Latest news – Page 873

  • News

    Recruiters forced to cut fees as lawyers feel squeeze

    2008-06-24T00:00:00Z

    Legal recruiters will have to reduce their finders’ fees as law firms look to cut costs in the economic slowdown, according to Patricia Walsh, director of human resources at national firm Hammonds.

  • News

    Deals of the week

    2008-06-24T00:00:00Z

    Vitamins deal: National firm Pinsent Masons advised ­vitamins and supplements provider NeutraHealth on the disposal of its over-the-counter medicines for £6.2m, to fund its £6.4m acquisition of ­Perrigo UK, which ­manufactures and packages vitamins, ...

  • News

    Smaller firms feeling the strain of money laundering regulations

    2008-06-24T00:00:00Z

    COMPLIANCE: many struggling to meet reporting duties.

  • News

    Law websites found wanting

    2008-06-24T00:00:00Z

    Law firm websites look too similar, use too many words and lose ‘75% of people’ before web users move beyond the home page, consultants have warned.

  • News

    M&A market 'robust' despite downturn

    2008-06-20T00:00:00Z

    Billion-pound merger and acquisition (M&A) deals involving private equity have dried up but the market is in 'surprisingly good health', according to corporate finance advisory firm Hawkpoint. This year, only one M&A deal has topped £1 billion, with most falling under the £150 million mark, Graham Paton, managing ...

  • News

    'Virtual' firm reveals nationwide ambition

    2008-06-20T00:00:00Z

    By Neil Rose Some of the UK's biggest financial institutions - including HBOS, NatWest and More Th>n - could tie ...

  • News

    Cheap labour

    2008-06-19T00:00:00Z

    It was with a sense of irony that I read the article in last week's Gazette regarding the pay gap between ethnic minority, female and male solicitors, and the fact that the Law Society has begun a campaign to end the pay differential (see [2008] Gazette, 22 May, 1).

  • News

    Turnover test

    2008-06-19T00:00:00Z

    Sue Nelson says that a happy workforce can't be calibrated and it won't show up on a print-out (see [2008] Gazette, 15 May, 11).

  • News

    Concern over 'heavy handed' SRA visits

    2008-06-19T00:00:00Z

    By Anita Rice The president of the Liverpool Law Society is canvassing 366 member firms on the quality of routine ...

  • News

    Legal Complaints Service slams 'unjustified' fine

    2008-06-19T00:00:00Z

    By Neil Rose The Legal Complaints Service (LCS) has hit back at the decision to fine the Law Society £275,000 ...

  • News

    Wealth adviser targets law

    2008-06-19T00:00:00Z

    LEGAL SERVICES ACT: expenses insurer DAS names Bristol quarry A leading wealth and talent management company has signalled its intention ...

  • News

    Call for advice centre evaluation

    2008-06-19T00:00:00Z

    REPORT: fears raised over independence of CLACs as government announces six more The Advice Services Alliance (ASA) has warned that the new community legal advice centres (CLACs) might not be sufficiently independent of funding bodies to avoid conflicts of interest, as the government unveils plans for six new ...

  • News

    LSC trumpets rise in contract take-up

    2008-06-19T00:00:00Z

    The Legal Services Commission (LSC) last week claimed that an upturn in the number of criminal legal aid contracts is evidence that practitioners still believe publicly funded work is 'profitable'. A total of 1,799 firms across 2,333 offices have been awarded the 18-month criminal contract, an 8% ...

  • News

    Unregistered solicitors risk Data Protection Act breach

    2008-06-19T00:00:00Z

    Solicitors who are not registered under the Data Protection Act will be presumed to be in breach of the act, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) warned this week. The ICO revealed that recent prosecutions of London solicitors are part of a blanket crackdown on solicitors and ...

  • News

    More banks could face OFT raids

    2008-06-19T00:00:00Z

    The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) could raid more banks as it widens its investigation into alleged price fixing by Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), a competition lawyer has warned. The OFT raided the two banks following a tip-off from Barclays that there was alleged collusion ...

  • News

    In-house counsel ready to look beyond hourly fees

    2008-06-19T00:00:00Z

    TOOLKIT: C&I to offer advice on alternative charging methods In-house counsel are to be encouraged to use ...

  • News

    Law firms target diverse supply chain

    2008-06-19T00:00:00Z

    A number of top law firms are seeking membership of Minority Supplier Development UK (MSDUK), the not-for-profit organisation that links large private sector businesses with ethnic minority businesses, according to its director Mayank Shah. His comments come after national firm Eversheds became the first law firm to ...

  • News

    Deals of the week

    2008-06-19T00:00:00Z

    Underground deal: Magic circle firm Allen & Overy advised accountants Ernst & Young on transferring the undertakings of Metronet, the London Underground maintenance company that went into administration in July last year, to Transport for London (TfL). Ernst & Young was acting as ...

  • News

    Men's club

    2008-06-19T00:00:00Z

    I am writing to respond to the lady whose letter 'cheap labour' was published in last week's Gazette (see [2008] Gazette, 29 May, 11). I am sorry she is disillusioned by the legal profession, but amazed at her naivety. Has this evidently intelligent woman not realised that the legal profession ...

  • News

    Cross-border arbitration shown to have teeth

    2008-06-19T00:00:00Z

    SURVEY: awards honoured in vast majority of cases