Latest news – Page 771
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News
Call for new litigation funding model
A new model of litigation funding is needed to secure access to justice for people of limited means, academics said this week. A joint study by the University of Oxford and the University of Lincoln suggested that, while third party funding has improved access to justice ...
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RTA claims portal ‘progress’ – but 50 firms still without login details
Some 50 law firms were still awaiting delayed login details for the new road traffic accident (RTA) claims exchange as the Gazette went to press because of a ‘processing error’. In addition, some firms were still unable to plug their case management systems into the RTA ...
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Luton solicitor jailed over £158k fraud
A Luton solicitor has been jailed for 12 months for falsely claiming more than £150,000 from the Legal Services Commission. Najaf Shah, who worked at Alexander Solicitors and Advocates in Luton, submitted fraudulent legal aid bills totalling £158,000. In one instance he claimed for 101 prison ...
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Lord Lester’s bill a ‘catalyst’ for libel reform
Liberal Democrat peer and barrister Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC has introduced a private member’s bill to reform the country’s ‘archaic’ libel laws. The peer’s Defamation Bill is designed to clarify and modernise the law of libel, protecting both the rights to reputation and freedom ...
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MoJ admits drafting error in fee-capping regulations
Acquitted defendants can claim the full cost of private legal fees, after the Ministry of Justice admitted there is a drafting error in the regulations intended to implement its controversial policy to cap awards. The admission came in documents submitted by the MoJ in connection ...
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BME solicitors and Chancery Lane devise plan to halt PII discrimination
The Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Forum of solicitors has put into action a ‘five-step plan’ together with the Law Society, which is designed to protect BME lawyers from discrimination when renewing their professional indemnity insurance (PII) cover. Law Society head of equality and diversity Pat ...
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LSC accused of squandering millions on VHCC tender process
Legal aid lawyers have accused the Legal Services Commission of wasting ‘millions’ on the tender process for the very high cost cases (VHCC) litigator’s panel. The LSC announced last week that the panel will be scrapped in July, after being in place for only two years. ...
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City lawyer acquitted of insider dealing
A City lawyer accused by the financial services watchdog of insider dealing was today acquitted by Southwark Crown Court. Michael McFall, a former partner at US firm McDermott Will & Emery, was acquitted of eight counts of insider dealing by the Financial Services Authority (pictured). Finance ...
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In-house salaries fall for newly qualifieds
Average salaries for newly qualified in-house lawyers in the north-west of England fell from £40,000 to £37,000 last year, a new survey by Manchester recruitment consultancy BCL Legal has revealed. More experienced in-house lawyers, however, saw their pay remain unchanged at £43,000-£60,000 for one to ...
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Clarke urged to save cash-strapped immigration advice provider
Charities, faith leaders and human rights experts are calling on new justice secretary Kenneth Clarke (pictured) to save the UK’s largest immigration advice provider, which is facing closure because of delays in receiving legal aid payments. In an open letter to Clarke and home secretary ...
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HIPs and consumer protection
Now that the home information pack regulations have been effectively scrapped, the unintended consequence is the loss of any consumer protection for the supply of CON29O and R and CON29DW standards searches. HIPs set out, for the first time, clear standards for the conditions upon which searches should be provided, ...
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Stop bleating
What a clever juxtaposition of letters (see [2010] Gazette, 27 May, 9) – 'Hurt in the pocket' and 'A Serious Fee'– where the question of low wages for conveyancers is posed, then answered.
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Tender trauma
I agree with the article 'LSC tender unfair' [link]. It is wholly unfair for the Legal Services Commission to favour those firms that have a Children Panel member or an Advanced Family Panel member over those that simply have a Family Panel member.The notification concerning domestic violence was not flagged ...
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Law Society action on panels
I was disappointed to read Melanie Carroll's call for the Law Society to stand up to lenders [see [2010] Gazette, 20 May] . We might all wish for a simple world where such problems could be dismissed so easily. It may help to note the enormous amount of work we ...
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Chancery Lane welcomes Queen’s speech proposals
The Law Society has responded to the coalition government’s proposals contained in today’s Queen’s speech. The Society said it is ‘delighted’ with the government’s proposals to: bring forward plans to introduce a Freedom (Great Repeal) Bill; bring ...
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Consumer watchdog backs retention of referral fees
The Legal Services Consumer Panel has called for action to tackle problems surrounding referral fees, but stressed that such fees ought to be retained if its proposals are implemented. The panel has called for more disclosure of fees paid and better regulation following its own review of the current system. ...
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Finding solutions in dispute resolution
The master of the rolls’ call for mediation to become part of every lawyer’s training (see [2010] Gazette, 13 May, 3) is a much welcome endorsement by a member of the senior judicial establishment of the need for a fundamental rebuild of every lawyer’s toolkit.
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Walking wounded
The inference of Paul Rogerson’s In Business feature titled ‘Surveying the damage’ (see [2010] Gazette, 13 May, 14), is that the recession is solely responsible for the dire straits which many hundreds of law firms up and down the country now find themselves in.
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Asylum tragedy
Some time ago, the UK Border Agency decided to grant ‘indefinite leave to remain’ to failed asylum seekers who had lived in the UK for a long period of time (preferably, more than 10 years).
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Hurt in the pocket
We keep hearing about the improvement in the housing market and, as a conveyancing solicitor, I can certainly vouch for this.