Last 3 months headlines – Page 1553
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IT glitch hits operation of virtual court
IT problems caused a ‘meltdown’ in the operation of the virtual court at Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court last month, with the system down for a week, the Gazette has learned. An IT fault meant that the virtual court system, whereby defendants make their first appearance ...
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Two solicitors accused over file-sharing ‘bully tactics’
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has referred two solicitors from London firm Davenport Lyons to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal over claims that the firm sent ‘bullying’ letters accusing hundreds of people of illegal file-sharing. Consumer group Which? complained to the SRA in 2008 that Davenport Lyons partner ...
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Court staff go on strike over cuts to redundancy pay
More than 10,000 courts service staff this week refused to cross picket lines as part of a national strike by civil servants over cuts to redundancy pay, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) claimed. However, a spokeswoman for HM Courts Service said that, while there were some reductions in ...
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Commerce & Industry Group in-house trainee push
The Commerce & Industry Group is to encourage in-house departments to take on trainee solicitors, its new chair John Bleasdale has told the Gazette. Bleasdale said he wants the group’s 4,500 lawyer members to increase significantly the number of in-house training contracts available to Legal Practice ...
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Staff cuts bolstering revenues in mid-tier corporate firms
The ‘pressure is still on’ mid-tier corporate firms, research by accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers has shown, despite strong revenue figures for the last quarter. The latest figures from PwC’s quarterly law firm benchmarking survey indicate that, although revenues held up well during the traditionally quiet period to ...
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Call to simplify ‘intrusive’ legal aid means test
The Ministry of Justice’s decision to grant legal aid to families bereaved by the 7/7 bombings has prompted calls for the ‘intrusive’ and ‘distressing’ means test forms to be simplified. Last week justice secretary Jack Straw said that due to the ‘exceptional circumstances’, families who had ...
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Children should give evidence, says Supreme Court
Children in family proceedings should be called to give live evidence in court if the advantage it would bring in deciding the case outweighs the risk of harm to the welfare of the child, the Supreme Court ruled last week. In a unanimous decision, five law ...
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Adverts for magistrates’ courts branded ‘tacky’
A leading criminal solicitor has urged firms to boycott a ‘tacky’ scheme to introduce commercial advertising boards into magistrates’ courts. HM Courts Service has given permission for a private company, Executive Legal, to install the boards and charge local law firms £424 a year to display ...
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Firms enter into ‘gentlemen’s agreements’ with investors
Law firms are entering into ‘gentlemen’s agreements’ with investors in anticipation of the rule changes that will allow them to sell equity stakes in their businesses from October 2011, a leading consultant told the Gazette this week. Giles Murphy (pictured), head of assurance and business services ...
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Call for conveyancers to diversify as pressure grows on fees
Conveyancers are facing unprecedented pressure over fees but have largely failed to diversify into other areas, according to research seen exclusively by the Gazette. The news comes as Spicerhaart, the estate agency which has launched website iSold.com in association with supermarket Tesco, said that it expects ...
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Judges face an even tougher task in children’s cases
Judges in family proceedings have been given an unenviable task. Following a decision of the Supreme Court last week, they must now think longer and harder...
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‘Out of touch’ Law Society of Scotland facing a vote of confidence
The 10,500-member Law Society of Scotland is to face a vote of confidence on its future as the voice of Scottish solicitors, as grassroots opposition to the introduction of so-called ‘Tesco law’ intensifies. Members disillusioned by the body’s policy of support for external ownership and alternative business structures are behind ...
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LSC delays payments due to ‘cash position’ problems
The Legal Services Commission notified the Law Society today that it will be delaying payments to solicitors due in March until the start of the next financial year in April. Chancery Lane said the LSC had said this was due to the ‘cash position’ in which ...
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Scottish solicitors to get ‘Tesco law’ referendum
The Law Society of Scotland is to ballot its 10,000 members on Clementi-style liberalisation of the nation’s legal services market, as efforts to derail the reforms gather momentum. The move was announced in response to the scheduling of a special general meeting on 25 March requisitioned ...
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Do solicitors value their reputation as a marketing tool?
The following statement was made to me by a solicitor: ‘Clients often do not fully understand what they are buying, hence any client review is meaningless.’ I take the opposite view...
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Law firms unveil their carbon footprints
The alliance dedicated to reducing the carbon emissions of law firms today unveiled the carbon footprints of 32 firms and the Law Society. Publishing its Carbon Footprint Report, the Legal Sector Alliance (LSA) also claimed that carbon emissions fell by 4% among member firms since publication ...
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Lord Ashcroft isn’t the only one with tax problems
This is a good week in which to speak about another group of people – apart from non-domiciled peers of the realm – who are currently having problems with taxes in different parts of Europe. Lawyers have their tax problems, too.
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Insurers’ spin
The speech given by Dominic Clayden, director of technical claims at Aviva, at the Civil Justice Section’s annual conference (see [2009] Gazette, 25 February, 2) demonstrates the insurance industry’s lamentable approach to the compensation of accident victims.
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State school skills
I write in response to the letter headed ‘Tools of the trade’ from 18 February. I disagree entirely with the sweeping assumption that state-educated students do not gain the skills to obtain a professional qualification.
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North-south divide in conveyancing?
With regard to the letter from Mr Gafford in the Gazette of 4 March, I am quite frankly amazed that a firm might believe a quote of £600 plus VAT would secure a conveyancing matter at a price of £167,000.