Last 3 months headlines – Page 1687

  • News

    Litigation claims 'wishful thinking'

    2008-10-16T00:00:00Z

    Widespread expectations of a litigation frenzy following the financial markets meltdown are ‘wishful thinking and unrealistic’, according to the head of litigation practice Bivonas. Tony Brown, chief executive of the London firm, said that while increases in fraud, corporate restructuring and insolvency work could be expected, ...

  • News

    Acquisitions, sales, energy projects and land purchases

    2008-10-16T00:00:00Z

    Green fingers: Ipswich firm Birketts advised Notcutts, a Woodbridge-based garden centre operator, on its £14.5m acquisition of six garden centres in Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Cheshire from AIM-listed distribution company NWF Group. North-west firm Brabners advised NWF.

  • News

    Personal injury interest calculation

    2008-10-09T00:00:00Z

    Rodney Nelson-Jones presents his annual update on calculating interest for personal injury claims.

  • News

    Life on the inside

    2008-10-09T00:00:00Z

    A scathing report of Paddington Green police station deals a blow to the 42-day lobby. The prospect of Parliament backing 42 days’ pre-charge detention in terrorist cases seems to have receded even further this week with the publication of an inside account of conditions at ...

  • News

    Rehearsing for the big bang

    2008-10-09T00:00:00Z

    As the profession prepares for the advent of legal disciplinary partnerships, a balance must be struck between the need for public protection and greater flexibility. The new types of legal firm that we have been talking about for so many years will shortly start to become ...

  • News

    Council law teams get commercial

    2008-10-09T00:00:00Z

    Local authority legal departments are increasingly competing with private firms for public sector work. Earlier this year, one law practice proudly opened new premises in Chelmsford, while another, based in Maidstone, turned in a handsome 24% increase in revenue. Nothing very unusual in that, except ...

  • News

    Matters of routine

    2008-10-09T00:00:00Z

    A positive way to look at LPO is that it will enable solicitors to focus on work that genuinely requires their expertise. Kerry Underwood, as many readers will know, is not a man to pull his punches. The Hertfordshire solicitor, who was at the cutting edge ...

  • News

    Reaching a global audience

    2008-10-09T00:00:00Z

    Hundreds of lawyers and students are fighting injustice as part of the Law Society’s international work. About 18 months ago, the international human rights work of the Law Society was more or less moribund. The International Human Rights Committee (IHRC) existed, but had no resources. Its ...

  • News

    Missing water features

    2008-10-09T00:00:00Z

    Legal professionals must not overlook plumbing systems when producing home information packs. Home information packs (HIPs) have been with us for a number of months. We at the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors have noticed a number of errors in the practices of some ...

  • News

    Tories ready for HIP replacement

    2008-10-09T00:00:00Z

    I have just read your news item speculating that the Conservative Party may abandon its pledge to scrap home information packs (HIPs) (see [2008] Gazette, 2 October, 2). This is not true. At the party conference, shadow housing minister Grant Shapps said: ‘The government is in ...

  • News

    Access to justice

    2008-10-09T00:00:00Z

    It would be a shame if readers obtained a misleading impression as a result of the headline in your recent news item about our views on the Legal Services Commission’s (LSC) fixed fees (see [2008] Gazette, 2 October, 1).

  • News

    Claimants are being short-changed

    2008-10-09T00:00:00Z

    I write in response to your recent news item headlined ‘lawyers blamed for negligence fees rise’ (see [2008] Gazette, 18 September, 2).

  • News

    Legal aid despair

    2008-10-09T00:00:00Z

    As a solicitor still doing some legal aid work while trying to get out of legal aid entirely, I read your Opinion in last week’s Gazette with interest (see [2008] Gazette, 2 October, 8).

  • News

    Family law

    2008-10-09T00:00:00Z

    Care orders – Children – Parental contact Re H (a child): CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justice Ward, Lloyd): 25 September 2008 The appellant mother (M) appealed against a care order ...

  • News

    Local government

    2008-10-09T00:00:00Z

    Council tax – Motorwatys – Noise pollution – Tax bans – Valuation Charlton-Merryweather v Hunt & ors: CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justice Waller, Rix, Dyson): 19 September 2008. The appellant ...

  • News

    Health

    2008-10-09T00:00:00Z

    Confidentiality – Disclosure – Medical records – Inquiry into human tissue analysis in UK nuclear facilities Nicholas Lewis (claimant) v Secretary of State for Health (defendant) & Michael Redfern QC (interested party): QBD (Mr Justice Foskett): 18 September 2008. ...

  • News

    Arbitration

    2008-10-09T00:00:00Z

    Real property – Mining – Coal authority – Compensation – Loss – Subsidence Coal Authority v (1) FW Davidson (2) WE Davidson: QBD (TCC) (Mr Justice Coulson): 9 September 2008. ...

  • News

    Family law: forced marriages

    2008-10-09T00:00:00Z

    The Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 is due to come into force on 25 November, White Ribbon day, when people will be encouraged to wear a white ribbon to show that they do not condone violence towards women. The act will insert a new part 4A into the Family ...

  • News

    Personal injury: definition of work equipment

    2008-10-09T00:00:00Z

    Spencer-Franks v Kellogg Brown and Root Limited and others (2008) UK HL46: Lords Hoffmann, Rodger, Carswell, Mance and Neuberger.

  • News

    Law in a cold climate

    2008-10-09T00:00:00Z

    In response to our inquiry about solicitors braving the Arctic (see Obiter, 25 September), we have been sent a chilling tale. In fact Alistair Duff, a partner at HBJ Gateley Wareing has a number of stories to tell. It all started in 1987, when Duff, along ...