Latest news – Page 909
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Society stand on striking-off
The Law Society has reiterated its opposition to plans for Crown Court judges to be given powers to strike off solicitors charged with fraud, even when they have been acquitted of any offence. The Attorney General, Baroness Scotland, outlined the proposal in a consultation paper published ...
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Crisis set to spur consolidation
The collapse of Lehman Brothers amid turmoil on Wall Street will provide rich pickings for top firms but spell tough times for the rest, analysts have warned.
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Inquest cash gap fears
Inadequate levels of legal aid funding for inquests mean too many grieving families have to attend coroner’s court without representation, lawyers have warned. Amanda Stevens, president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), criticised government proposals contained in a consultation, which closed last week, ...
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Poland: rule of law concerns
Continuing concerns about the Polish government’s interference in the rule of law have emerged in a new study by the International Bar Association. In a follow-up to its 2007 report Justice under Siege, the association commended efforts by the new government since last year’s election, ...
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Corporate counsel hit by crunch
The credit crunch has increased pressure on in-house counsel worldwide to prove their worth and thereby survive the economic downturn, according to a poll carried out by the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA). The results of the 2008 Global Challenge Survey, which will be presented ...
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Lawyers to advise professions group
An official body set up to advise the chancellor of the exchequer on future challenges facing the professional services sector is looking for input from lawyers. Michael Snyder, chairman of the professional services global competitiveness group, said last week that he would ‘welcome ideas from any of the legal professions’ ...
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Oil and gas deal
City firm Speechly Bircham advised corporate financiers and brokers Ambrian Partners on the reverse takeover of oil and gas exploration group BPC by Falkland Gold and Minerals, and the admission of the enlarged share capital to AIM. BPC was advised by City firm Norton Rose, national firm McGrigors, Jersey firm ...
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Revisiting the issue of pay
The Public Guardian has failed to address a catastrophic decline in the income of Court of Protection visitors. All practitioners involved in Court of Protection work will warmly welcome new Public Guardian Martin John’s initiative in reviewing serious problems arising from the new lasting power of ...
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Standards sliding on good grammar
I was interested to read the article by Martin Cutts concerning the increasing number of errors, both grammatical and semantic, appearing in letters and other legal documents (see [2008] Gazette, 4 September, 8).
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Registry fraud: we told you so
I read with interest and some despair your item ‘Registry fraud payouts soar’ (see [2008] Gazette, 4 September, 3). Some years ago, when it was proposed that land/charge certificates were to be abandoned with the move to e-conveyancing, I attended a seminar at the York District Land Registry. All the ...
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'Partial account' of constitutional bill
James Dean’s article ‘Call to divide AG’s dual role’ (see [2008] Gazette,, 7 August, 4) unfortunately gave only a very partial account of a substantial piece of work by the Joint Committee on the Draft Constitutional Renewal Bill, which I chaired. In fairness to your readers, I would like to ...
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Virtual court pilot in jeopardy over fees
A pilot scheme that could see defendants sentenced via video-link within hours of being arrested could be derailed as three leading practitioner groups consider withdrawing their support over pay, the Gazette has learned.
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New charity funding boost for pro bono lawyers
A national charity is to be launched next month to distribute a new stream of income for pro bono legal advice services, the Gazette can reveal. The Access to Justice Foundation is a major cross-profession initiative backed by the Law Society, Bar Council, Institute of Legal ...
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SRA backtracks over higher rights accreditation scheme
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has backtracked on ambitious plans to introduce a voluntary accreditation scheme for solicitors appearing in the higher courts following opposition from top judges and others. In what was described at its meeting in Birmingham last week as a ‘pragmatic’ decision, the ...
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Mediation nod for PI
Mediation is just as suitable for settling personal injury (PI) cases as it is for other disputes, the former vice-president of the Court of Appeal’s civil division has said. Speaking at a conference for personal injury lawyers this week, Sir Henry Brooke, who chairs the Civil ...
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NSPCC backs child care cost challenge
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is backing a legal challenge mounted by four local authorities which claim the government’s decision to force councils to bear the full cost of child care cases is unlawful, the Gazette can reveal. Since May, ...
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Firm ditches mental health law over rates
A London firm specialising in mental health law is to slash its caseload in protest at the ‘punitive’ rates paid under the government’s fixed-fees scheme. Kaim Todner said this week it had given notice to the Legal Services Commission on 1 September that it would ...
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Lawyers risk action over rogue advisers
Solicitors who allow dishonest immigration advisers to work in their practices will not be allowed to claim ignorance as a defence, the immigration advisers’ regulator has warned. Immigration services commissioner Suzanne McCarthy told the Gazette that her office is working closely with the Solicitors Regulation ...
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LCS seeks miners pledge
The Legal Complaints Service (LCS) has written to 817 firms asking them to confirm in writing that they have not – and will not – take deductions from miners’ compensation payouts for unions, claims-handlers or themselves, the Gazette has learned. The letter, signed by LCS chief ...
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Victims wary of orders
A change in the law has put women ‘at risk’ as domestic violence victims do not want partners who breach non-molestation orders to be jailed, practitioners have warned. Family lawyers claim the number of applications for non-molestation orders has ‘fallen significantly’ since the law was changed ...