Last 3 months headlines – Page 1539
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Regional administrative courts issue more cases than expected
The new regional administrative courts have issued more cases than expected in their first year of operation, according to figures seen by the Gazette. In April 2009, the Administrative Court began to sit in four regional venues in Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds and Manchester to increase access ...
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Judicial mediation in Employment Tribunal cases falls short
Mediation provided by judges in Employment Tribunal cases has failed to achieve the anticipated time and cost savings over unmediated cases, the results of a pilot scheme have revealed. The Ministry of Justice piloted a judicial mediation service for Employment Tribunal discrimination cases which started between ...
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New civil legal aid contracts ‘will cause closures’
The new civil legal aid contracts could result in large numbers of family firms exiting the market and leave a single social welfare law provider in some areas, consultants have predicted. David Gilmour, founder of consultancy DG Legal, which specialises in legal aid, said: ‘I ...
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Solicitor concerns over ‘chaotic’ DSCC handover
The ‘chaotic’ handover to the new operator of the Defence Solicitor Call Centre (DSCC) may have left detainees unrepresented and caused firms to lose work, criminal solicitors have warned. On 1 April Ventura, one of the biggest call centre operators, took over the running of the ...
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CPS slows recruitment of in-house Crown advocates
Figures obtained by the Gazette have revealed a steep decline in the Crown Prosecution Service’s recruitment of in-house Crown advocates as an alternative to self-employed barristers. CPS figures show that the number of Crown advocates in the CPS increased by only nine in 2009/10, to 1,086.
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New brand to promote barristers’ services direct to the public
A new brand to promote barristers’ services directly to the public is due to launch this summer, the Gazette has learned. Ian Dodd, director of virtual chambers BarFutures, plans to launch the National Advocacy Network, aimed at promoting public access to the bar.
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Local government legal departments braced for cuts
Local government legal departments are braced for a double whammy of budget cuts and an increase in workload, exclusive research for the Gazette has revealed. The study also found that 61% of departments are considering reducing their use of external advisers. The ...
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Quinn to re-enter UK insurance market
Quinn Insurance has been given permission for a limited re-entry into the UK insurance market following an announcement by the Irish Financial Regulator yesterday. However, the relaxation of the regulator’s restrictions preventing Quinn from writing new business in the UK does not extend to solicitors’ professional ...
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How to deal with problem employees and avoid tribunals
Employment laws change so frequently that if you tried to keep on top of them, you would probably go out of business. Or die miserably...
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Media: British Chiropractic Association v Dr Simon Singh
While the northern hemisphere is paralysed by the seismic shift that has caused the Icelandic volcano, Mt Eyjafjallajökull, to erupt, the case of the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) against Dr Simon Singh promises to have an equally seismic effect on the legal landscape of libel in the UK and the ...
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Family law
Cafcass – Children – Contract orders – Removal from jurisdiction Re D (a child): CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justice Wall, Aikens): 8 April 2010 The appellant father (F) appealed ...
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Civil procedure
Employment – Transport – Balance of convenience – Industrial action Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd v National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers: QBD (Mrs Justice Sharp): 1 April 2010 ...
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No pain no gain
There is such a thing as a glutton for punishment, and it seems that is what the Legal Services Commission must be.
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The sour smell of failure
As prosecutors and defence lawyers know only too well, criminals can be pretty, well, gormless is the word – or the ones who get caught can be, at any rate. Obiter has spotted a wealth of stories about foolish offenders recently. There was 68-year-old John Maurice, who was sentenced last ...
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Slithery customer
Obiter is grateful to professor Phil Thomas of Cardiff Law School for sending in a news snippet from the Hindu English language newspaper in India. A four-foot snake slithered into a judge’s chambers last month, and had to be ‘rescued’ by Fire and ...
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Higher court
Obiter was tickled to receive this picture issued by the Press Association of Sir John Dyson, who was sworn in as the 12th and final justice of the new Supreme Court this week. Is it just us, or does it look for all ...
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Playing with fire
Solicitors are notably risk averse and can be relied on, in Obiter’s long experience, to spot a dozen dire threats where others see only tranquility. And yet just last week this column witnessed a roomful of the profession’s finest demonstrate unblinking insouciance in the face of near certain incineration. The ...
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Keep on running
Sedentary Obiter doffs a cap to Jeffrey Gordon, a 76-year-old criminal defence solicitor from Battersea who is set to run the London Marathon for the 30th time this year. Gordon is one of a group of indefatigable runners known as the ‘ever presents’ who have completed the event every year ...
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Ending acrimony
Employment disputes must rank alongside family disputes as the most emotional proceedings a person can instigate. Both involve the potential breakdown of a relationship which may have lasted many years (or been expected to do so), and a situation where the loss of trust and confidence may leave a person ...