Last 3 months headlines – Page 1602
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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.
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Recruitment freezes in local government
Local government legal departments are instigating recruitment freezes ahead of public sector budget cuts, while there has been a surge in demand for legal aid lawyers in immigration, family and criminal work and an upturn in corporate law hires. Colin Loth, manager of the legal teams ...
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Libel success fees limited to 10%
The success fees charged by lawyers in defamation cases will be cut by 90% after justice secretary Jack Straw laid an order to amend the laws on ‘no win, no fee’ agreements. From April the maximum uplift charged by lawyers for winning defamation cases taken on ...
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Why leave it so late to scrap the LSC?
Between them justice secretary Jack Straw and former civil servant Sir Ian Magee hammered the final nail into the coffin of the Legal Services Commission this week.
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Secret filming and the case law that subsequently arises
A good story is always more dazzling than a broken piece of truth – Diane Setterfield, The Thirteenth Tale
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Dispute resolution: recovering costs before allocation
Is a costs judge entitled to take the view that a matter would have been allocated to the small claims track (and therefore requiring the paying party to pay costs on the small claims track basis) where a case is settled before allocation and the consent order provides for costs ...
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Employment
Christianity – Detriment – Religious discrimination – Jewellery Eweida v British Airways Plc: CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justice Sedley, Carnwath, Lady Justice Smith): 12 February 2010 The appellant employee ...
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Immigration
Detention – Foreign nationals – Human rights R (on the application of (1) WL (Congo) (2) KM (Jamaica)) v Secretary of State for the Home Department: CA (Civ Div) (Lord Neuberger, Master of the Rolls, Lords Justice Carnwath, ...
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Civil evidence
Banking – Admissibility – Agreements – Estoppel – Settlement Oceanbulk Shipping and Trading SA v TMT Asia Ltd: CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justice Ward, Longmore, Stanley Burnton): 15 February 2010 ...
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Legal profession
Bias – Clerks – Findings – Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal Amritpal Singh Virdi (appellant) v Law Society (respondent) and Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (intervener): CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justice Jacob, Lloyd, Stanley Burnton): 16 February 2010 ...
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Law firm CEOs are standing up to be counted in the most difficult market yet
Last year was challenging for law firms to say the least. For the vast majority growth rates fell or stagnated. And redundancies were common, from the magic circle to the high street firms. Clients were more demanding, applying extensive scrutiny in seeking real value for money. Add in regulatory change, ...
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Huw must be joking
Obiter naturally abhors stereotyping, but in the interests of comic art he is willing to perpetuate what retired solicitor Huw James calls a ‘monstrous calumny’. He is referring to the good people of Ceredigion’s alleged tightness with money. ...
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Beg pardon?
Those dictation blunders have had Obiter chuckling once more this week. So many have popped into Obiter’s inbox, it’s a wonder there’s a secretary out there who still has a job.
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Going swimmingly
Well-known mental health and human rights solicitor Lucy Scott-Moncrieff is taking the plunge – again – and all in a good cause. Some of you may recall sponsoring Lucy when she swam the Hellespont in 2008. One of the subtle pleasures of the swim, she says, ...
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Come from a land down under?
‘London Calling to a faraway town,’ The Clash sang, we recall – the town in the present case being down under. The Gazette has received an unusual request from the producers of a new TV show about young Australians living in London. They are looking for an Aussie lawyer to ...
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Memory lane
A 1960s comparison between what solicitors earnt in their careers, against other professions, and why people should choose to enter the legal profession. Law Society’s Gazette, March 1960 ...