Latest news – Page 855
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Firms looking abroad
Expansion into foreign markets has been pushed to the top of the agenda for commercial law firms looking to grow their business, according to new research. More firms (38% of the total polled) would rather expand into a foreign jurisdiction over the next one to three ...
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Straw defends secret inquest plans
Justice secretary Jack Straw has defended plans to hold secret inquests, citing the need to protect those who provide intelligence for national security. Major change to the coroners system, which Straw described as the least-reformed part of the justice mechanism, is the headline proposal of the Coroners and Justice Bill, ...
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Bill 'could damage public confidence'
Criminal practitioners have warned that several measures in the Coroners and Justice Bill could damage confidence in the justice system and accused the government of pandering to pressure groups. Ian Kelcey, chairman of the Law Society’s criminal law committee, described the bill as a complete ...
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Clampdown on legal aid fraudsters
The Coroners and Justice Bill creates new powers to clampdown on people who make fraudulent claims for legal aid or fail to pay their share of costs. Changes will allow data about individuals to be shared routinely between the Legal Services Commission and the Department for Work and Pensions. Courts ...
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Nuclear developments, energy sales and publishing buyouts
Going nuclear: City firm CMS Cameron McKenna advised energy companies RWE and E.ON on a joint venture to build nuclear power stations in the UK. The project aims to develop 6GW of capacity. ...
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Salaried partners need more support
I write to announce the formation of The Association of Salaried Partners. The purpose of this organisation will be to support the interests of both former and current salaried partners within the legal profession.
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Seeking equality with barristers
As you correctly reported, solicitors welcome any system that will allow them to demonstrate that they can compete on equal terms with barristers (see [2008] Gazette,18 December, 1). The quality assurance scheme ‘should’ do that. But will it?
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Fees 'frisson'
You reported last week that the Solicitors Regulation Authority ‘voted 13 to two, with one abstention, not to reimpose a ban on referral payments’ (see [2009] Gazette, 8 January, 3). This is correct, save that the vote you refer to was the second vote. This took place immediately after the ...
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Beer, pensions and ice drilling
Beer billions: magic circle firm Allen & Overy advised banks including BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan on a €6.4bn (£5.7bn) rights issue by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the recently merged Belgian brewer. ...
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Fairness and justice
Richard Moorhead is right to emphasise that, in contrast to the interpretation being put on his contingency fee studies by those who appear desperate for an alternative to the current costs system, contingency fees are not a solution (see [2008] Gazette, 11 December, 9). It is ...
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Scots unveil plans to revamp £1.2bn legal market
The Scottish government has published proposals to overhaul the nation’s £1.2bn legal market that partly mirror the Clementi reforms introduced south of the border. They include the introduction of alternative business structures, allowing other professionals to set up in business with solicitors and permitting external ownership of law firms.
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Internet ‘first’ for solicitor searches
The internet is on the brink of overtaking traditional channels such as personal recommendations as a way of finding a solicitor to carry out a simple transaction, such as conveyancing or making a will, according to research published this week. The survey, carried out for ...
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Lord Hunt consults on regulation
Lord Hunt of Wirral will today call for evidence from the entire legal profession as part of his Law Society-commissioned review of regulation.
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Met row threatens trials
A row between the Metropolitan Police Service and doctors who care for detainees in police stations is threatening to undermine criminal trials and harm the treatment of those in custody, medical practitioners say. New contracts for the Met’s 150 forensic medical examiners (FMEs) come into ...
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Overwhelming demand for family advice leads to helpline expansion
Advice on family law is to become a permanent feature of the Community Legal Advice service as part of an expansion of the helpline’s remit and service hours. The Legal Services Commission this week launched a tender for law firms or not-for-profit organisations to provide ...
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Liability fears over bad advice
Loopholes in partnership law could allow investors to sue individual hedge fund managers - and possibly partners in law firms - for giving bad investment advice, according to a former hedge fund chief operating officer. Jérôme de Lavenère Lussan, managing director of London law firm Lussan, ...
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Starmer wades into TV trials debate
The new director of public prosecutions has reignited the debate over televising criminal trials, saying cameras in court would ‘bring a breath of fresh air’ to proceedings. In an interview for Channel 4 News, Keir Starmer said: ‘The more the public know about the criminal justice ...
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QC process seen as biased
Solicitors believe that the new process for appointing QCs is still biased in favour of barristers, according to an online survey carried out by the Law Society. Of the 170 who responded to the survey, more than 70% felt the award of silk should be ...
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Solicitors need bench support
The Lord Chief Justice (pictured) has urged the profession to support solicitors who want to pursue a judicial career to help more make it to the High Court bench. Of the 110 High Court judges in post as of April 2008, only one was a solicitor. ...
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No action against ‘touting’ libel firms
The Law Society and Solicitors Regulation Authority have said they will not act on an MP’s call in Parliament to investigate the alleged ‘active touting’ for business by libel law firms. Denis MacShane (pictured), Labour MP for Rotherham, made the allegation in December. He told an ...