Latest news – Page 670
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'Gang of Five' in late bid to halt civil litigation reforms
An alliance of lawyer pressure groups will this week make a last-ditch bid to halt the government’s civil litigation reforms.
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LeO should handle all complaints, says watchdog
The Legal Ombudsman should be given powers to handle complaints about all providers of legal services, the profession’s consumer watchdog said today. In the meantime, the scheme should be extended on a voluntary, 'stop-gap’ basis, to cover activities such as will-writing - an avenue that the ...
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Satellite jobs to go as Pannone aims south
National firm Pannone has announced that 12 jobs will be lost through the shutting of two satellite offices. The cuts will be a mixture of secretarial and fee-earning roles at offices in the Cheshire villages of Hale and Alderley Edge. Managing partner ...
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Londoners will fare worst from legal aid cuts - survey
Londoners will be hit hardest by the government’s planned legal aid cuts, a survey published by the Legal Action Group (LAG) has found. It has calculated that the capital will lose £9.33m under the proposed reforms in funding for housing, employment, debt, welfare benefits and immigration ...
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US giant sets up English law practice
Major US firm Davis Polk & Wardwell is to set up an English law practice in a bid to break new markets from London. The move marks a new stage in the rivalry between New York and London jurisdictions. The firm, which opened in London ...
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Family lawyers renew attack on ‘devastating’ legal aid cuts
Removing legal aid for private family cases could lead to thousands of children losing contact with a parent and many families being left dependant on welfare benefits, family lawyers warn today. In a renewed attack on provisions of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of ...
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Legal aid cuts are false economy, says study
Planned cuts to legal aid in private family work, social welfare law and clinical negligence will save less than half the sum predicted by the government, according to an independent economic study published today. The Law Society’s chief executive, Desmond Hudson, said the report’s findings ‘fatally undermine’ Ministry of Justice ...
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European and US lawyers warn IMF on threats to independence
Two bodies representing 1.4m lawyers across Europe and the US have formally warned the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that reforms imposed as part of economic rescue measures could undermine the independence of the legal profession.
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Quality hallmark for HSBC’s conveyancing mini-panel
HSBC has established a conveyancing panel of solicitors and licensed conveyancers to provide legal services to its residential mortgage customers. Solicitor member firms must have the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) accreditation. The panel, managed by Countrywide, will launch on Monday across the UK. Of ...
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Profits flat at Allen & Overy
Relocating staff to a single central London site cost magic circle firm Allen & Overy almost £25m, it has emerged. The full cost of the move was revealed in its LLP annual report and financial statements for 2010/11. The one-off outlays meant that continuing costs rose ...
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Bias shown by barrister-judges is certain to compromise advocacy accreditation
It is no surprise to me that the bar insists on judicial evaluation of advocates. When the barrister-judge starts the trial in open court by offering the solicitor-advocate his spare wig, you have little doubt of the bias that we will endure at the hands of many barrister-judges within the ...
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Open mind on ADR
Alan Langleben appears to have misread my earlier letter. I entirely approve of mediation as a means to dispose of cases efficiently and economically - indeed, my firm is closely involved with mediation companies in the region, and actively promotes alternative dispute resolution to our ...
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Mediation dilemma
In response to Edward Foster’s letter, we have had a similar situation with regard to alternative dispute resolution. A, B and C were in partnership. A left the partnership and signed a termination agreement. B and C subsequently incurred a liability and asked A to contribute what they considered was ...
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Short memory
Let me say at the outset, I am not a luddite. My firm is quite happy to work in a paperless environment and we have for many years been asking the Crown Prosecution Service why we cannot receive evidence by electronic means. In fact, our first request mentioned floppy disks!
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Pay back time
I cannot agree with Franklin Sinclair who wrote: ‘I can’t leave a young lad with mental health problems unrepresented, so I have to do it for free.’
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SRA ‘ready and waiting’ for ABSs
Applications by firms to become alternative business structures (ABSs) could take up to nine months to process, the Solicitors Regulation Authority revealed this week. The SRA, which on Tuesday became a licensing authority after two years of preparation, said it is ‘ready and waiting’ to accept forms from new entrants ...
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Everyman Legal launches franchise scheme
Solicitors are to be offered the chance to set up their own practices under a franchise scheme launched today by commercial firm Everyman Legal. The firm, which in October became the first practice to target a stock exchange listing, will support members through its marketing and back-office systems.
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CBA self-interest
The Criminal Bar Association says that there are three ‘bottom line, non-negotiable elements’ in respect of the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA).
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Flexible protocol
I write regarding your article on the launch of the Flexible Working Protocol. You may be interested in knowing a few more details about our firm - a working example of how flexible working can be successful.
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Email ‘bugbear’
A recent Gazette drew attention to the writer’s ‘bugbear’ with emails - that many senders of them fail to quote his reference. I can’t say I agree. On the contrary, one delight with emails is precisely that you can send them straight to the correct ...