Latest news – Page 847
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News
Scrapping assigned risks pool ‘dangerous’
Abolishing the assigned risks pool (ARP) would place solicitors at the ‘whims and fancies’ of the insurance market, a leading solicitor has warned, as the profession voiced concerns over the proposals put forward by the Solicitors Regulation Authority last week. Sundeep Bhatia, chairman of the Society ...
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New matter starts shortage reaching ‘crisis level’
Lawyers’ groups have warned that firms will be forced out of business and vulnerable clients turned away as the shortage of new matter starts for social welfare work hits ‘crisis level’. Carol Storer (pictured), director of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG), has called on the ...
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Cole dismisses FSA prosecution concerns
The Financial Services Authority has dismissed mounting concern about its broadening remit as a criminal prosecutor, following a surge in the number of cases brought by the regulator.
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Report slams LSC over criminal legal aid
More than a quarter of firms will walk away from criminal legal aid work in the next five years, a report slamming the Legal Services Commission’s poor administration has revealed. The report by public spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO) showed that one in six ...
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City firms publish environmental performance
A group of 138 legal sector organisations including top City firms will publish a report on their climate change performance in a live webcast next week. The Legal Sector Alliance (LSA) report will show the extent to which members of the group have complied with ...
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CPS consults on its ‘minimum standards’
The Crown Prosecution Service has launched a consultation asking the public for views on a set of proposed minimum standards that prosecutors should achieve at each stage of the prosecution process. The document sets core quality standards for prosecutors across 12 key areas of their work, ...
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Lisbon treaty to improve access to European courts
The Law Society today welcomed the arrival of the Lisbon Treaty, saying that it will widen access to the European courts for business and individuals. The Society said that the treaty, which came into force today, will pave the way for ‘many more’ challenges to be ...
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Contract awarded for Yorkshire advice network
The East Yorkshire Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) has won the contract to run the first Community Legal Advice Network (CLAN), in a partnership with local law firm Switalskis. The CLAN, funded by East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the Legal Services Commission (LSC), is due ...
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First community advice network to open in East Yorkshire
The East Yorkshire Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) has won the contract to run the country’s first Community Legal Advice Network (CLAN), in a partnership with local law firm Switalskis. The CLAN, funded by East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the Legal Services Commission (LSC), is ...
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Bar Standards Board opens door to joint practices
Barristers and solicitors will be able to go into practice together as a first step on the post-Clementi road, following a historic meeting of the Bar Standards Board last night. The board met to consider recommendations from its working group on alternative business structures to determine ...
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Lend us a hand
After completion some lenders require the mortgage deed to be deposited with the Land Registry (eg The Mortgage Works), while others require the mortgage deeds themselves (eg NatWest).
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Fee abomination
The payment of referral fees is an abomination which is destroying our profession. I am so pleased the Law Society’s Council has decided to call for their abolition.
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What a waste
Mr Booth’s concerns and Mr Fenton’s response (letters, 12 November) highlight the real problem with HM Courts Service. It likes to dictate how things should be organised when alternative, local methods of working would be more appropriate.
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Amending the Code by the back door
As your readers will be well aware, practising solicitors are currently bound by a Code of Conduct which runs to more than 200 pages. The code is being regularly amended, often making it very difficult for solicitors to know what regulatory rules they have to obey on any given occasion.
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Stock Exchange activity, WHSmith expansion and new fire stations
Sovereign wealth: Magic circle firm Allen & Overy advised a number of underwriters on issuing the government of Dubai’s inaugural sukuk, worth around $2bn (£1.2bn) in total this year. It is believed to be the largest sovereign sukuk ever issued. City firm Taylor ...
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Office of Fair Trading probes insolvency lawyers' fees
Fees paid to insolvency lawyers are set to come under scrutiny by the Office of Fair Trading after the competition watchdog launched a probe into corporate insolvency. The City of London Law Society’s insolvency committee was due to convene to discuss the OFT’s market study as ...
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Top City firms look to banks to cover further redundancy payouts
Top City firms are preparing for a possible second wave of job cuts by making sure they have secured adequate lines of credit from banks to cover further redundancy payouts, according to one of the sector’s major lenders. Meanwhile, mid-tier law firms are being squeezed ...
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Whistleblowing proposals could give ‘improper bargaining power’ to claimants
Government proposals on whistleblowing could give ‘improper bargaining power’ to claimants and allow serious allegations to escape investigation, employment lawyers have warned. Under proposals contained in a Department for Business Innovation & Skills consultation, whistleblowing claimants would be able to decide whether the employment tribunal should ...
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Solicitors issue advice warning over child neglect cases
Solicitors representing children in cases of chronic neglect are being obliged to act without the advice of a guardian or social worker, lawyers warned this week. A shortage of guardians at the Children and Family Courts Advisory Service has led to courts directing solicitors to appoint ...
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Jack Straw urges magistrates to keep cases in own court
Justice secretary Jack Straw has called on magistrates to deal with more cases themselves rather than sending them on to the Crown court. Speaking at the Magistrates’ Association conference in Birmingham, Straw noted that the number of cases in the magistrates’ court fell by 9% in ...