Last 3 months headlines – Page 1540
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Courts will ‘struggle to cope’ with Equality Act caseload
Employment lawyers have warned that tribunals could be ‘submerged’ by a surge in cases stemming from the Equality Act 2010, which came into force this month. The act comes against a backdrop of increasing employment claims, with figures released by the Tribunals Service last week indicating ...
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'No legal case' for Iraq invasion
Human rights lawyers have claimed that the UK had no legal case for its 2003 invasion of Iraq, in a submission to the Chilcot Inquiry seen by the Gazette. The Solicitors International Human Rights Group found fault with the UK government’s two main justifications for ...
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Intestacy rules in need of updating
Nearly two-thirds of the public do not have a will, and a change in family relationships points to a need to amend the current intestacy rules, research has suggested. A report by the National Centre for Social Research, conducted to provide the Law Commission with up-to-date ...
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Lawyers hit by corruption and international bribery
Almost a third of lawyers worldwide have lost business to law firms or individual lawyers engaged in international bribery and corruption, a major study has found. More than one in five said they had been approached to take part in a possible corrupt transaction, according to ...
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Policestationreps sees threefold increase in lawyers using website
A website set up to connect firms doing criminal defence work with accredited police station representatives has reported a threefold increase in lawyers using the site, as solicitors face tightening profit margins. Policestationreps.com provides solicitors with the contact details of local police station representatives so that ...
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Welfare group opposes immigration cap
Lawyers acting for an immigrants’ welfare group are to challenge the legality of the government’s temporary cap on immigration. The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) has sent a pre-action protocol letter to the Home Office, informing it of its intention to launch judicial ...
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Blueprint for local government revealed
Local government legal services could be delivered from just six regional centres of excellence within the next decade, it has been suggested. A roadmap unveiled by the Association of Council Secretaries and Solicitors (ACSeS) last week outlined how a national network of six legal hubs could ...
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Chancery Lane calls for appraisal system for family judges
An appraisal system should be introduced for family judges, so that they can hear feedback on their performance and to reassure the public about the quality of the judiciary, the Law Society has suggested. In its response to the government’s family justice review, Chancery Lane said ...
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Earn CPD points with the Gazette
Today sees the launch of Gazette CPD, through which you can gain up to 10 CPD hours by answering questions about our articles. Each month (excluding August and December), an assessment consisting of 15 questions based on four articles published in the previous month’s Gazette will ...
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High volume of complaints against lawyers as LeO launches
The new Legal Ombudsman handled nearly 500 complaints on its launch day yesterday, taking its first call two minutes after opening at 8.30am while its chief executive was appearing on Radio 4's Today programme. Of 497 potential cases, more than 20 are already being investigated, chief ...
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Ken Clarke predicts legal services ‘big bang’
Justice secretary Ken Clarke yesterday warned lawyers to prepare for changes as far reaching as the ‘big bang’ proved to be for the financial sector. Clarke told members of Birmingham Law Society that alternative business structures (ABSs) would herald a ‘whole new world’ for lawyers. From ...
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Legal profession ‘inherently masculine’, says report for LSB
Stereotyping and bias are preventing women and black and minority ethnic (BME) solicitors from furthering their careers, a report funded by the Legal Services Board has found. The report by the University of Westminster claimed that the profession is ‘segmented and stratified’ along the lines of ...
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Firms leave ARP following tough SRA action
Nearly 50 law firms in the assigned risks pool (ARP) have closed or will soon close as a result of enforcement action by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the regulator said today. The SRA said that 37 ARP firms have closed and 10 are in the process ...
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LSC announces defendant legal aid sanctions
The Legal Services Commission has announced that financial sanctions will be imposed on defendants who fail to provide evidence of means when applying for criminal legal aid in the Crown court. The Crown court means-testing scheme was rolled out nationally earlier this year. The sanction for ...
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A coup for Chancery Lane – but what happens now?
Last week’s High Court judgment that the Legal Services Commission’s family tender process was unlawful railroaded a process which would have reduced the number of family providers from 2,400 to 1,300 and led to the demise of many experienced firms.
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3,000 high street firms could disappear - Clarke
Justice secretary Kenneth Clarke yesterday warned lawyers to prepare for changes as far reaching as the ‘big bang’ proved to be for the financial sector. Clarke told members of Birmingham Law Society that alternative business structures (ABSs) would herald a ‘whole new world’ for lawyers. From ...
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A Tanzanian teaching experience
One of the greatest rewards for any coach, mentor or trainer in the development process is to be able to help individuals and teams realise their potential and develop their talent. The ‘dream’ scenario is that, before your eyes, skills are gradually mastered, performance improved and confidence built and sustained, ...
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After PQE: wise beyond years?
Some law firms, having moved partners away from lockstep towards a more strict merit-based system, have now turned their attention to the way they price and reward assistants and associates. Unpicking the use of PQE to decide on fees and reward is a logical step, but as a piece of ...
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Financial crisis: are regulators asking the right questions?
We have just passed the second anniversary of the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in 2008. Of course, the financial crisis it caused, in which we are still immersed, has given rise to a flurry of activity by regulators around the world. We are all agreed upon one message: NEVER AGAIN. ...
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LSC hit by £300,000 legal bill over tender
The Legal Services Commission faces a £300,000 bill for the Law Society’s legal costs, after losing a High Court battle over its family tender process. The LSC said it could not disclose how much it had spent on its own legal fees in defending the action, ...