Latest news – Page 762
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News
Why not let us do our own duty rotas?
As one due to depart on annual leave, I feel that the Law Society’s comments on the new duty solicitors rota and the delay in issuing it are well founded. I received the rota only on Monday 12 July and find that, during the subsequent fortnight, I have no fewer ...
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Safety first at work
Last year saw the lowest number of employment-related fatalities. As a claimant personal injury lawyer I feel a sense of relief. There I was thinking I was an ambulance-chasing waste of space, with no social utility or worth. Perhaps the ‘potty’ Brussels ‘bureaucrats’ who inflicted ...
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Brand support to give solicitors competitive advantage
Much has been written about the pace of change, smart systems and the threat of consumer-centric major competitors. Fortunately, I believe there are some tasks, for example those requiring our deepest knowledge and expertise, which considered alongside clients’ desire for a face-to-face relationship, that will still require the traditional lawyer. ...
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Legal aid solicitors must not face a repeat of the tendering debacle
Last Thursday I received news that the small firm at which I have recently become a partner will be able to continue to provide a publicly funded service for the people of our town, with its high levels of poverty, family breakdown and unemployment, from 14 October. ...
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Halliwells break-upconfirmed as former rivals move in
The break-up of north-west law firm Halliwells was completed yesterday with confirmation that its Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield operations have been acquired by three former rivals. City firm Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG) has scooped up Halliwells’ Manchester insurance practice, taking on 17 partners, plus other ...
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Stock exchanges, supermarkets, bicycles and banks
China might: Magic circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advised Agricultural Bank of China on listing on the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges, potentially raising a world record $22.1bn (£14.5bn).
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London law centre admits to ‘speculative’ mental health bid
A London law centre has admitted bidding for mental health work even though it had no experience in the field, but claimed it needed to diversify ‘in order to survive’. Following the result of the Legal Services Commission’s recent mental health tender exercise, lawyers claimed that ...
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Corporate and securities law falls short on human rights
Corporate and securities law recognises human rights, but only to a limited extent, a UN report compiled with input from two magic circle firms has found. There is ‘limited to non-existent’ coordination between corporate regulators and government agencies tasked with protecting human rights, and a lack ...
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New Law Society president unveils conveyancing scheme
The new president of the Law Society has pledged to promote the profession’s role at the ‘heart of society and commerce’, as she revealed plans for a new scheme to support conveyancers. The conveyancing quality scheme, to be launched by the Law Society this autumn, will ...
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Appeal court indemnity blow for insurers
Insurance companies cannot enter the ‘circle of confidence’ between solicitors and clients in the hope of unearthing evidence from seized documents that would enable them to refuse indemnity, the Court of Appeal confirmed last week.
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‘One-stop cyber shop’ for legal services
A ‘one-stop cyber shop’ for legal services across all 27 EU member states was launched last week amid fears about data protection and the expense of maintaining the site.
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Fears mount over ‘£500m’ legal aid cut
Speculation mounted over the future of legal aid this week amid reports that the Ministry of Justice plans to slash the £2.1bn legal aid budget by half a billion pounds. Justice secretary Ken Clarke (pictured) submitted proposals to the Treasury last week, outlining how the department ...
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Employment tribunal claims soar
Employment tribunal claims soared by 56% in 2009/10 compared to the previous year, according to Tribunal Service statistics. Actions brought by multiple claimants, mostly unions, rocketed by nearly 90%. These included 10,600 claims brought on behalf of airline pilots in relation to the working time ...
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Lord chief justice calls for shorter cases
The lord chief justice has called for family and criminal cases to be shortened. Speaking at the Lord Mayor’s dinner for the judiciary last week, Sir Igor Judge said the processes for resolving family and criminal cases need to be improved to deliver justice, particularly ...
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Zurich to cut new PII business ‘significantly’
One of the top three solicitors’ professional indemnity insurers will ‘significantly’ cut the number of new law firms it takes on this year, the Gazette can reveal. Zurich, which had a 13% share of the solicitors’ professional indemnity insurance (PII) market last year, said that it ...
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Private equity to target legal process outsourcing
Private equity investment is set to transform legal process outsourcing in a trend that will see many commercial firms miss out on work and could affect the training of future solicitors, leading experts have predicted. David Hawley, partner in the consulting strategy department at Deloitte, said ...
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EC plans could mean greater protection for client money
Client money held in solicitors’ bank accounts could be given far greater protection in the event of a bank collapse, under European Commission proposals unveiled last week. The commission proposed an EU-wide €100,000 (£83,200) cap on the compensation available for deposits that are lost in the ...
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CPS case preparation ‘neglected’, chief inspector’s report finds
‘Initiative overload’ has caused case preparation at the Crown Prosecution Service to be ‘neglected to an acceptable degree’, according to the annual report from the organisation’s chief inspector. Published this week, the report covers the performance of the CPS from April 2009 to March 2010. ...
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Justice Committee announces inquiry into family law
The House of Commons Justice Committee has announced an inquiry into the operation of the family courts. It has called for written evidence addressing four issues: the effect of CAFCASS’s (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) operations on court proceedings; the impact on court ...
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Butler-Sloss calls for focus on children
A former president of the Family Division has called on the government to cut the number of children in custody and safeguard access to justice in child welfare cases. Delivering the Law Society’s first Henry Hodge memorial lecture last night, Lady Butler-Sloss said too many children ...