Last 3 months headlines – Page 1531
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Moving towards a fairer system
We understand the reluctance of Simon Osborne (see [2010] Gazette, 13 May, 13), as somebody who does only pro bono work and does not hold client funds, to pay the full practising certificate fee.
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Time for action on panel purgatory
As a residential property specialist, I am accustomed to being the ‘poor relation’ in a law firm. As every week goes by, the administrative burden increases; client and estate agents’ demands become ever more ambitious and unrealistic; and downward pressure on fees continues.
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Competence to practice
I read with some interest about the various proposals for solicitors to undergo ‘real time’ peer review to assist in measuring their competence (see [2010] Gazette, 1 April, 1). While the proposals strike me as overly burdensome, the issue of competence is certainly a relevant inquiry.
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What the legal services reforms could mean for City law firms
Nothing defines the City of London quite as much as its propensity to check the bottom line –the importance of which has been underlined by the financial crisis and renewed attention to risk management. The downturn brought dark days for London lawyers. With liquidity at an all-time low, funds were ...
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Will the new government and Clarke uphold promises on legal issues?
Sometimes you can’t do better than Bruce Springsteen: ‘Down here it’s just winners and losers and don’t get caught on the wrong side of that line.’ Jack Straw will appreciate the full force of the Boss’s observations. But there were also winners and losers among the Conservatives. And, beyond the ...
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OFT's credibility is in tatters following the failed BA price-fixing trial
by Julian Joshua a cartel specialist partner at Howrey The ignominious collapse last week of the first contested prosecution by the OFT for the cartel offence (section 188 of the Enterprise Act 2002) in the BA ‘Fuel Surcharge’ trial may seem like a farce, until you ...
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There is no word yet about exploring legal aid financing options
Well, no one saw that coming. Least of all, it seems, Kenneth Clarke himself, who had warned that a hung parliament would be an economic (if not a personal) disaster. As the febrile atmosphere at Westminster abates, one must conclude that the ...
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Saudi electric issues sukuk and Polish exchange listing
Saudi sukuk: Allen & Overy, with affiliate Saudi firm Abdulaziz AlGasim, advised Saudi Electricity Company on issuing a SAR7bn (£1.3bn) sukuk. US firm Latham & Watkins, with Saudi firm Law Office of Mohammed Al-Sheikh, advised joint lead managers HSBC Saudi Arabia and Samba ...
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Lawyer fears over Tories’ FSA U-turn
City lawyers have criticised an apparent U-turn by the Conservatives over their plans to scrap the Financial Services Authority (pictured) and hand its fraud-busting powers to a new agency. According to reports, the Conservative manifesto plan to scrap the FSA has been scuppered by the Liberal ...
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Court of Appeal rules on plea bargain sentencing
White-collar criminals sentenced to a year or less in jail should have their sentences suspended if they cooperate fully with related fraud investigations, the Court of Appeal ruled last week. The lord chief justice Sir Igor Judge (pictured), presiding in R v Dougall, chastised the Serious ...
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Ex-lawyer campaigns for civil liberties in China
A man wrongfully detained in a Chinese mental hospital for six and a half years was released earlier this month following pressure from a commercial lawyer turned civil liberties activist. Former commercial lawyer Alice XT Huang, who visited London as a guest of the Law Society ...
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London legal walk
Led by lord chief justice Igor Judge and master of the rolls Lord Neuberger (pictured with Law Society president Robert Heslett), 4,500 lawyers, judges and students took part in the sixth London legal walk this week. Some £400,000 was raised for legal advice and pro bono agencies.
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Class action protocol drawn up for NHS litigation
Lawyers have agreed an innovative collaboration process to handle a class action against a Liverpool hospital that is designed to save the NHS millions of pounds. Liverpool Women’s Hospital faces around 200 claims in relation to alleged negligent treatment by consultant urogynaecologist George Rowland. ...
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Appeal court upholds ruling that CPS case was abuse of process
A prosecution for possession of indecent images of a child has been stayed as an abuse of process after the Crown Prosecution Service refused to make copies of the images for the defence, claiming that to do so would lead CPS staff to commit an offence. ...
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Duncan Lewis boosts turnover by 56%
London legal aid firm Duncan Lewis aims to consolidate its position over the coming year after bringing in more than 100 new staff and upping its turnover by 56%, according to the firm’s recently published accounts. The firm, the largest civil legal aid practice in the ...
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Chancery Lane welcomes coalition government proposals
The Law Society welcomed the new coalition government’s pledge to seek a better balance between state surveillance and privacy this week, while legal aid lawyers said they hoped Kenneth Clarke’s appointment as justice secretary will spell good news for access to justice. Among the proposals set ...
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LSC payment delays spark bankruptcy fears
Delays by the Legal Services Commission in paying solicitors could lead to some firms becoming insolvent, lawyers warned this week. The LSC wrote to firms in March informing them that it would not be making payments on time that month, and payment delays have continued since, ...
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Claims begin to filter through RTA claims portal
Low-value road traffic accident personal injury claims sent through a new electronic data exchange launched three weeks ago have begun hitting insurers’ desks this week, figures show. Of the first 617 claims submitted as the Gazette went to press, liability had been admitted in 386 cases ...
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FSA fines anti-money laundering officer £14k
The Financial Services Authority has imposed a £14,000 penalty on an individual money laundering reporting officer (MLRO), in a case that is likely to raise concerns among those fulfilling the role at law firms.
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Exclusive: QualitySolicitors launches high street network
Law firm marketing alliance QualitySolicitors has launched a national high street branch network in a bid to become the first ‘household name’ legal brand, the Gazette can exclusively reveal. Today sees the opening of the first 15 QualitySolicitors branches across the UK, in a strategy described as a ‘game changer’ ...