Last 3 months headlines – Page 1544
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A&O is magic, right kids?
Magic circle firm Allen & Overy is certainly doing well at attracting the graduates. The firm has just scooped not one but two graduate recruitment honours, from newspapers the Times and the Guardian. The Times Graduate Employer of Choice Award named A&O as the legal employer offering the best opportunities ...
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Playing the fool
As if anyone could have failed to notice, what with Radio 4’s ‘Shakespeare is French’ spoof and the Guardian’s story about Labour planning to orchestrate a Brown-Cameron punch-up to boost ratings, it was April Fool’s day last week. Though Obiter must point out that anyone who took the Gazette’s story ...
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Is honesty always the best policy? Sometimes
Politicians may be known for many things, but honesty isn’t normally one of them. So Obiter was intrigued by the disarming veracity of panel members at pro bono group LawWorks’ Question Time-style panel debate on legal aid last week. With Robin Knowles QC, LawWorks trustee, filling the David Dimbleby role, ...
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The next government must take a more measured approach to libel reforms
by Steven Heffer, head of media at Collyer Bristow and solicitor to Lawyers for Media Standards Over the past year, there has been an intensive press campaign pushing for radical reform of English libel Law. Barely a day goes by without another article by a concerned ...
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There are no votes in legal aid
‘The future holds few certainties for legal aid practitioners, whichever party forms the next government.’ Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. That observation, contained in the Gazette of 23 April 1997, eight days before the New Labour dawn, has become a truism. Still, ...
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Which? hunt
Last week Deborah Prince of Which? offered some ‘friendly advice’ (see [2010] Gazette, 1 April, 11). This follows repeated and public criticism from Which? of my firm for legitimately acting for my clients.
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Issues that matter
To respond to all of Andrew Hopper’s and Greg Treverton-Jones’s points about the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s prosecution policy, ‘Ticking all the boxes?’ (see [2010] Gazette, 1 April, 12), would be a major undertaking, but two key issues need addressing.
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Paying peanuts for legal advice
There is a certain irony in the conjunction of the headline on the front page of last week’s Gazette, ‘Consumer call for competence test’ (see [2010] Gazette, 1 April, 1)...
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Politicians in glass houses
It is interesting to see that our brethren north of the border have been involved in a grassroots rebellion against ‘Tesco Law’, (see [2010] Gazette, 1 April, 8).
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Judicial error
Reading the legal update report of Key v Key (see [2010] Gazette, 1 April, 14), I was struck by the judge’s emphasis on the so-called ‘golden rule’, namely that practitioners should arrange for an aged testator, or one who has been seriously ill, to be examined by and reported on ...
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‘The F word’
The Law Society’s insert in the 25 March issue highlighted the issue of fraud in relation to money laundering and mortgages.
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Seeking a wider audience
On 1 March 2007, you kindly printed a letter in which I questioned why it was that membership of the Criminal Litigation Accreditation Scheme (CLAS) and the possession of higher rights of audience was not publicly recognised by the Law Society on the ‘find a solicitor’ section ...
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Firms should consider alternatives to traditional funding sources
Business analysts report that poor management is a principal reason for business failure, while managing cashflow is critical and one of the most frequent stumbling blocks.
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Scots to debate compromise plan that would derail ‘Tesco law’
The head of Anglo-Scottish law firm McGrigors has come up with a compromise proposal that could prevent the full implementation of ‘Tesco law’ in Scotland and heal a damaging rift over the future of the nation’s solicitors’ profession.
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Pre-packaged insolvency proposals are ‘expensive duplication’
Proposals to boost confidence in the pre-packaged insolvency process published this week are ‘an expensive recipe for duplicating costs’, a City insolvency lawyer has warned. The proposals follow a recent report by the Insolvency Service which found that one-third of insolvency practitioners are failing to comply ...
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MoJ announces changes to Crown court fees
The Ministry of Justice and Legal Services Commission have today announced the fee changes for Crown court legal aid work. The government has decided not to implement the 17.9% cut proposed to the advocates’ graduated fees. Instead there will be a staged reduction over three years ...
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Edwards Duthie wins contract for first London CLAC
East London firm Edwards Duthie has won the contract to run the capital’s first Community Legal Advice Centre (CLAC). It will operate the service in Barking and Dagenham in conjunction with the local Citizens Advice Bureau. Over the next three years the ...
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Metropolitan Police revises document charges for civil cases
The Metropolitan Police Service has issued revised charges for providing copies of documentation in civil proceedings. The following most significant changes came into effect on 1 April: Charges for civil cases – statements and interviews ...
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Yorkshire Forward launches two legal panels
Development agency Yorkshire Forward has launched two legal service panels. Nine firms have won a place on the two panels, with contracts that will run for three years, with an option to extend the term for a further 12 months. The ...
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All you need to know about victims of crime in the EU
Since we are entering a general election period, it is timely to speak of a group that will be a focus for pledges and one-upmanship all round: victims of crime. Crime victims are high on the European Commission’s agenda, too. This