Latest news – Page 820
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News
Working group to examine probate disclosure rules
The President of the Family Division, Mark Potter, is to set up a working group to establish a ‘fair and efficient procedure’ for the publication and disclosure of wills. Sir Mark said the current rules were ‘far from user friendly’ for practitioners and the public ...
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Businesses should be liable for employee bribery
Businesses should face strict liability for bribes paid by their employees, the Joint Committee on the Draft Bribery Bill recommended today. Publishing its report on the draft bill, the committee said that liability for bribes should rest with companies and partnerships unless they can prove they ...
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Profits crash at SJ Berwin
Partner profits at City firm SJ Berwin have plummeted by nearly half, with senior partner Jonathan Blake denouncing his firm’s financial results as ‘disappointing’ and ‘not acceptable’. The firm reported a 49% fall in profits per equity partner (PEP) from £801,000 in 2007/08 to £410,000 in ...
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Public confidence undermined by ‘rush to legislate’
The government’s ‘ad hoc and piecemeal’ attempts at constitutional reform risk further undermining public confidence, a report published today has warned.
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Charities are right to recover losses
I was disappointed to read Michael Loveridge’s response to my comments about executors potentially being liable to beneficiaries for losses caused by delay (see [2009] Gazette, 2 July, 10). I hope he will not carry through his suggestion of advising his clients against making charitable bequests.
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Coming off the rails
If the government and LSC want to assess the risks of best value tendering, they should consider the collapse of the National Express East Coast train franchise. That company obtained the franchise with the lowest bid and an offer to make the biggest payment to the government.
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CPD a better tool
I have never thought that peer review was an appropriate quality assurance tool. It is an appropriate tool to assess how a solicitor and a firm conduct cases if there are concerns expressed by clients or colleagues.
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Tailored approach
I write with reference to the letters from Charlotte Collier and Graeme Hydari (see [2009] Gazette, 2 July, 9).
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Setting the standard
I write with reference to the article by Catherine Baksi on the LSC’s proposed change of approach to quality assurance (‘LSC to abandon peer review’, [2009] Gazette, 9 July, 1).
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Compensation fund levy set for steep increase
The Law Society’s Council convenes next week to set the level of the compensation fund levy, with a steep increase on this year’s £150 now seemingly inevitable. A report circulated ahead of Wednesday’s meeting contains a recommendation from the Financial Protection Committee that the full contribution rate for 2009/10 be ...
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Legal Services Ombudsman criticises performance of regulator and complaints body
The Legal Services Ombudsman (LSO) has praised the work of her own department in her annual report, but criticised the performance of both the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Legal Complaints Service. Zahida Manzoor (pictured) said her own department ‘has again performed to a very high ...
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Conveyancers asked to sign up to combined Santander panel
Conveyancing firms on the former Abbey and Alliance & Leicester (A&L) panels are being asked to sign up to a combined Santander UK panel with new terms and conditions. Following negotiations with the Law Society, a letter is being sent initially to all solicitors on the ...
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Archbishop Desmond Tutu praises ‘vital role’ of volunteer lawyers
Lawyers who volunteer for development projects have ‘demolished the stereotype of lawyers being money-grabbing’, Archbishop Desmond Tutu (pictured, left, with attorney general Baroness Scotland, right) said this week. Speaking at an event organised by legal charity Advocates for International Development, he praised the legal profession’s work in providing free assistance ...
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Defence solicitors boycott Kent virtual court pilot
Defence solicitors have scuppered the government’s plan to extend the virtual court scheme to Kent by boycotting the initiative. No Kent solicitors have agreed to take part in the scheme, which they say is not in the best interests of clients or defence lawyers. Two London ...
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Government response to damages consultation dubbed ‘anti-climax’ by lawyers
Solicitors dubbed the government’s response to the Law on Damages consultation an anti-climax this week, two years after its original deadline. John McQuater, president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, said: ‘In all my years of practice, I can rarely remember waiting so long for ...
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Lack of quality checks for law schools will ‘breed incompetent solicitors’, warns CoL
The lack of quality assurance for law schools risks ‘breeding a generation of incompetent solicitors’, the head of one of the biggest providers has warned. Nigel Savage, chief executive of the College of Law, said monitoring by the Solicitors Regulation Authority is not sufficient to ensure ...
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Law Centres Federation posts cartoons on YouTube
The Law Centres Federation (LCF) has posted four cartoons on video-sharing website YouTube, aimed at showcasing the benefits of free community legal advice. The videos were played to ministers and MPs at the House of Lords on Tuesday, at an event hosted by legal aid minister ...
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Lawyers’ helplines report rise in redundancy-related calls
The number of solicitors contacting helplines has risen sharply in recent weeks, the Gazette has learned, with many of the calls relating to redundancy. Some callers have been considered to be at risk of suicide. Both the pastoral care line LawCare and ...
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Professional negligence claims soar as solicitors redeployed to new areas
Professional negligence claims against solicitors are soaring, with one City firm reporting a 158% surge in cases over the past 12 months. And experts are warning that worse may be to come in the downturn, as solicitors are moved to areas with which they are unfamiliar.
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A third of all prosecution advocates ‘lacklustre’ or poor, inspection says
A third of all prosecution advocates are ‘lacklustre’ or ‘less than competent’ according to a review carried out by the Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate published today. The inspectors found advocates, both in-house and external counsel, were fully competent in two thirds of cases, but a quarter ...