Last 3 months headlines – Page 1573
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LSB stance on alternative business structures under scrutiny
The approval of a ‘toothless’ code of practice for non-lawyer will-writers can be viewed as both a step forward or a missed opportunity, depending on your outlook. We note that, in the very same week, the Scots have chosen to proceed with a system of ‘proper’ regulation that is set ...
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Princely sum
Obiter is beginning to think that HRH Prince Charles is a bit of a fan of solicitors. He certainly seems to hang out with them quite a lot. Although it could also be said that he appears to have the measure of the ...
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World Cup dos and don’ts
You can never have too much legal advice, that is Obiter’s (unbiased) view. And it’s just as well. For it seems that whatever is going on in the world – be it a rise in divorce rates, or a cloud of volcanic ash disrupting flights – law firms are increasingly ...
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Chuting pain
What are the words no one wants to hear their parachuting instructor say as they are freefalling through the sky at 120mph? ‘We have a problem.’ Unfortunately, that is what happened to brave Cheryl Palmer-Hughes (pictured), a 27-year-old trainee at the Birmingham office of national firm Irwin Mitchell, after she ...
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Flowery sentence
Those of us who do not possess green fingers have long regarded gardening as a form of punishment, but now it’s official. Instead of the usual community service chores of scrubbing off graffiti or picking up litter, offenders have been creating raised flower beds at a community centre in Carmarthenshire ...
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Family law
Local government - Social welfare - Child abduction - Local authority housing EA v (1) GA (2) Westminster City Council (3) Salford City Council: CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justice Thorpe, Etherton): 27 May 2010 ...
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The five-year plan for immigration – five years on
We have repeatedly heard that the UK has experienced its biggest overhaul of the immigration system in half a century. This claim is false. The recent changes to our immigration system are more of a repackaging.
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HIPs: a mixed blessing?
While we should applaud the decision to scrap HIPs, they did at least introduce the concept of preparing in advance. The public and estate agents just do not understand that, to effect a smooth sale, the selling solicitor needs to plan ahead.
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Legal skills and careers
I am writing to respond to the author of the letter 'Hurt in the pocket' (see letters, 27 May). Accepting a pay cut of 49% is something you agreed to do, it was not an obligation. The firm is not obliged to increase your pay even if you have ...
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Law Society and Bar Council examine new funding options
The Law Society and Bar Council have set up a joint working party to look at new ways of funding cases as an alternative to legal aid. With the government poised to announce the details of public spending cuts, the two bodies said they had come ...
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‘Root-and-branch’ review of client financial protection
Solicitors’ professional indemnity insurance (PII) will be the subject of a ‘wide-ranging’ review by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, chair of the SRA board Charles Plant reveals in his Gazette column today. The PII review forms part of a ‘root-and-branch review of client financial protection’ also covering ...
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Jackson reforms ‘would benefit negligent corporations’
Negligent corporations and local authorities will have the scales of justice tipped in their favour if Lord Justice Jackson’s proposals on civil litigation costs are implemented in full, according to the firm involved in the case dubbed the ‘British Erin Brockovich’. Des Collins, senior partner at ...
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Sentencing Council begins national judicial survey
A new body with a remit to ‘demystify’ court processes and sentencing has begun the first national survey of how individual judges decide on the punishments they mete out to offenders. The Sentencing Council is to require judges to complete a questionnaire after each hearing ...
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Personal injury firms hit face new VAT threat
Changes by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to the treatment of medical reports for VAT purposes could cause personal injury firms ‘significant’ extra expense, tax lawyers have warned. The changes have prompted the Law Society to make written submissions in a forthcoming VAT tribunal case, Barratt ...
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Surge in Antipodean recruitment at UK law firms
Recruitment of lawyers from Australia and New Zealand has surged at UK law firms following the government’s relaxation of immigration rules for highly skilled workers. Associate solicitors from both countries are flocking to London to plug gaps in mid-tier City firms’ corporate practices, recruiters Badenoch & ...
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A single figure for damages over mesothelioma is needed
by Simon Allenmanaging partner and head of personal injury at the Sheffield office of Russell Jones & Walker One cannot possibly assess the effect of receiving a diagnosis of cancer. However, with many forms of the illness there is a degree of hope of ‘beating’ the ...
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City firms look to spread financial risk
City firms are asking banks to devise special financial instruments to protect their income from unforeseen economic fluctuations, the Gazette has learned. The top 20 law firms have begun asking for bespoke exchange rate and interest rate products to manage financial risk, bankers said.
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National grid rights issue and rail freight deal
Power play: Magic circle firm Linklaters advised National Grid on a £3.2bn rights issue, with City firm Herbert Smith advising a consortium of banks. On track: Birmingham firm Wragge & Co advised ...
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Lawyers condemn arrest of US lawyer in Rwanda
Lawyers have condemned the arrest of a US colleague who is representing a defendant before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and called for his immediate release.