Last 3 months headlines – Page 1562

  • News

    ‘New era’ for family mediation in London

    2010-02-11T00:00:00Z

    The implementation of the revised President’s Private Law Programme in London this week could herald a ‘new era’ for mediation in the capital and reduce ‘unacceptable’ delays in the court system, according to a leading family lawyer. The guidance, devised in 2004 by the then president ...

  • News

    LSC procurement plans show no rise in civil legal aid cases

    2010-02-11T00:00:00Z

    The Legal Services Commission’s procurement plans for civil legal aid, published last week, have revealed that there will be no increase in the number of civil cases funded in the 2010/2011 financial year, to the dismay of solicitors. To assist firms tendering for the civil contracts ...

  • News

    Solicitors should report insolvency risk to SRA, recommends KPMG

    2010-02-11T00:00:00Z

    Solicitors should be under a duty to notify the Solicitors ­Regulation Authority when they get into financial difficulties, a report to the SRA board by accountants KPMG has recommended. The report also proposes that there should be a new core duty on financial management as part ...

  • News

    Firms face court action risk over money laundering reports

    2010-02-11T00:00:00Z

    Law firms could find themselves being sued for reporting suspected money laundering following a Court of Appeal decision last week. Law firms, banks and other businesses handling client money are obliged to file Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) to the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) ...

  • News

    Trainee solicitors 'exploited' after qualification

    2010-02-11T00:00:00Z

    Trainee solicitors are being ‘exploited’ by firms offering them a Hobson’s choice between a paralegal role or the dole when they qualify, the Gazette has learned. The Junior Lawyers Division (JLD) said firms’ financial problems meant they were attempting to avoid paying newly qualified lawyers’ salaries ...

  • News

    Sometimes it pays to work for free

    2010-02-11T00:00:00Z

    My grandmother once told me a rags-to-riches story about the son of one of her friends, who worked his way from unemployment into a lofty position at a major car manufacturer.

  • News

    Consumer research – make it work for you

    2010-02-10T00:00:00Z

    The recent YouGov survey of over 2,000 individuals commissioned by the Legal Services Board contains some useful information. But can you use it to help clients, reduce costs and increase profits?

  • News

    Civil proof standard for disciplinary matters: just one problem

    2010-02-09T00:00:00Z

    As we reported last week when the SRA takes on its Legal Services Act powers to conduct disciplinary matters itself – for lesser offences worth a maximum fine of £2,000...

  • News

    Civil proof standard for disciplinary matters: just one problem

    2010-02-09T00:00:00Z

    As we reported last week when the SRA takes on its Legal Services Act powers to conduct disciplinary matters itself – for lesser offences worth a maximum fine of £2,000...

  • News

    High numbers of women and solicitors appointed to judicial posts

    2010-02-09T00:00:00Z

    More than half the candidates selected in the last recruitment round for fee-paid employment tribunal judge positions were women, statistics have shown, while three-quarters of selected candidates were solicitors. The Judicial Appointments Commission today published the statistics for the two most popular selection exercises for fee-paid ...

  • News

    Banks predict M&A recovery in 2010

    2010-02-09T00:00:00Z

    Financial institutions have predicted a recovery in the volume of deals in the European acquisition finance market in 2010, with healthcare and professional services expected to be at the forefront of the M&A rebound, according to research published by a national law firm today. The European ...

  • News

    What can lawyers do about climate change?

    2010-02-08T00:00:00Z

    I don't want to start an argument about climate change. I am not competent to answer points about whether it is man-made or indeed whether it is happening at all. But there are nevertheless challenges and opportunities for lawyers in developing a greener environment.

  • News

    Public procurement rules are causing dismay among contracting authorities

    2010-02-08T00:00:00Z

    Like some mythical beast which rises from the depths of the legislative...

  • News

    Bar Council to launch legal action against MoJ

    2010-02-08T00:00:00Z

    The Bar Council and the Criminal Bar Association are set to take the government to court for the first time in 20 years over what they claim are ‘inadequate and unfair’ consultations on new fees for criminal legal aid work. They have instructed solicitors to take ...

  • News

    Allen & Overy launches in Australia

    2010-02-08T00:00:00Z

    Magic circle firm Allen & Overy announced the launch of an Australian practice today. The firm has appointed 17 new partners, with 14 based in Sydney and three in Perth. It said analysis of the Australian market had shown there was space ...

  • News

    Commuting – a cold comfort

    2010-02-05T00:00:00Z

    I work from home most of the time, but when I call my lawyer clients they are almost invariably in the office. All that changed during the recent cold snap, when heavy snowfalls made travelling very hazardous. Suddenly, lawyers up and down the country were logging onto their networks from ...

  • News

    Lawyers who merit judicial appointment are not reaching the bench

    2010-02-04T00:00:00Z

    When I was very young – in 1994, to be precise – I published a book in which I called on the lord chancellor to hang up at least one and preferably two of his three wigs. ‘We would then have an independent speaker in the House of Lords, an ...

  • News

    Civil procedure

    2010-02-04T00:00:00Z

    Conflict of laws – European Union – Real property Meletios Apostolides (appellant) v (1) David Charles Orams (2) Linda Elizabeth Orams (respondents) & British Residents’ Society (intervener): CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justice Pill, Lloyd, Sir Paul Kennedy): 19 ...

  • News

    Competition

    2010-02-04T00:00:00Z

    Broadcsters – Media and entertainment acquisitions – Judicial review British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc v (1) Virgin Media Inc (2) Competition Commission (3) Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform: CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justice Rix, Lloyd, ...

  • News

    Art of the matter

    2010-02-04T00:00:00Z

    In these cash-strapped times, it is good to hear that solicitors are still prepared to spend a quid or two on cultural pursuits. The annual exhibition of the Law Society’s art group, which featured paintings and sculptures by solicitors, had a record year in terms of the works sold. ...