Latest news – Page 639
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‘Litigant in person’ back as judges U-turn on terminology
Unrepresented litigants should be referred to as ‘litigants in person’ (LiPs) rather than ‘self-represented litigants’ in all criminal, family and civil courts, the master of the rolls has directed in practice guidance. Lord Dyson’s decision changes a recommendation by the Civil Justice Council last November suggesting ...
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Aviva’s Dickensian justice
Aviva’s self-serving proposal that accident victims should go direct to the at-fault insurer without legal representation calls to mind memorable scenes from Oliver Twist.
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Note of realism on costs
For many years, insurers have issued press release after press release heaping the blame for rising motor insurance premiums on personal injury solicitors. At the same time, they have ignored their own dubious practices, which are now the subject of a referral to the Competition Commission. ...
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Grim legacy of funding cuts
Times of austerity provide good opportunities for governments to chip away at democratic rights. So workers’ rights are being cut back, with two years before they accrue unfair dismissal rights and fees being introduced which most employees (after being sacked) will be unable to afford. ...
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Don’t scoff at criminal law
Martin Maloney (letters, 18 February) considers extraordinary the proposition that ‘no one is a criminal until a court says so’. But within court proceedings, the proposition is a true one. To Mr Maloney it is ‘just the kind of nonsense that gets parroted when lawyers.... ...
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Fresh controversy over Cobbetts deal
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has rebuffed calls to review its approach to pre-pack sales, amid renewed controversy over the buyout of high-profile law firm casualty Cobbetts by DWF. Last Wednesday, the Gazette exclusively revealed that Cobbetts’ unsecured creditors are set to recoup just 2p in ...
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Knives smuggled into courtrooms
Knives were smuggled past security and into courtrooms on 10 separate occasions in the space of nine months last year, the Gazette has discovered. A freedom of information request has uncovered security breaches in courts across England and Wales between April and December 2012. ...
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Sixty suitors for troubled Yorkshire firm Atteys
Yorkshire firm Atteys – which last week announced it had given notice of intention to appoint administrators – is to be broken up and sold, the Gazette has learned. Interim chief operating officer Mark Feeney said more than 60 local firms have expressed an interest in ...
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MP accuses QCs on tax avoidance
MPs have turned their attention to lawyers who advise promoters of tax avoidance schemes. In a report examining marketed tax avoidance schemes, the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) identifies ‘leading lawyers’, along with banks and accountancy firms, as supporting and advising on tax avoidance ...
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Lawyer jailed for £20m sham marriage scam
A London solicitor has been jailed for 10 years for running a £20m sham marriage scam. Tevfick Souleiman (pictured), partner at north London firm Souleiman GA Solicitors, and immigration advisers Cenk Guclu and Furrah Kosimov, were found guilty at the Central Criminal Court of conspiracy to ...
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IP ‘conflict of interest’ warning
Intellectual property lawyers have been warned to exercise care when claiming ownership of intellectual property from clients in settlement of outstanding bills. A practice note issued by the Intellectual Property Regulation Board, which regulates patent and trademark attorneys, warns practitioners to ensure that exercising a lien over IP in settlement ...
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Personal devices are weakest security link
The largest international law firms are among the UK practices that have a poor grip on the security of their data, according to research conducted among 200 firms. The widespread use of personal devices is the weak link in security, with an overwhelming majority of professionals ...
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Consultation on rights to light
The Law Commission is seeking views on proposals to simplify the law on rights to light. These include introducing a statutory notice procedure. This would require landowners to tell potential developers within a specified time if they intend to seek an injunction to protect their right to light. ...
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India trade mission boosts contacts
The prime minister has returned from India after a three-day trade mission which included international firm DLA Piper and southern England firm Dutton Gregory. Dutton Gregory head of India group Amarjit Singh said: ‘The size and scope of the delegation was unprecedented and significantly strengthened ...
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Central property search register set for test
Property search information could be available from a single national electronic database if a prototype being developed by the Land Registry is successful. The Registry has announced that seven local authorities will take part in a pilot scheme to see if their local land charge information ...
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Another PI firm goes into administration
Personal injury firm Calibre Solicitors has been placed into administration resulting in 14 people being made redundant.
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Time running out for ATE to beat Jackson
Applications for after-the-event insurance may miss the 1 April Jackson deadline if they are not made by next Monday, brokers have warned. Commercial litigation broker The Judge has written to all solicitor clients warning of a backlog of files set to slow down the system in ...
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Supreme Court appoints three more male judges
Downing Street has today announced the appointment of three male judges to the Supreme Court, leaving Lady Hale the only female judge sitting in the country’s highest court. The new justices are Lord Justice Hughes, Lord Justice Toulson and Lord Hodge. Lord ...
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My conviction is unsafe, says QC jailed for VAT fraud
A London silk sentenced today to three and a half years in prison after being convicted of a £600,000 VAT fraud says he will fight to clear his name. Rohan Anthony Pershad, who practised from Thirty Nine Essex Street, was convicted at Blackfriars Crown Court earlier ...
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One solicitor makes grade in new QC round
A single solicitor was among the 84 Queen’s Counsel appointments announced today. Karyl Nairn (pictured), litigation and arbitration partner at international firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom was the only successful solicitor-advocate to be awarded the rank. Just two of ...