Latest news – Page 636
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News
‘Restricted’ security
There is a lot of discussion about digital working in the criminal system, but one issue the Crown Prosecution Service appears unable to address relates to the security marking of papers. When they receive documentation from the police, that documentation normally carries a security marking of ‘Restricted’. The CPS considers ...
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Costs confusion
As a non-specialist, I hope some claimant personal injury practitioner will explain just what (apart from the unearthly phraseology) is novel about the government’s latest bright idea on costs - qualified one-way costs-shifting ('QOCS rules "will deter valid claims"'). Surely it always used to be the case that if a ...
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SRA to look again at vexed issue of race
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has pledged to carry out a second review of allegations of racial discrimination by the regulator against black and minority ethnic (BME) lawyers. The first review, carried out in 2008 by Lord Ouseley, former chair of the Commission for Racial Equality, concluded ...
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Outcry over family court closure plan
A group of 160 leading family lawyers and social workers has written to senior judges raising concerns over the proposed closure of a court rated a ‘centre of excellence’. HM Courts & Tribunals Service is considering plans to close the Inner London and City Family Proceedings ...
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Canadian firm among .law domain applicants
A Canadian firm is seeking rights to the suffix .law on website addresses instead of current ‘top level domains’ such as .com. Merchant Law Group LLP is listed among eight applicants for the suffixes .law or .lawyer in a new list of potential domains issued ...
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Mortgage funding change
Mortgage funds must be transferred directly from the lender’s to the seller’s solicitor where conveyancers act only for the lender under new instructions published by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).
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‘Huge mistake’ in College of Law exam paper
The College of Law is investigating an apparent error in one of its exam papers after students claimed that one question was impossible to answer. A student in the second year of the Legal Practice Course at the College of Law in London’s Bloomsbury contacted ...
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Let things get worse
I refer to the news item ‘City aid sought for post-LASPO project’. The scheme intends to seek the help of City firms to address the lack of funding in the legal aid sector. Although the initiative is well meaning, should the Law Society get involved? To me the answer is ...
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Party politics
Ronnie Fox is quite right to say that Law Society specialist committees should be wary of being drawn into party politics. The employment law committee does not take sides in the employment relationship, acknowledging that the Society's membership comprises both employers and employees, and includes a number of the kind ...
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Reputation is key
As a solicitor of over 50 years’ qualification, I have a very different take from that expressed by 360 Legal Group’s Viv Williams in a recent blog. Mr Williams is the latest in a long line of doom-mongers.
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Right prescription
The arguments of Junior Lawyers Division chair Hekim Hannan (Comment) are, to borrow his own words, ‘ill-considered and nonsensical’. He appears to speak for less than 10% of junior lawyers, let alone black people and other ethnic minorities, who, after attaining a respectable law degree and LPC, are unable to ...
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Broader picture
I write in response to the article ‘End traditional training, says watchdog’. The part that concerns me is the suggestion to ‘end the "general practitioner" model’.
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Banking giant faces landmark mis-selling case
Key defences relied on by banks in interest rate swap (IRS) mis-selling claims are set to be tested in court this October when the claim of business-owner Sara Pearson against Barclays comes to trial.
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Plans drawn up to expand patent opinions service
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has set out proposals to expand its patent opinions service and is seeking views on improving its mediation service to help cut the costs of resolving patent disputes.
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Strasbourg holds a whip-round to clear backlog
The European Court of Human Rights has called for voluntary financial contributions from member states to fund extra lawyers to clear its backlog of cases.
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Society calls for flexibility in AML directive
The Law Society has called on the European Commission to maintain the flexibility of a risk-based approach to anti-money laundering (AML) compliance as the EC drafts its fourth European money laundering directive. The Society’s response to a call for views also urges the commission to ...
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Lawyers slam shared parenting plan
Lawyers have described government plans to introduce a legal presumption of shared parenting after relationship breakdown as ‘unnecessary political posturing’ that could detract from children’s wellbeing.
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Cheer for SNR Denton partners as profits soar 48%
SNR Denton’s financial performance has seen a 'material improvement' after its 'disappointing' results last year, according to figures announced today. Unaudited results for the EMEA region report profits per equity partner of £350,000 - up 48% on last year, and pre-tax profits of £28m - a 38% increase over last ...
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Bill threatens principles of ‘open and natural justice’
A bill before the House of Lords this week threatens the principles of ‘open and natural justice’, the Law Society has warned. The Justice and Security Bill, which had its second reading in the House of Lords today (19 June), proposes extending closed material procedures (CMP) ...
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Crichton among birthday honours lawyers
Two lawyers were among those knighted in the Queen’s birthday honours list announced at the weekend, while the judge behind the pioneering Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) received a CBE. Former deputy High Court judge Clive Callman received a knighthood, chief executive of the Crown ...