Last 3 months headlines – Page 1631

  • News

    Straw hails virtual court pilot but Chancery Lane demurs

    2009-05-28T00:00:00Z

    Justice secretary Jack Straw praised the virtual court process yesterday after the first two cases to use the technology were heard this week at Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court in London. However, the Law Society marked the occasion by giving voice to its ‘grave concerns’ about the initiative. ...

  • News

    Revenues tumble at City giant Ashurst

    2009-05-28T00:00:00Z

    Ashurst became the latest major firm to register the impact of the recession on its finances today, reporting a 7% fall in revenues to £301m for the year to April 30. The top 10 City firm did not release information on total profits or profit per ...

  • News

    Another nail in the billable hour’s coffin

    2009-05-28T00:00:00Z

    A recent article in the Economist outlined a move away from the ‘billable hour’ toward a ‘value-based system’ that has been happening in the global advertising agency sector. A sceptical note was raised by a commentator in the Economist article, pointing out that the benefits of an advertising agency’s work ...

  • News

    Michael Napier steps down from Legal Services Board

    2009-05-28T00:00:00Z

    Michael Napier QC today resigned from the Legal Services Board in the wake of last week’s high-profile Court of Appeal decision to allow magazine Private Eye to publish details of a complaint against him. The Irwin Mitchell senior partner said he would no longer be able to devote the ...

  • News

    Warning on the cards for 11,000 law firms

    2009-05-28T00:00:00Z

    Solicitors in England and Wales are to be issued with warning cards to help prevent them becoming involved in fraudulent activity. The cards highlight four risk areas - property fraud, undertakings, fraudulent financial affairs and money laundering. They will be issued to 11,000 firms by the ...

  • News

    Alternative business structures must preserve the rule of law

    2009-05-28T00:00:00Z

    by Robert Heslett, vice-president of the Law Society The Legal Services Board argues that ‘effective access to justice is at the heart of the concept of a society that rests on a commitment to the rule of law’. That is entirely uncontroversial.

  • News

    Government must heed the importance of observing conventions

    2009-05-28T00:00:00Z

    by Gary Atkinson, senior lecturer at the College of Law Amid all the political comings and goings of recent weeks, something that has been ignored by the media and politicians is the importance of observing those conventions which have such an important place in the constitutional ...

  • News

    Data page for May 2009

    2009-05-28T00:00:00Z

    The data page is the financial rates and data compiled for the Law Society Gazette by MoneyFacts Group, the UK's largest supplier of savings and mortgage data. Downloads Download the ...

  • News

    Civil Procedure Rules: 10 years of change

    2009-05-28T00:00:00Z

    If you are a civil litigator able to remember serving a writ on behalf of a plaintiff, as well as the days of pleadings, interrogatories, further and better particulars, affidavits and discovery, then you are, shall we say, of a certain vintage

  • News

    Costs

    2009-05-28T00:00:00Z

    Criminal procedure – Defendants’ costs – Expenses – Representation orders Frederic Peter Brewer v Secretary of State for Justice: QBD (Mr Justice Holroyde): 8 May 2009 The appellant (B) appealed ...

  • News

    Employment

    2009-05-28T00:00:00Z

    Civil procedure – Age discrimination – Collective agreements – Employee benefits Rolls-Royce plc v Unite (the union): CA (Civ Div) (Lady Justice Arden, Lords Justice Wall, Aikens): 14 May 2009 ...

  • News

    Family law: opening up family proceedings to the media

    2009-05-28T00:00:00Z

    On 27 April 2009 the Family Proceedings (Amendment) (No 2) Rules 2009 SI857 (County Court and High Court) and the Family Proceedings Courts (Miscellaneous Amendments) Rules 2009 SI2009 No 858 (Magistrates Courts) and two Practice Directions, Attendance of Media Representatives at hearings in Family Proceedings dated 20 April 2009...

  • News

    Web of contention

    2009-05-28T00:00:00Z

    Combine the power of the web and a very grumpy judge and you get cracking reads, as we journalists say. Judge Gledhill QC's public dressing down of three solicitor-advocates led to solicitors storming the Gazette’s website – the article was by a huge margin the ...

  • News

    Pretty in pink

    2009-05-28T00:00:00Z

    She has only two speeds: firing on all cylinders or unconscious. That’s what the husband of Morag Goldfinch, the Law Society’s regional manager for greater London, says about her. And she has needed her irrepressible energy over the last six months after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

  • News

    Sweet charity

    2009-05-28T00:00:00Z

    Solicitors and staff at Sheffield firm Watson Esam proved just how tough it can be to raise money for charity. For a week they swapped their habitually healthy diets of porridge, muesli and nuts in favour of… cake. They daringly devoured date and walnut, courageously munched their way through chocolate, ...

  • News

    Canterbury tale

    2009-05-28T00:00:00Z

    As one football season ends, clubs, players and supporters are already turning their minds to the next. To sponsorship deals, especially. In the Premier League, Manchester United are sponsored by insurers AIG, Arsenal by Emirates airlines, and Spurs by casino and poker website Mansion.com. In the Kent County League, Canterbury ...

  • News

    Memory lane

    2009-05-28T00:00:00Z

    Reaction to the publishing of the freedom of information Bill, the changing role of advocate's and noting the impact of war on the students of law.

  • News

    Eversheds reports 27% dip in equity partner profit

    2009-05-21T00:00:00Z

    National firm Eversheds today became the second leading law firm to post financial results for 2008/09, reporting a 27% fall in average profits per equity partner (PEP) to £404,000. City firm CMS Cameron McKenna, the other firm to release results so far, also reported a fall in PEP. ...

  • News

    Communicating in plain English is the way forward

    2009-05-21T00:00:00Z

    Neil Quantick is principal of Quanticks solicitors in Reigate, Surrey I’m terribly proud of being a solicitor. I’m terribly proud to be part of a ...

  • News

    Freedom of information: cabinet minutes, audit reports, BBC appeal

    2009-05-21T00:00:00Z

    Probably the most controversial decision under the Freedom of Information Act was published by the Information Tribunal on 27 January 2009 (Cabinet Office and Dr Christopher Lamb v Information Commissioner (EA/2008/0024 & 0029))...