Latest news – Page 671
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Lawyers named in honours list
The Queen’s solicitor and the former terror laws watchdog were among the lawyers recognised in the New Year honours list. Mark Bridges, partner at London firm Farrer & Co, was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order for his work as personal solicitor to the Queen. ...
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Lord Falconer slams assisted dying law
A thinktank led by former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer (pictured) has called the law on assisted dying ‘inadequate and incoherent’. In a report published today, the Commission on Assisted Dying concludes that the law can be reformed without endangering protections for vulnerable people. The report’s ...
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Leveson plea on ‘either way’ offences
The chairman of the Sentencing Council has called on magistrates to send fewer ‘either way’ offences to the Crown court. The number of such cases reaching the Crown court rose from 310,000 in 2007 to 353,000 in 2010. Lord Justice Leveson told the House of Commons ...
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Retention rate for trainees up
The number of trainees staying with their firms after qualifying recovered in 2011 after a two-year dip, according to a survey of more than 120 commercial firms. The Chambers Student Guide found that 1,813 of the 2,251 trainees who qualified in 2011 stayed on. That retention ...
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Large law firms 'not paying carbon tax'
Some of the country’s largest law firms do not pay any carbon tax, while smaller competitors are facing bills of £50,000 a year or more, according to new research. City firm Herbert Smith (pictured right), with 700 lawyers in London, pays no carbon tax, compared with ...
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Online PC renewals open
The online practising certificate (PC) and registration renewals process begins today for firms and individuals whose full name starts with the letters E to Z, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has announced. Renewals for names beginning with the letters A to D have already started. Alphabetical placing ...
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Cameron extends PI fees cap in attack on ‘albatross’ safety culture
David Cameron today announced plans to cap lawyers’ fees from personal injury claims at £25,000. Speaking to an audience of small companies, the prime minister launched an attack on the so-called compensation culture and blamed it for holding back the growth of UK businesses.
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‘Titanic battle’ predicted as ABS processing begins
The Solicitors Regulation Authority today began processing applications for companies looking to become an alternative business structure (ABS). The SRA officially became a licensed regulator for ABSs before Christmas and set the first working day after the new year to start accepting applications. Depending on the ...
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PI firm attacks Jackson reforms in £1m campaign
A personal injury firm has launched a £1m advertising campaign to attack government reforms of the no-win no-fee system. Birmingham firm Claim Today Solicitors (CTS) will spread its marketing drive across newspapers, television and the web for at least three months. The campaign is timed to ...
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Consultation opens on separate jurisdiction for Wales
Welsh Assembly members have begun consulting on the establishment of a separate legal jurisdiction for the principality. The assembly’s constitutional and legislative affairs committee will spend the next two months assessing how a separation from England would work in practice. The issue ...
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Experts to ponder ‘drug driving’ offence
The government is putting together an expert panel to examine the case for introducing a new offence of ‘drug driving’. The initiative, by the Department for Transport, will bring together academics and scientific experts in alcohol and drug misuse, the Home Office and Department of Health. ...
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Ripple effect
We need to fight back against HSBC over its conveyancing panel policy. Upon learning of its decision I emailed our business manager, who replied that it was just as big a shock to him as it was to me, since it was the first he had heard about it. ...
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LSC recruits new chief executive
The Legal Services Commission (LSC) has recruited its new chief executive from the UK Border Agency. Matthew Coats, currently interim head of border force, will take up his new position on 27 February. The role will then change to chief executive of the Legal Aid Agency, ...
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Solicitors Regulation Authority set for summer move
Staff will move into the new headquarters of the Solicitors Regulation Authority from this summer, it has been confirmed. The Cube development in Birmingham will also be the base for Midlands Law Society employees who provide support services. Chancery Lane in London will continue to be ...
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Keoghs open to ABS options
Insurance law firm Keoghs has confirmed it is keen to speak with potential investors as an option to grow its business. The Bolton-based firm is considering whether to explore any further offers from private equity sources to take advantage of the opening of the legal market. ...
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Herbert Smith cuts alliance with European firms
City firm Herbert Smith has confirmed it will terminate its alliance with European firms Gleiss Lutz and Stibbe by the end of the year. The alliance with Germany’s Gleiss and Benelux firm Stibbe was expected to be wound down gradually after merger talks broke down earlier this year. ...
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Asylum law advice service preserved by Comic Relief grant
A specialised support programme for female asylum seekers will be resurrected after a £120,000 Comic Relief grant. Rochdale Law Centre was forced to close the project in March after a previous three-year grant came to an end. The service had offered legal advice to more than ...
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McNally tells Lords legal aid bill is in 'pristine' condition
Justice minister Lord McNally has warned campaigners they should not expect to see significant changes to proposed legal aid cuts. McNally, who is also leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, faced opposition to his government’s legislation from members on all sides ...
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Corporate clients open to instructing ABSs
General counsel in FTSE 350 companies are overwhelmingly open to the idea of instructing law firms that are externally owned. According to research based on replies from 51 businesses, 90% of general counsel said they ‘definitely would’ or ‘probably would’ purchase legal services from a firm which took external ownership. ...
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SRA warning to legal aid lawyers
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has urged firms to take care with vulnerable clients and uphold standards even if legal aid cuts are in force.