Latest news – Page 830
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Mental health programme following ‘political agenda’
A programme costing £60m a year to detain and treat 350 mentally ill offenders is following a ‘political agenda’ with no benefit to society or the detainees, a leading mental health lawyer has warned.
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Booming African economies offer lucrative opportunities for UK law firms
The booming economies of sub-Saharan Africa offer lucrative opportunities for British law firms, but only if firms engage with local lawyers on equal terms and are not there just to make a ‘quick buck’, leading African lawyers have warned. The average growth in gross domestic product ...
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CPS to recruit new lawyers to improve 'poor' performance
The new head of London’s Crown Prosecution Service has announced it will recruit 42 new lawyers in a bid to improve service following a review that found performance in over a third of the capital’s boroughs was ‘poor’. The report of Her Majesty’s CPS Inspectorate on ...
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Lords demand curbs on pleural plaques compensation fees
Solicitors and claims management companies (CMCs) acting in pleural plaques compensation cases should have their legal fees severely curtailed, the House of Lords heard last week.
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Plan for post-charge police interview faces opposition
Police officers could be allowed to question defendants after charge following Home Office proposals to reform the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. But plans to enable the extension of detention in police custody to be authorised remotely by telephone or video link, and to transfer ...
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Eady claims libel tourism is a 'myth'
Libel tourism is a ‘myth’ spread by parties unhappy at the outcome of cases, Britain’s best-known media judge has claimed. Mr Justice Eady said it was a ‘myth’ that foreign nationals with no connection to Britain were allowed to take unfair advantage of the UK’s libel ...
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Conservatives pledge to re-evaluate RTA fees
A Conservative government would re-evaluate lawyers’ fees under the new road traffic accident (RTA) claims system in April 2011, shadow justice minister Henry Bellingham told the Gazette this week. Bellingham (pictured) said that while it is ‘unlikely’ a Conservative government would scrap the new RTA system ...
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Litigation solicitors targeted by money launderers
Litigation solicitors are being targeted by criminals attempting to launder the proceeds of crime, the Law Society has warned. Chancery Lane said that criminals are seeking to exploit what they perceive to be a ‘more relaxed approach’ to due diligence by lawyers when they are acting ...
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Law Society of Scotland facing vote of confidence
The 10,500-member Law Society of Scotland is to face a vote of confidence on its future as the voice of Scottish solicitors, as grassroots opposition to the introduction of so-called ‘Tesco law’ intensifies. Members disillusioned by the body’s policy of support for external ownership and ...
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Jack Straw to scrap court fees in care cases
Justice secretary Jack Straw has agreed to scrap controversial court fees in care and supervision cases, after an independent report found they deterred local authorities from starting proceedings. However, the change will not come into effect until April 2011 to avoid local authorities having ...
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Assigned risks pool to remain open
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has agreed ‘in principle’ to scrap its plans to close the assigned risks pool (ARP), but will tighten the rules on eligibility and how long firms can stay in the pool. The SRA said the decision to retain the ARP, the ...
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Judge Gledhill's regret over solicitor-advocate 'distress'
The judge who sparked an extraordinary public row last year after he delivered stinging criticism of three solicitor-advocates in open court has issued a clarification admitting he should have dealt with the situation differently. In a written statement, Judge Gledhill QC (pictured) said he understood the ...
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Solicitors alarmed by associate prosecutor proposals
Proposals that could enable ‘associate prosecutors’ with no legal qualifications to conduct magistrates’ court trials amount to ‘justice on the cheap’ and herald the ‘de-lawyering’ of the magistrates’ court, solicitors have warned. The Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX) is consulting on proposals to grant associate prosecutors ...
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Mortgage lenders lose faith in regulation of solicitors
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has called for closer scrutiny of law firms to crack down on mortgage fraud committed by solicitors, and a comprehensive review of the way solicitors are regulated. The CML said the principles-based approach of the Solicitors Regulation Authority is not ...
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Land Registry finalises cost-cutting proposals
The Land Registry has announced a revised programme of structural changes that will mean fewer office closures and job cuts. Following consultation on proposals to reduce its operating costs, the Registry will now close three of its 17 offices in 2011, rather than five as had ...
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A third of home information packs ‘unsatisfactory’
Almost a third of estate agents provide unsatisfactory home information packs according to a survey by Birmingham Trading Standards. Results of the study carried out at the end of last year revealed that, of the 37 packs examined, 70% were rated satisfactory or reasonably satisfactory, and ...
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Bar Standards Board agrees constitution
The Bar Council has agreed to give its regulator a separate constitution enshrining its independence. Following approval by the Bar Council at the weekend, the Bar Standards Board will have its own constitution, giving it powers to choose the committees, standing orders and rules that govern ...
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Explore legal representation for rape victims, says Stern review
Legal representation for rape victims should be explored to counter the unfairness in the adversarial system felt by many, Baroness Stern said in her independent review into how rape complaints are handled, published today. ‘Victims often feel that the court system is unfair because they do ...
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Public sector faces high level of employment claims
Some 37% of employment appeal cases are against public sector organisations, despite such bodies employing only 22% of the workforce, research by Milton Keynes firm EMW Picton Howell has shown. The firm's analysis of national statistics and information from the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) showed that ...
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MoJ consults on implementing Coroners Act
The Ministry of Justice has called for views on how it should implement reforms to the coroner’s service in a consultation paper. Responses will assist in the drafting of secondary legislation, with a final consultation to be held in 2011.