Latest news – Page 790
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National Pro Bono Week gets under way
National Pro Bono Week begins today with events marking the donation of hundreds of millions of pounds worth of free legal advice over the last 12 months. Sponsored by the Law Society, Bar Council and Institute of Legal Executives, the NPBW highlights the broad range of ...
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Hammonds agrees latest transatlantic merger
Partners at national firm Hammonds and US firm Squire Sanders & Dempsey have approved a merger of the firms, creating a 1,275-lawyer transatlantic practice with $625m (£387m) in combined revenues. The new firm, which will span 17 countries and 37 offices, will be named Squire Sanders ...
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Law Society warning over immigration cap proposals
The government’s immigration cap must be scrapped completely, or the international competitiveness of the UK will be damaged, the Law Society warned today. In a speech at the Policy Exchange thinktank, home secretary Theresa May confirmed that restrictions on highly skilled workers entering the UK will ...
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Restrict the LPC
I write following the article by Carly Moore-Martin . It is a sad fact that a great many young people wish to qualify as lawyers but the opportunities to do so are simply not available. There are now websites where graduates ...
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Overhaul intestacy rules
I read with interest the short article on the current intestacy rules. The situation needs a considerable overhaul but I doubt whether this or any other government will find time to grasp the nettle and improve the position. Although the situation of ...
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Capacity issue
I have just come off the telephone with an anxious client regarding lasting powers of attorney and Court of Protection applications. I was concerned to hear that a manager from NatWest had told a client of mine that I had incorrectly completed a Court of ...
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Conveyancing quality scheme raises standards
Your article on the launch of a conveyancing quality scheme is excellent news, not just for conveyancing clients but also for insurers of conveyancing risk. The introduction of the conveyancing quality scheme (CQS) represents a huge opportunity for all law firms. There are several great initiatives ...
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Home loan, electric issues, cement refinancing and BMW lease
Home loan: Magic circle firm Allen & Overy advised Nationwide Building Society on creating a £1.5bn residential mortgage-backed security on a £32bn loan portfolio. Lead managers UBS, Deutsche Bank and Bank of America Merrill Lynch were advised by US firm Sidley Austin. ...
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Mid-tier law firms seek mergers as loans rise
Mid-tier law firms are using increasingly high levels of bank financing, with many seeking to merge to secure their financial position, according to an authoritative survey by accountants PwC published today. The figures show that firms in the top 11-25 bracket now receive 40% of their ...
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Solicitors believe ABSs will create ‘more opportunity’
Solicitors believe alternative business structures will create ‘more opportunity’ in terms of their careers, and are more motivated by work/life balance than financial gain, the results of exclusive Gazette research have suggested. In a survey completed by more than 180 lawyers, 55% said ABSs would provide ...
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MPs question MoJ over budget cuts
The House of Commons’ Public Accounts Committee has questioned the ability of the Ministry of Justice to comprehend the impact of the 23% cuts set to be made to its budget, given its history of ‘poor’ financial management. At a committee meeting on Tuesday, MPs grilled ...
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Clifford Chance sued in New York over redundancies
Magic circle firm Clifford Chance is being sued in New York for alleged discrimination after the firm made six US associates redundant in 2007. Karen Ramdhanie, one of the six associates, alleges in a New York Supreme Court filing lodged last week that Clifford Chance discriminated ...
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Scrap single PII renewal date, report says
Solicitors should not be forced to renew their professional indemnity insurance (PII) on a single date, and the entire conveyancing process should be investigated, a ‘root and branch’ review of client financial protection has told the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
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Ombudsman to investigate complaints against LSC
The Parliamentary Ombudsman is to investigate complaints of maladministration made against the Legal Services Commission by the Law Society and several law firms over its late claims to recoup payments made on account. In 2008, the LSC demanded that legal aid firms repay money that had ...
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Call for professional code of conduct for all mediators
All mediators should be subject to a code of professional conduct enforced by a disciplinary procedure, but the profession should not be regulated through legislation, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) said at its mediation symposium last week. The call comes ahead of a European Mediation ...
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Bribery Act sparks recruitment drive for compliance lawyers
Leading corporates are hungry for experienced regulation lawyers to bulk up their compliance departments before far-reaching anti-corruption laws are implemented, recruiters told the Gazette this week. With the Bribery Act due to come into force in April, major corporates, especially in heavy industry, are increasingly turning ...
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Drafting error fears over Equality Act
A drafting error in the Equality Act 2010 makes enforcing compromise agreements to settle discrimination and equal pay claims impossible, the Law Society warned last week. Chancery Lane has requested an urgent meeting with the Government Equality Officer (GEO) to resolve the issue. In order to ...
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Robertson to deliver human rights lecture
Leading international human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC will be the keynote speaker at a lecture in memory of Indonesia's foremost human rights activist Munir Said Thalib. Rafendi Djamin, Indonesia's representative on the ASEAN Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights, and Munir's widow, Suciwati, will also ...
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Law Society criticises jury trial proposals as 'entirely wrong'
Proposals to scrap jury trials for lesser offences were today criticised by the Law Society as ‘entirely wrong’. Chancery Lane said that the ‘constitutional fabric’ of England and Wales would be put at risk if the proposal by the commissioner for victims Louise Casey is implemented. ...
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Outsourcing association for law firms launched
Eight UK companies have formed an association, chaired by a solicitor, to provide outsourcing services for law firms across the country. The Solicitors Outsourcing Association said it aims to assist solicitors in reducing their overheads. The association, chaired by solicitor ...