Last 3 months headlines – Page 1570

  • News

    Jackson report published today

    2010-01-14T00:00:00Z

    Claimant personal injury lawyers and after-the-event (ATE) insurers were nervously awaiting the publication of the Jackson report as the Gazette went to press. After a year of research and consultation, Lord Justice Jackson (pictured) will today reveal his blueprint to reform civil litigation costs with the ...

  • News

    SRA warns lawyers acting in civil recovery claims against shoplifters

    2010-01-14T00:00:00Z

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority has warned lawyers not to ‘diminish public trust in the profession’ when acting in civil recovery claims against alleged shoplifters. The warning arose in response to a report by the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) on the fines levied and tactics used by ...

  • News

    Mental health charity launches jury campaign

    2010-01-14T00:00:00Z

    A mental health charity has launched a campaign to make people with mental health problems eligible for jury service, with the support of the Criminal Bar Association. Charity Rethink said the UK is one of only two jurisdictions in ...

  • News

    HMRC tax break for large law firms

    2010-01-14T00:00:00Z

    Large law firms struggling with cash flow problems will find it easier to obtain an extension on their tax deadline following a change in the rules adopted by HM Revenue & Customs. The new policy will extend the revenue’s Business Payments Support Service (BPSS) to large ...

  • News

    Legal process outsourcing facing a ‘watershed’ year

    2010-01-14T00:00:00Z

    Legal process outsourcing (LPO) faces a ‘watershed’ year during which it must prove its value to law firms and in-house lawyers, a report has predicted. Consultants Fronterion said LPO gained the media’s attention during 2009 as several top law firms and in-house teams announced deals, but ...

  • News

    SRA makes £3m payment to help clients of Wolstenholmes

    2010-01-14T00:00:00Z

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority has made a payment of £3m to help clients whose conveyancing transactions have been left in limbo by the closure of Cheshire firm Wolstenholmes. The money has come from the Compensation Fund, which is administered by the SRA and funded by the ...

  • News

    Law Society files judicial review application over defendants’ costs cap

    2010-01-14T00:00:00Z

    The Law Society has filed a judicial review application in a move to overturn new government regulations restricting the costs that can be recovered by acquitted defendants. Regulations that came into force on 31 October 2009 cap at legal aid rates the costs recoverable by ...

  • News

    Legal aid payments delayed by LSC IT glitch

    2010-01-14T00:00:00Z

    Technical problems at the Legal Services Commission delayed payments that were due to all legal aid solicitors at the start of the year. The payment systems at the LSC went down for a day and a half, which meant the BACS payment run that was due ...

  • News

    Surprise increase in practising certificate numbers

    2010-01-14T00:00:00Z

    The number of solicitors with practising certificates (PCs) continued its relentless rise in 2009, despite predictions in many quarters that the recession would herald a decline. Figures from the Solicitors Regulation Authority show that the number of practising solicitors totalled 112,589 at December 31, having risen ...

  • News

    Jackson calls for success fee reform and end to PI referral fees

    2010-01-14T00:00:00Z

    Success fees and after-the-event (ATE) insurance premiums should no longer be paid by the losing party in civil court cases, a major report on civil litigation costs recommended today. Winning parties in personal injury cases should benefit from a 10% uplift in their damages award to ...

  • News

    Why are women trainees paid less than men?

    2010-01-14T00:00:00Z

    For some time, the profession has been doing a good job of enticing women in (although, as we all know, a lot of them end up packing their bags in their 30s when they find family life incompatible with their firm’s demands).

  • News

    Should lawyers be scared of the taxman?

    2010-01-13T00:00:00Z

    The taxman cometh, and in his right hand he swings an axe coated with the blood of doctors and dentists. He is done with them, and now he seeks to scythe down all solicitors and barristers who have avoided paying him his dues…

  • News

    New government client care regulations ‘excessive’

    2010-01-13T00:00:00Z

    New government regulations requiring solicitors to inform clients about what professional indemnity insurance they have in place have been described as ‘excessive’. The Provision of Services Regulations 2009, introduced by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) in December, require lawyers to provide information on ...

  • News

    What can legal business learn from publishing?

    2010-01-13T00:00:00Z

    Are law firms more like publishing businesses than they think, and what might that mean?This sounds like an odd question, probably, if you're a lawyer and/or you run a law firm, but bear with me...

  • News

    Chancery Lane calls for answers about legal aid tendering process

    2010-01-13T00:00:00Z

    The Law Society has written to the Legal Services Commission demanding urgent information about ‘fundamental issues’ concerning the civil legal aid tendering process, and expressing ‘grave concern’ at the lack of detail given to providers. The tender process is due to begin at the beginning of ...

  • News

    New ways of doing business in 2010 – US style

    2010-01-11T00:00:00Z

    I am still in prophetic mode for the New Year and new decade. Two big drivers in the coming year, and for some time to come, will be the recession and new technology. Here are some developments touching on one or the other or both, as reported in various outlets ...

  • News

    Tough times ahead but no more redundancies, predict conveyancers

    2010-01-11T00:00:00Z

    Property experts have predicted a slow start to the year, but forecast an end to redundancies among conveyancing solicitors. Paul Marsh, lead Law Society spokesman on property, said the next 12 months would remain slow, but with house prices rising in some areas due to a ...

  • News

    Chancery Lane moves to block legal aid cap for acquitted defendants

    2010-01-11T00:00:00Z

    The Law Society has filed a judicial review application in a move to block new government regulations restricting the costs that can be recovered by acquitted defendants. Regulations that came into force on 31 October 2009 cap at legal aid rates the costs recoverable by acquitted defendants who have ...

  • News

    Have we escaped Microsoft's arms only to fall into Google's?

    2010-01-08T00:00:00Z

    A minor landmark in the world of technology occurred just before Christmas. Well, actually it’s a legal issue mostly. Microsoft has agreed not to bundle Internet Explorer with its Windows operating system. Not exactly eye-popping news for most, but for some it marks the end of Microsoft...

  • News

    ‘Breakthrough’ tax agreement helps large partnerships

    2010-01-08T00:00:00Z

    Large law firms struggling with cash flow problems will be more able to obtain an extension on their tax deadline under a change in the rules adopted by HM Revenue & Customs. The new policy will extend the revenue’s Business Payments Support Service (BPSS) to large ...