Last 3 months headlines – Page 1530
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Law firms must tell clients how to complain, says LSB
Lawyers must provide clear information to clients about how they can complain about the service they receive, the Legal Services Board said today. Noting ‘a perception of poor complaints handling by [legal] regulators and the individuals and entities that they regulate,’ the LSB said that firms ...
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Smile for the camera because Big Brother is watching you
We are all film stars now, according to a 1999 study that estimated London citizens or workers could expect, in a single day, to be filmed by more than 300 CCTV cameras on around 30 separate CCTV systems.
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Law Society president warns of looming threat to profession’s independence
The Legal Services Board’s proximity to government could threaten the independence of the legal profession, Law Society president Robert Heslett warned last night. In a speech at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, Heslett questioned the need for the LSB’s ‘draconian’ power to seize control ...
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Referral fees are a distraction
The publication of the Legal Services Board’s research on referral fees has created a debate that, while an important issue for the profession to discuss, distracts attention from the real issue for firms.
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You are an EU citizen: do something about it
Much ink has been spilled recently about what it felt like to be a UK citizen during the changes leading to the coalition government – we were being ignored/our wishes were being followed; we were voting for change/we did not know what we wanted; etc (in each case, delete ...
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Law firms fail to maximise internet exposure
Law firms are failing to maximise their exposure to online consumers by improving their rankings with search engines, a report has shown. A study of by consultants Greenlight showed that 1.2m searches were performed in February for legal-related keywords, with 450,000 searches for ‘solicitor’. ...
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MoJ to cut £325m
The government is to cut £325m from the Ministry of Justice’s budget, it said today. The cuts will form part of £6.2bn in savings aimed at reducing the UK’s deficit, outlined by the chief secretary to the Treasury David Laws today. The ...
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MoJ unveils new ministers’ portfolios
The Ministry of Justice has announced the roles of its new ministerial team overseen by justice secretary Kenneth Clarke, with the legal aid brief handed to former City lawyer Jonathan Djanogly. Tom McNally, minister of state and deputy leader of the House of Lords, will have ...
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Will scrapping HIPs make a real difference?
One of the first steps taken by David Cameron’s new coalition government was the announcement scrapping home information packs, which will be suspended from midnight tonight...
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IT/IP: Google and brand searches
A landmark decision from the European Court of Justice will have brand owners checking whether, and how, third parties use their brands as internet search terms.
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Civil procedure
Civil evidence – Claims – Closed material – Disclosure Bisher Al Rawi and five others (appellants) v (1) Security Service (2) Secret Intelligence Service (3) Attorney General (4) Foreign and Commonwealth Office (5) Home Office (respondents) and (1) ...
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Legal advice
Funding – European Union – Public procurement – Equal treatment Azam & Co v Legal Services Commission; Ch D (Mr Justice Briggs): 5 May 2010 The claimant firm of ...
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Legal advice
Funding – Fees – Liens - Complaints R (on the application of Malik Law Chambers Solicitors) (claimant) v Legal Complaints Service (the Law Society) (defendant) and Thandie Tobo (interested party): QBD (Admin) (Mr Justice Saunders): 6 May 2010 ...
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Brawl of fame
When lawyers talk about a court fight, they are usually speaking metaphorically of an intellectual joust with their opponents, not actual fisticuffs. But one plucky barrister last week showed he can deal deftly with both modes of conflict. Piers Wauchope of London set 5 Pump Court stepped in to help ...
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The last farewell
As probate lawyers know only too well, there are an awful lot of folk out there who still haven’t got round to making a will (it is, of course, at the very top of Obiter’s to-do list, and has been for years). This means the estates of some disorganised types ...
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Roll survivors
Some jobs are known to be high risk. Firefighting, for example, or mountain rescue. But did you know that being in the upper echelons of the judiciary can also put one’s life in jeopardy? Addressing an audience at Lincoln’s Inn recently, master of the rolls Lord Neuberger – who must ...
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Music man
Rock star Andy Booth (pictured), who also happens to be head of company commercial and creative industries at Manchester firm Turner Parkinson, has just been appointed director of the company behind Manchester music venue Band on the Wall. Booth, a specialist music lawyer since 1994, acts for the likes of ...
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Colour bar
Early on in his legal career, the master of the rolls learned an important lesson about the rule of law from a judge at Bloomsbury County Court, Obiter heard last week. Lord Neuberger, a former property barrister, was recalling the first time he cross-examined a chartered surveyor, in a case ...
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Double standard
The conduct of elections has come under the microscope in recent weeks. Joshua Rozenberg noted (see [2010] Gazette, 13 May, 8) that section 23 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 says that ‘no parliamentary election shall be declared invalid by reason of any act or omission by the ...