Latest news – Page 836
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Mistaken identity
It does not follow, as argued in your Opinion column last week, that ‘solicitors are going to be early adopters of the ID infrastructure, whether they like it or not’.
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Unnecessary veto
Joshua Rozenberg asks if the attorney general should have a power of veto over arrests for war crimes (see [2009] Gazette, 9 April, 7). Such a veto over judicial arrest warrants is unnecessary, given that there is no evidence that this power has been misused by the judiciary.
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Associate prosecutor fears
It is a long time since I practised criminal law, but I have been a civil courts judge for 16 years so I know the value of good advocacy anywhere. I would like to comment on the letter ‘For the defence’ from the chief crown prosecutor Barry Hughes...
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Personal injury fraudster found guilty of contempt
In a landmark move against fraudulent personal injury claims, the High Court has found a claimant in contempt of court for exaggerating her injuries. She must now pay her own £125,000 legal bill, a £2,500 fine for contempt and half the defendant’s legal costs.
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KBF executives set up new legal lending firm
Executives behind the Iceland-funded legal lender that collapsed amid last autumn’s banking crisis have launched a new venture, offering a similar service based on what they say is a more robust funding model. Key Business Finance (KBF), which supplied nearly 15% of law firms in ...
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John Wotton wins Law Society deputy vice-presidential election
John Wotton of magic circle firm Allen & Overy is set to become president of the Law Society in 2011 after this week winning the election for deputy vice-president. Wotton, 54, was a partner at Allen & Overy for 23 years and is now a consultant ...
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Plan for chief legal officer splits local government solicitors
A proposal that every local authority be required to appoint a qualified chief legal officer has attracted split responses from 70 different organisations. The Law Society and Solicitors in Local Government have proposed a change in the law to create the new role, replacing that ...
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Law Society to shoulder 90% of the cost of Legal Services Board
The Law Society will have to bear more than 90% of the initial set-up and running costs of the Legal Services Board and Office for Legal Complaints under plans published last week. Proposals for a levy to raise £15.1m for the new bodies appear ...
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Family practitioners condemn the government’s flat-fee proposals
Practitioner groups have condemned as ‘disastrous’ and ‘ill-considered’ proposals to change the way family lawyers are paid, claiming they will leave vulnerable families and children without adequate representation. The Family Justice Council said plans to introduce a fixed-fee advocacy scheme for family legal aid cases from ...
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MoJ and Insurance Fraud Bureau to share data on fraud
Data on criminal syndicates and solicitors involved in personal injury compensation scams will be shared between the Ministry of Justice and the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) under a new agreement, the Gazette has learned. The agreement will allow the MoJ and IFB, the insurance industry-funded fraud ...
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Top city firms tight-lipped on future of graduate training schemes
Two top City firms have remained tight-lipped over the future of their specialist graduate training schemes after asking prospective trainees to start work a year later than planned. Magic circle firms Clifford Chance and Linklaters, which have asked prospective trainees to volunteer to defer for a ...
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Olswang to make patent attorney partner in LDP move
City firm Olswang has become one of the first big corporate firms to take advantage of new business structure changes enabled by the Legal Services Act. The firm has applied to have one of its patent attorneys made a partner in the firm following the promotion ...
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Environment initiatives, business enterprises and broadcast news
Green deal: National firm Addleshaw Goddard advised a number of banks, led by Bank of Ireland, on financing a construction project by the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority. The 25-year private finance initiative, worth an estimated £4bn, aims to boost recycling and reduce ...
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KBF executives set up new legal lending firm
Executives behind the Iceland-funded legal lender that collapsed amid last autumn’s banking crisis have launched a new venture, offering a similar service based on what they say is a more robust funding model. Key Business Finance (KBF), which supplied nearly 15% of law firms in ...
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Interception and surveillance powers to be reined in by Home Office
The home secretary has announced plans to stop local authorities employing covert surveillance techniques for trivial purposes. Jacqui Smith launched a 12-week public consultation to review the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA). It will look at ...
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Fraud claims reach record level, says ABI
Fraudulent insurance claims reached record levels in 2008, with dishonest claims totalling £14m exposed each week, the Association of British Insurers has revealed. ABI figures for 2008 released today (16 April) record 107,200 fraudulent insurance claims – more than 2,000 claims a week. The figures represent ...
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Public recognition
The true source of Ken Gulati’s grief about public sector pay (see [2009] Gazette, Letters, 26 March, 11) is readily apparent from his own letter.
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Unfair punishment
Following an SRA spot check, the partners of my firm were advised of two minor infractions. More than six months later, and following a delay in the reissue of practising certificates, we were advised over the phone that we were to be reprimanded.
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Press intrusion
I read with horror your article and editorial in relation to the scheme to allow journalists access to family court proceedings.
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Criticism of CPS associate prosecutors is misplaced
Your correspondent Judith Mills (see [2009] Gazette, Letters, 26 March, 11) unfairly and inaccurately attacked the standard of Crown Prosecution Service associate prosecutors. I strongly refute her comments.