Latest news – Page 753
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Vulnerable people will find it harder to access good legal advice
Hugh Barrett’s reply to John Ford’s concerns about the allocation of low-volume category legal services is inadequate. Mr Barrett’s letter explains that in most low-volume categories, the tender process was ‘non-competitive with matter starts awarded to all organisations that met our essential criteria’. ...
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Working party plea for costs rules to be liberalised
A working party led by a senior judge has called on the government to liberalise the costs rules to make it easier for parties to make challenges under environmental law.
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Recession fuels ADR rise
The financial crisis triggered a surge in the number of disputes resolved by arbitration and mediation, with the UK performing well as a venue for hearing international cases, a study published this week found. The study, by membership body TheCityUK, discloses that the number of arbitrations ...
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Fall in cases handled by magistrates
The number of cases handled by magistrates has fallen by 16% in a decade as more defendants are dealt with out of court, according to a report published this week. The report for the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies shows that around 1.64 million cases ...
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Law firms and insurers join forces to fight Jackson reforms
Five law firms and two insurers have set up a pressure group with the aim of preventing Lord Justice Jackson’s proposed reforms to the funding of personal injury and clinical negligence claims, which they claim will leave victims ‘at the mercy’ of large insurance companies. The ...
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Immigration cap poses ‘threat’ to UK legal sector
The Law Society has made a submission to the Home Office warning that its proposed limits on non-EU highly skilled migration could damage the legal sector. The submission follows concerns voiced by Liberal Democrat business secretary Vince Cable that immigration limits are damaging British industry. ...
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‘Use town halls as courts’, says LGA
Town halls should be used as courts to generate cost savings, the Local Government Association (LGA) suggested this week. Responding to the Courts Service’s consultation on the potential closure of 103 magistrates’ courts and 54 county courts across England and Wales, the LGA said making use ...
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Lib Dem minister faces economic reality
The justice system cannot escape the ‘realities of the economic situation’, Lord McNally, minister of state at the Ministry of Justice, said in an interview with the Gazette this week. The Liberal Democrat peer said he is relying on the ability of the legal profession ...
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Mental health tender criteria ‘discriminate against smaller firms’
A London firm is poised to challenge the Legal Services Commission’s mental health tender process by claiming that it discriminates against smaller firms, as the Law Society’s action over the family contract commences in the Divisional Court today. The firm, which did not want to be ...
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‘Vicious circle’ in legal aid highlighted by thinktank
A legal thinktank calls on the government to adopt a more balanced approach to legal reform in a paper published today, and suggests that the large number of legal aid firms does not achieve best value for money. The Legal Services Institute (LSI) said the legal ...
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Conveyancers ‘vulnerable’ to ‘Tesco Law’
There is a high level of anxiety among solicitors over the legal services reforms, with conveyancers showing the greatest concern, according to research released to the Gazette this week. A survey of more than 300 solicitors by law firm network Contact Law found that attitudes towards ...
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Forty-year bar boom set to end
The number of barristers could be set to fall after 40 years of continuous growth, according to a report published last week. The report by consultants Jomati predicts that a drop in the number of law firms, coupled with more work done by solicitor-advocates, particularly ...
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Legal brand to launch national franchise
A new legal brand run by a solicitor is to launch as a national franchise next April, the Gazette can exclusively reveal. HighStreetLawyer.com aims to establish a recognisable law firm brand in a bid to compete with new market entrants when alternative business structures are sanctioned ...
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Small firms optimistic about year ahead, research reveals
Small law firms have faced ‘unprecedented pressure’ but are largely optimistic about their prospects in the year ahead, exclusive research conducted by Wesleyan for Lawyers in association with the Gazette has revealed. A survey of 129 firms, mainly small practices with fewer than 10 partners, showed ...
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Law Commission seeks ideas for projects
The Law Commission is consulting on a new programme of law reform and is seeking ideas for new projects, in particular those that support the drive to reduce waste and inefficiency. Projects are likely to focus on issues that are systemic and caused by laws ...
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Law Society puts legal aid tender case to the High Court
The Law Society warned that the Legal Services Commission’s family tender process will restrict access to justice for victims of domestic abuse, forced marriage and children, as its judicial review of the tender process began in the High Court today. Outlining the Law Society’s case ...
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Publishing diversity data ‘powerful incentive’ for firms
Legal Services Board plans to compel law firms to publish data about the diversity of their staff will act as a ‘powerful incentive’ for firms to increase social mobility in the profession, LSB chief executive Chris Kenny has said in a letter to legal regulators. Kenny ...
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Panel calls for evidence over will-writing regulation
The Legal Services Consumer Panel has made a call for evidence from solicitors and others in an investigation launched today into whether will-writing should become a regulated activity. The Legal Services Board has asked the panel to provide evidence of what problems consumers encounter in making ...
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Excellence award shortlist published
The outstanding achievements of legal professionals across England and Wales have been recognised by the judges of the Law Society’s Excellence Awards. High-achieving individual solicitors and teams across the entire legal sector have been shortlisted in categories ranging from Excellence in Community Investment to Excellence in ...
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Solicitors anxious over ABS ‘threat’
There is a high level of anxiety among solicitors over the impact of legal services reforms, with conveyancers showing the greatest alarm, according to research seen exclusively by the Gazette. A survey of more than 300 solicitors by law firm network Contact Law found ...