Latest news – Page 619
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News
Privilege fight taken to Supreme Court
Insurer Prudential’s appeal to the Supreme Court to extend the rule of legal professional privilege was heard this week. The case follows a 2010 Court of Appeal ruling that legal privilege should not apply to any professional group other than qualified lawyers. The Law Society won permission last year to ...
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PC renewal system makes further progress
More than 1,000 practising certificate renewals were approved within five days of the 2012 process opening, the Solicitors Regulation Authority said this week, despite a software bug causing frustration in the first days. Registration through the mySRA website opened on 1 November for solicitors renewing ...
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Goodbye to the profession
I must agree with David Kirwan’s comments regarding the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates.
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Why a lawyer makes a difference
The article about Lord McNally’s speech to the Legal Aid Practitioners’ Group brought memories flooding back to me. Fifteen years ago we asked our local education authority for a statement of special educational needs for our second son, who suffers from dyslexia and who was getting ...
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Unjustifiable PC renewal cost
I have just renewed my practising certificate for 2012/13. Between last year and this, our firm’s annual turnover has fallen by £13,000. You will therefore understand my astonishment to find that, although last year I paid £1,551 to renew, this year it has cost £2,278. ...
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ECJ blocks Hungarian retirement law
The Hungarian government’s widely criticised attempt to cull the country’s judiciary by lowering the retirement age of judges to 62 has run foul of the European Court of Justice. The court ruled this week that the changes constituted unjustified discrimination.
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Stamp out referral fees
The Law Society could not be further from the mark in accusing the Bar Council of ‘confusing the public interest with barristers’ interests’ in relation to the guidance which the Bar Council offers the profession on referral fees.
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Cause for complaint
Chief legal ombudsman Adam Sampson appears unwilling to engage in a proper dialogue, insisting as he does that the consultation about publication is ended and the decision to publish is fixed. He did not mention the judicial review claims against the LeO that this policy has encouraged.
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Dyson dismay
I was dismayed to read that the master of the rolls has called upon the profession to ensure that the forthcoming ‘reforms’ do not undermine access to justice. Just how does he expect solicitors to achieve this?
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Anachronistic nonsense
Now that the Bar Council has decided to imitate the stupidity of our side of the profession and allow barristers to practise in an alternative business structure, why is it continuing to maintain the pretence of the cab-rank principle? This only ever existed in the way ...
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Society steps in over Hamza legal aid row
The Law Society has offered to work with the government to increase public understanding and confidence in legal aid after the justice minister announced an ‘immediate examination’ of the system following the Abu Hamza extradition case. Chris Grayling ordered the review yesterday after it emerged ...
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Truth statement plan to cut whiplash fraud
Whiplash claimants or their solicitors should be forced to sign a written statement of truth and be prosecuted for fraud if they breach it, personal injury lawyers have proposed in a plan to head off parliamentary criticism. The signed commitment is one element of a 10-point ...
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Claims managers to cough up more for regulation
The government is to raise fees for claims management regulation as it prepares for an exodus of companies from the market. The Ministry of Justice, which regulates claims management companies (CMCs), plans to raise application fees in 2013/14 by 47% and remove the current cap on ...
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PII market shrinks as firms shop around
Law firms appear to have shopped around more in 2012 than in previous years as they spent £240m on professional indemnity insurance. The leading three insurers’ share of the market fell from 43% to 38%, according to figures released by the Solicitors Regulation Authority today. XL ...
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ABS takes the high road to Scottish market
Recent alternative business structure convert Parabis has announced a move into the Scottish market. The firm says its expansion has been driven by demand from clients in England and Wales and is reflective of a changing legal profession in Scotland. The new Parabis office in Glasgow ...
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‘No guarantees’ RTA Portal will be ready for new role
The operator of the RTA Portal has said there are ‘no guarantees’ that changes needed to extend the claims system’s scope will be completed by the government’s April 2013 implementation date. Changes to the electronic claims system are being made to meet the Ministry of Justice’s ...
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PC renewal system working ‘quite well’ after initial bug
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has admitted that a software bug caused the ‘volume issues’ that prevented some solicitors from renewing their practising certificates through the mySRA website last week. The regulator said that the problem had been resolved and that extra capacity will be added to ...
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Which? welcomes new civil court powers
Consumer charity Which? has welcomed government proposals to give courts new powers to provide redress for consumers. Executive director Richard Lloyd said plans outlined in a consultation on civil enforcement remedies ‘should help ensure consumers are no longer left out of pocket if they ...
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Private equity fund takes stake in Keoghs
Regional firm Keoghs has secured a ‘significant investment’ from a private equity investor following approval as an alternative business structure this week. Mayfair-based LDC, part of the Lloyds Banking Group, is to buy a 22.5% share in the firm in a deal that will formally complete ...
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‘Please try again later’ SRA tells online renewal applicants
The Solicitors Regulation Authority says it is working to address ‘volume issues’ experienced by some solicitors trying to renew their practising certificates through the mySRA website. This year’s registration process began only yesterday, but some solicitors have already reported to the Gazette that the website is ...