Latest news – Page 682
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Health and safety guru warns of political misuse
The architect of the government’s health and safety strategy has raised concerns that his report could be ‘misused’ for political purposes.
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Society intervenes in landmark PII case
The Law Society and Solicitors Regulation Authority have been granted leave to intervene in a case that could have a major impact on professional indemnity insurance for law firms.
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ECHR backs whole-life sentences and cites article 6 on deportation
Three of Britain's most notorious murderers can be kept behind bars for the rest of their lives, judges at the European Court of Human Rights ruled yesterday. However, the court on the same day ruled that radical Islamic cleric Abu Qatada cannot be returned to Jordan, ...
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Chancery Lane warns against move to limit jury trial
The Law Society president has defended the right to jury trial following reports that the government is considering removing some offences from the jurisdiction of the Crown court. Proposals to make low value theft offences triable only in the magistrates’ court are understood to be among ...
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Family reform judge calls for culture change
A ‘strong consensus’ and a ‘commitment to a change in culture’ is needed to improve the efficiency of the family justice system, according to the senior judge charged with reform. In his first published update since being appointed to lead the modernisation of family justice, Mr Justice Ryder sets out ...
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Prosecutors to have power to challenge Crown court bail
The justice minister has announced plans to change the law to allow prosecutors to challenge decisions made by judges in the Crown court to release defendants on bail. Crispin Blunt said the move will allow decisions to be reviewed in the High Court where prosecutors believe ...
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Crossley suspended for copyright infringement conduct
Solicitor Andrew Crossley was yesterday suspended from practising for two years and ordered to pay over £76,000 in costs in a Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal hearing arising from threats of court action against people accused of infringing copyright. The founder and sole principal at London ...
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No surrender on LASPO, says McNally
Peers from all parties were this week united in their opposition to the government’s planned legal aid reforms, but justice minister Lord McNally told the House of Lords he is ‘not waving a white handkerchief’ or making concessions. During the third day debating the Legal Aid, ...
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Former equity partner brings claim to Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has begun hearing an age discrimination case brought by a former equity partner who claims his law firm acted unlawfully in making him retire aged 65. The hearing is expected to last three days from today and the ruling could have wide-ranging implications ...
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SRA announces help with late registrations
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has announced further help for solicitors who missed last week’s target date for activating their mySRA account. The SRA said that 118,000 had successfully registered by that date. It is urging anyone needing a new activation code to visit the relevant ...
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Lib Dem peer holds out hope for LASPO retreat
A Liberal Democrat peer has indicated there could be ‘major changes’ to the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill during its passage through the House of Lords. Lord Phillips of Sudbury, a former solicitor, said the majority of cross bench and Labour peers, along ...
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£185m rescue for NHS litigation fund
The Department of Health has confirmed that a £185m emergency bailout fund has been found for the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA). Clinical negligence claims against the NHS reached an estimated value of £1bn last year, after rising from from £5,697m to £8,655m over the preceding five years. ...
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In defiance of logic
Supreme Court justice-elect Jonathan Sumption QC may be of a dazzlingly high intellectual calibre with a heady penchant for the Hundred Years War but, as Roger Smith intimates, is he so subjective in his view of the role of the state in modern Britain that he is willing to regularly ...
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Focus on justice, not social engineering
Is racism now worse than murder? A few weeks ago I heard about a couple of cases which, if accurately reported, gave me great concern about the politicised nature of our criminal justice system. It was reported that there had recently been an instance where family ...
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Right prescription for public respect
We are all familiar with some of the well-known pejorative words and phrases used about lawyers in general and solicitors in particular. We have spent years and probably many millions of pounds trying to improve our public image using PR firms and proposals. I wish to float an idea which ...
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Commercial need
I wonder whether solicitors like your correspondent Franklin Sinclair have considered that, in the long run, they might do their clients, including the most vulnerable, more good by refusing to carry out large amounts of unpaid work for the benefit of an ungrateful taxpayer, than by flogging themselves to death ...
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Cameron told: ‘engage with profession on PI’
The Law Society has urged David Cameron to engage with the legal profession following his attack on the health and safety ‘monster’ and personal injury fees. In a speech last week, the prime minister proposed capping fees for personal injury claims at £25,000 and including ...
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HSBC conveyancing panel size 'could harm consumer choice'
Concerns are growing that the restricted size of HSBC’s new conveyancing panel may harm consumer choice. The bank launched the panel this week to provide services to residential mortgage customers. It has 43 members across the UK, 39 of which are solicitor firms and four licensed conveyancing companies. ...
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LSC faces action on family law contracts
The Legal Services Commission faces the threat of litigation from legal aid firms refused new family law contracts. Between 30 and 40 firms that made technical or clerical errors in the submission of their applications for contracts in the October 2011 bid round are taking advice ...
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PI firms inundated over banned implants
Personal injury firms say they are receiving hundreds of enquiries every week from women treated with now banned PIP breast implants. Up to 40,000 women in the UK have been fitted with implants made by French company Poly Implant Prothese. The Department of Health has offered ...