Last 3 months headlines – Page 1615
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Defence solicitors boycott Kent virtual court pilot
Defence solicitors have scuppered the government’s plan to extend the virtual court scheme to Kent by boycotting the initiative. No Kent solicitors have agreed to take part in the scheme, which they say is not in the best interests of clients or defence lawyers. Two London ...
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Government response to damages consultation dubbed ‘anti-climax’ by lawyers
Solicitors dubbed the government’s response to the Law on Damages consultation an anti-climax this week, two years after its original deadline. John McQuater, president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, said: ‘In all my years of practice, I can rarely remember waiting so long for ...
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Lack of quality checks for law schools will ‘breed incompetent solicitors’, warns CoL
The lack of quality assurance for law schools risks ‘breeding a generation of incompetent solicitors’, the head of one of the biggest providers has warned. Nigel Savage, chief executive of the College of Law, said monitoring by the Solicitors Regulation Authority is not sufficient to ensure ...
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Law Centres Federation posts cartoons on YouTube
The Law Centres Federation (LCF) has posted four cartoons on video-sharing website YouTube, aimed at showcasing the benefits of free community legal advice. The videos were played to ministers and MPs at the House of Lords on Tuesday, at an event hosted by legal aid minister ...
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Lawyers’ helplines report rise in redundancy-related calls
The number of solicitors contacting helplines has risen sharply in recent weeks, the Gazette has learned, with many of the calls relating to redundancy. Some callers have been considered to be at risk of suicide. Both the pastoral care line LawCare and ...
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Professional negligence claims soar as solicitors redeployed to new areas
Professional negligence claims against solicitors are soaring, with one City firm reporting a 158% surge in cases over the past 12 months. And experts are warning that worse may be to come in the downturn, as solicitors are moved to areas with which they are unfamiliar.
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A third of all prosecution advocates ‘lacklustre’ or poor, inspection says
A third of all prosecution advocates are ‘lacklustre’ or ‘less than competent’ according to a review carried out by the Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate published today. The inspectors found advocates, both in-house and external counsel, were fully competent in two thirds of cases, but a quarter ...
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To hear what the future holds, it helps to listen first
In the past few weeks I've been spending a lot of time at conferences and seminars set up by the Law Society's Law Management Section around the country. Several things have occurred to me while I drive back and forth or sit on a train from the comments of the ...
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Tribunals Service reports 40% rise in claims
The Tribunals Service saw a 40% rise in claims this financial year, far greater than it had anticipated. However, the service still managed to reduce its costs by £9m, through greater efficiency. The Tribunal Service’s annual report showed that it disposed of ...
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‘Lawyers are fantastic’ – not a phrase you hear often
Let’s face it, lawyers are often given a hard time. So it’s nice sometimes to hear that somebody has a good word to say about them. Especially when that person is Archbishop Desmond Tutu, for many an icon of justice, hope and integrity.
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LSB appoints chairwoman of consumer panel
The Legal Services Board has appointed Dr Dianne Hayter as chairwoman of its independent consumer panel. The panel, set up by the Legal Services Act 2007, will advise the LSB on the interests of all legal services users, including individual and business consumers. LSB chairman David Edmonds said: ‘The panel’s ...
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Compensation Fund – can we learn from France?
In a week in which a painful rise in contributions to the Compensation Fund is expected, what better than seeing how another jurisdiction handles clients’ money? Us, learn something from the French? OK, don’t throw your tomatoes yet.
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LSC climbdown over best value tendering
The Legal Services Commission has today delayed the national rollout of best value tendering (BVT) for criminal work by three years, pending a ‘full’ evaluation of the pilot. The move will be seen as a considerable climbdown by the LSC. Responding to ...
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Protocol sets out attorney general’s role in prosecutions
The attorney general, Baroness Scotland QC, has published a new protocol setting out her relationship with the prosecuting bodies she superintends. The document outlines the roles and responsibilities of the attorney general and clarifies the extent of her role in individual prosecution cases. It also underlines ...
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Why the new social world will change your firm
Ever heard of ‘constant partial attention’? I was at a press bash for City firm Nabarro the other night when, in conversation about the Gazette’s work on Twitter and recent foray on to social media websites LinkedIn and Facebook with Nabarro’s IT director, the phrase was mentioned.
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Anti-money laundering rules should be relaxed for solicitors
The anti-money laundering (AML) reporting regime should be relaxed for solicitors and others in the private sector, a House of Lords committee concluded today. Failure to report a suspicious transaction which is based on a minor criminal offence should not be prosecuted, according to the House ...
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The Hunting Act - is it pick and choose legislation?
The conclusion of a year-long High Court action between a West Sussex hunt and a group of animal rights activists brings to mind the ‘visceral’ extremes of emotion aroused by the introduction of the Hunting Act 2004, which prohibited the hunting of wild mammals – including foxes and stags – ...
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Solicitors invited to nominate honorary QCs
Solicitors have been invited to nominate themselves or other legal professionals for honorary Queen’s Counsel (QC). The honorary counsel will be appointed alongside the new substantive QCs in spring 2010. Honorary silk is available to all practising lawyers, whether in private ...
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Residence and Contact Orders: Domestic Violence and Harm
The above practice direction, originally issued on 9 May 2008, was reissued on 14 January 2009 to reflect the decision of the House of Lords in Re B (Children) [2008] UKHL 35.
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Plinth becomes king
Readers may recall Mark Fitch (pictured), the profession’s answer to The King, who graced these pages in January as lead singer of Elvis tribute band the Blue Sueders. Any fans who were deterred by the thought of travelling to Norfolk to see this white-suited wonder – Fitch is a litigation ...