cooperative approach shown by the Law Society and the hard work of commissioners and staff at the Judicial Appointments Commission that the Society now has confidence in the openness and fairness of our selection process.
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Culture clash and compensation
Below is a brief note addressed to Lord Young in relation to a story in last Saturday’s Telegraph. Dear Lord Young I ...
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Beware of rising pension charges
I have just received notification from the NHS that, provided my Pension Share Order is received by 31 December 2010, the implementation charge will be £393.62, including VAT. If it is received after 1 January 2011, the charge will be £2,760, including VAT. I calculate ...
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Migration limits threaten UK's position as a prominent legal centre
A welcome schism has opened up in the coalition; welcome to City law firms, at any rate. Vince Cable, whose increasingly Eeyore-like deportment has not gone unnoticed among political scribes, has hit out at proposed limits on non-EU highly skilled migration. In a Financial Times interview, he claimed that companies ...
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Eschig ruling and non-panel firms
The article FSA underlines policyholder right to choose solicitor could leave some readers with the impression that the Eschig judgment has in some way affected the position of already-compliant legal expenses insurers, which is not the case.
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Vulnerable people will find it harder to access good legal advice
Hugh Barrett’s reply to John Ford’s concerns about the allocation of low-volume category legal services is inadequate. Mr Barrett’s letter explains that in most low-volume categories, the tender process was ‘non-competitive with matter starts awarded to all organisations that met our essential criteria’. ...
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Working party plea for costs rules to be liberalised
A working party led by a senior judge has called on the government to liberalise the costs rules to make it easier for parties to make challenges under environmental law.
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Recession fuels ADR rise
The financial crisis triggered a surge in the number of disputes resolved by arbitration and mediation, with the UK performing well as a venue for hearing international cases, a study published this week found. The study, by membership body TheCityUK, discloses that the number of arbitrations ...
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Fall in cases handled by magistrates
The number of cases handled by magistrates has fallen by 16% in a decade as more defendants are dealt with out of court, according to a report published this week. The report for the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies shows that around 1.64 million cases ...
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Law firms and insurers join forces to fight Jackson reforms
Five law firms and two insurers have set up a pressure group with the aim of preventing Lord Justice Jackson’s proposed reforms to the funding of personal injury and clinical negligence claims, which they claim will leave victims ‘at the mercy’ of large insurance companies. The ...
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Immigration cap poses ‘threat’ to UK legal sector
The Law Society has made a submission to the Home Office warning that its proposed limits on non-EU highly skilled migration could damage the legal sector. The submission follows concerns voiced by Liberal Democrat business secretary Vince Cable that immigration limits are damaging British industry. ...
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LCS chief executive Deborah Evans reflects on achievements
by Deborah Evans Since 2006, the Legal Complaints Service (LCS) has delivered substantial improvements for both consumers and law firms, whether they are users of the service or beneficiaries of its advice.
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‘Use town halls as courts’, says LGA
Town halls should be used as courts to generate cost savings, the Local Government Association (LGA) suggested this week. Responding to the Courts Service’s consultation on the potential closure of 103 magistrates’ courts and 54 county courts across England and Wales, the LGA said making use ...
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Lib Dem minister faces economic reality
The justice system cannot escape the ‘realities of the economic situation’, Lord McNally, minister of state at the Ministry of Justice, said in an interview with the Gazette this week. The Liberal Democrat peer said he is relying on the ability of the legal profession ...
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Mental health tender criteria ‘discriminate against smaller firms’
A London firm is poised to challenge the Legal Services Commission’s mental health tender process by claiming that it discriminates against smaller firms, as the Law Society’s action over the family contract commences in the Divisional Court today. The firm, which did not want to be ...
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‘Vicious circle’ in legal aid highlighted by thinktank
A legal thinktank calls on the government to adopt a more balanced approach to legal reform in a paper published today, and suggests that the large number of legal aid firms does not achieve best value for money. The Legal Services Institute (LSI) said the legal ...
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Conveyancers ‘vulnerable’ to ‘Tesco Law’
There is a high level of anxiety among solicitors over the legal services reforms, with conveyancers showing the greatest concern, according to research released to the Gazette this week. A survey of more than 300 solicitors by law firm network Contact Law found that attitudes towards ...
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Forty-year bar boom set to end
The number of barristers could be set to fall after 40 years of continuous growth, according to a report published last week. The report by consultants Jomati predicts that a drop in the number of law firms, coupled with more work done by solicitor-advocates, particularly ...
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Legal brand to launch national franchise
A new legal brand run by a solicitor is to launch as a national franchise next April, the Gazette can exclusively reveal. HighStreetLawyer.com aims to establish a recognisable law firm brand in a bid to compete with new market entrants when alternative business structures are sanctioned ...