Latest news – Page 694
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News
Seldon: ‘I’d fight age bias claim again’
The former equity partner whose age discrimination claim was dismissed by the Supreme Court last week after six years of litigation would ‘do it all again’, he told the Gazette. Leslie Seldon (pictured) said there was ‘no bad blood’ between him and Clarkson Wright & Jakes ...
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Clarke asks top judges to probe disclosure sanctions
Justice secretary Kenneth Clarke has asked two senior judges to review sanctions for disclosure failures in criminal trials, to ‘mitigate the resource burden’ imposed by disclosure.
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On the beat with PACE
I write in response to the article ‘Suspects denied right to consult solicitor’. As I have been representing the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) on Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) strategy I wanted to clarify the national policing position on this matter.
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Voicing concern
Journalists Catherine Baksi and John Hyde are to be congratulated for their perseverance in reporting on what is correctly described in your editorial as the ‘farce’ resulting from the engagement of Applied Language Solutions (aka Capita) for the justice system’s interpreting and translating services.
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For the record
The article ‘Reaching a verdict’ made reference to the tragic case of Sally Clark. It rightly praised the work of a family member in uncovering the medical records that proved critical in the appeal. However, I should point out that the records were obtained for ...
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Barefooted lawyers for human rights
Lawyers campaigning for an international human rights day are to strip off their shoes and socks and go barefooted to their offices and into court. Toes, ankles and soles are to be bared on 12 November, the birthday of Chinese human rights lawyer, Chen Guangcheng. Chen, ...
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Appeal court backs law firm in ‘you’re fired’ retainer row
Solicitors are entitled to suspend work for clients who have not paid their bill in accordance with the contractual term of business agreed, the Court of Appeal has ruled in a key case on retainers. The judgment, in favour of Hampstead, London, firm Cawdery Kaye Fireman ...
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Insurers propose £150 portal fixed fee as ‘negotiating tactic’
The insurance industry has proposed that fixed fees for low-value claims be set as low as £150, the Gazette can reveal. A leaked email, apparently sent to members of the Association of British Insurers by the ABI’s assistant head of motor and liability James Dalton, calls ...
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Solicitors highlight five mySRA failings
Solicitors have pinpointed five key failings of the online practising certificate renewal system. MySRA was used for all PC renewals for the first time this year but suffered a host of technical problems. In a survey of law firms carried out following the renewal deadline, solicitors ...
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LASPO goes on the statute book
The controversial Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act received royal assent today, 11 months after it was introduced to parliament. Part 1 of the act paves the way for cuts to the scope of and eligibility for legal aid; part 2 reforms conditional fee agreements. Both come into ...
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Clarke to announce whiplash curbs
The government will this week set out tougher measures in a bid to cut the number of whiplash claims. Justice secretary Kenneth Clarke and transport secretary Justine Greening will jointly outline plans to reform the diagnosis procedure. In a statement to be made on Wednesday, the ...
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Minimum wage for Scottish trainees
Trainee solicitors in Scotland are set to be paid the national minimum wage of £6.08 an hour or more from June 2012, the Law Society of Scotland (LSS) has announced. The announcement came the same day that the LSS agreed a proposed cut in council member ...
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Herbert Smith cuts City jobs
City firm Herbert Smith has confirmed it plans to cut staff numbers at its London headquarters by 51. The redundancies, which represent 3.2% of the total London headcount, were announced to staff today as a consultation period was started. The proposed reductions would come principally from ...
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CoA ruling makes parent companies liable for subsidiaries’ health and safety
Parent companies have a responsibility for the health and safety of their subsidiaries’ employees, the Court of Appeal has ruled in a groundbreaking case. The judgment comes after a retired factory worker successfully sued his former employer’s parent company after contracting asbestosis. Cape, which owned ...
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Russell Jones & Walker approved as ABS
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has cleared the Australian takeover of top-100 firm Russell Jones & Walker by licensing it as an alternative business structure (ABS), it announced today. RJW, acquired by Slater & Gordon earlier this year, is the fifth ABS firm to be ...
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Solicitor judges get their own network
The Law Society is to create a new membership section - the Solicitor Judges Division - to create a community of solicitor judges. The division, which will be launched at Chancery Lane on 9 May, is intended to provide opportunities for networking and supporting solicitors in their judicial careers, through ...
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UK right not to adopt EU justice measure, Lords committee says
European Union laws setting minimum rights for defendants and victims are in the interests of British citizens, but the government was right not to sign up to a Lisbon treaty proposal guaranteeing suspects access to a lawyer, a committee of peers has said. The Lords Justice ...
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Firm offers £1,500 advance for PI victims
A personal injury firm with ambitions to open 50 outlets this year is offering a £1,500 cash advance for accident victims who make a claim. GT Law, which has also applied to be an alternative business structure, will require a medical report and insurer’s admission of ...
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Strasbourg reform ‘watered down’
The coalition’s blueprint for the reform of Europe’s human rights court in Strasbourg achieved only limited changes after proposals to help clear the backlog of more than 150,000 cases were watered down or removed during negotiations.
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SRA costs plan 'a burden' says Society
The Law Society has told regulators that solicitors should not be expected to pay for losses incurred by uninsured firms. The Solicitors Regulation Authority proposed last week that payments would be taken out of the Compensation Fund from later this year. The fund, paid for by ...