Latest news – Page 822
-
News
Bar at ‘rock bottom’, declares Browne
The morale of the publicly funded bar is at ‘rock bottom’ and careers advisers are telling would-be barristers to steer clear of legal aid, according to the bar’s chief. Speaking at a debate on legal aid, Desmond Browne QC said barristers around the country are ‘totally ...
-
News
Pay gap points to discrimination
Women solicitors earn 29% less than their male colleagues, the Gazette can reveal this week. The Law Society’s latest salary survey showed only a slight narrowing of the pay gap between the sexes compared with the previous year’s figure of 32%. ...
-
News
Join the Gazette on Twitter
This week the Gazette launches two new online services on the professional social networking site LinkedIn and news-snippet service Twitter. All the Gazette’s latest news, blogs and In Business content can now be followed on Twitter under the handle @lawsocgazette. Twitter is ...
-
News
LSC to abandon peer review
The Legal Services Commission has announced it is to drop peer review as a method of quality assurance for firms seeking to bid for most publicly funded work. From April 2010 peer review will only be used on a risk-based and random-sampling basis, rather than being ...
-
News
Cold calling leaves solicitors at risk of conduct breach
A growing number of claims management companies are putting solicitors at risk of breaching conduct rules by hiring call centres to cold call potential claimants, the Gazette has learned. The Ministry of Justice has identified a ‘shift’ towards the use of call centres in India and ...
-
News
Allen & Overy reports fall in profitability
Allen & Overy today reported a slight fall in profitability on top of a rise in turnover, as it became the last magic circle firm to release its financial results. Revenues at the firm rose 7% from £1.02bn in 2007/08 to £1.09bn for the year ending ...
-
News
More denied access to civil legal aid
More people are being denied access to civil legal aid despite a huge increase in demand fuelled by the recession, Citizens Advice has warned. A report published today, No time to retire – legal aid at 60, shows fewer people are qualifying for civil legal aid, ...
-
News
Whistleblowing plans to safeguard public interest issues
Government proposals on whistleblowing will ensure that public interest issues are not lost in drawn-out employment tribunal cases, a leading charity said today. Under plans set out by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, information about claims made under whistleblowing legislation which comes to light ...
-
News
Gazette goes on Facebook
Following our recent extension into the professional social network, LinkedIn and the news snippet service Twitter, the Gazette has now also set up a Facebook page to better connect with the younger profession.
-
News
Registry rule puts conveyancing solicitors ‘at risk’
Conveyancing solicitors could be at risk of being in breach of their obligations, due to a policy change being introduced by the Land Registry. From 3 August, the Registry will introduce a new ‘early completion’ policy that is intended to make the registration process more efficient ...
-
News
Bird & Bird revenues up 30%
City firm Bird & Bird today reported a 30% jump in revenues, buoyed by the firm's recent expansion and the strength of the euro. The firm's revenues grew from £144m in 2007/08 to £186m for the year ended 30 April 2009. However, profit per partner fell ...
-
News
Justice committee warns of family lawyer ‘exodus’
The Legal Services Commission’s reform of family legal aid is causing ‘an exodus of senior practitioners from publicly-funded family law’, the House of Commons’ Justice Committee concluded today. A report on family legal aid said the LSC’s proposals for reform were based on a ‘flawed consultation’ ...
-
News
Counting the costs
I have just finished reading Lord Justice Jackson's impressive report on civil litigation costs (see [2009] Gazette, 21 May, 14).
-
News
Legacies at risk
I read with interest the comments of Peter Steer, from Wilsons Solicitors, in your feature about charities (see [2009] Gazette, 25 June, 10).
-
News
Shrinking Gazette
The Gazette is a superb source of professional news, information and gossip which is a ‘goody’ I eagerly await each week. Last year’s change in format is a great improvement. The news content remains invaluable.
-
News
BVT considerations
I write with reference to the letter from Carolyn Regan (see [2009] Gazette, 18 June, 13). She states that best value tendering will continue to ensure the quality of criminal defence services. Although she does not say so in her letter, I presume she means ...
-
News
We can lead change
Robert Heslett urges the profession to prepare for change (see [2009] Gazette, 18 June, 12), but says little about precisely what it should do. He also highlights a long-standing concern about how new entrants can be imbued with the ethics of the profession. As he is aware, we have been ...
-
News
The LSC must address the scandal of experts pocketing exorbitant fees
It was interesting to read Carolyn Regan on the subject of achieving the best value for taxpayers’ money as far as the Legal Services Commission is concerned (see [2009] Gazette, 18 June, 13). It is depressing that this argument only ever seems to apply to the fees of high-street solicitors ...
-
News
Reforms to practising certificate fee to hit private practice firms
Sweeping reforms to the practising certificate fee that will ‘shift the fee burden onto private practice’ were published for consultation this week. The changes would benefit solicitors in local government, commerce and industry and the Crown Prosecution Service at the expense of those working in private ...
-
News
Insurers claim referral fees push lawyers’ costs out of control
Solicitors have hit out at a report claiming the market in personal injury claims is failing because legal fees are out of control. Arguing that fees could be reduced without restricting access to justice, a study commissioned by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said there ...