Latest news – Page 684
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News
Canadian firm among .law domain applicants
A Canadian firm is seeking rights to the suffix .law on website addresses instead of current ‘top level domains’ such as .com. Merchant Law Group LLP is listed among eight applicants for the suffixes .law or .lawyer in a new list of potential domains issued ...
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Mortgage funding change
Mortgage funds must be transferred directly from the lender’s to the seller’s solicitor where conveyancers act only for the lender under new instructions published by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).
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‘Huge mistake’ in College of Law exam paper
The College of Law is investigating an apparent error in one of its exam papers after students claimed that one question was impossible to answer. A student in the second year of the Legal Practice Course at the College of Law in London’s Bloomsbury contacted ...
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Let things get worse
I refer to the news item ‘City aid sought for post-LASPO project’. The scheme intends to seek the help of City firms to address the lack of funding in the legal aid sector. Although the initiative is well meaning, should the Law Society get involved? To me the answer is ...
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Party politics
Ronnie Fox is quite right to say that Law Society specialist committees should be wary of being drawn into party politics. The employment law committee does not take sides in the employment relationship, acknowledging that the Society's membership comprises both employers and employees, and includes a number of the kind ...
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Reputation is key
As a solicitor of over 50 years’ qualification, I have a very different take from that expressed by 360 Legal Group’s Viv Williams in a recent blog. Mr Williams is the latest in a long line of doom-mongers.
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Right prescription
The arguments of Junior Lawyers Division chair Hekim Hannan (Comment) are, to borrow his own words, ‘ill-considered and nonsensical’. He appears to speak for less than 10% of junior lawyers, let alone black people and other ethnic minorities, who, after attaining a respectable law degree and LPC, are unable to ...
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Broader picture
I write in response to the article ‘End traditional training, says watchdog’. The part that concerns me is the suggestion to ‘end the "general practitioner" model’.
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Banking giant faces landmark mis-selling case
Key defences relied on by banks in interest rate swap (IRS) mis-selling claims are set to be tested in court this October when the claim of business-owner Sara Pearson against Barclays comes to trial.
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Plans drawn up to expand patent opinions service
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has set out proposals to expand its patent opinions service and is seeking views on improving its mediation service to help cut the costs of resolving patent disputes.
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Strasbourg holds a whip-round to clear backlog
The European Court of Human Rights has called for voluntary financial contributions from member states to fund extra lawyers to clear its backlog of cases.
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Society calls for flexibility in AML directive
The Law Society has called on the European Commission to maintain the flexibility of a risk-based approach to anti-money laundering (AML) compliance as the EC drafts its fourth European money laundering directive. The Society’s response to a call for views also urges the commission to ...
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Lawyers slam shared parenting plan
Lawyers have described government plans to introduce a legal presumption of shared parenting after relationship breakdown as ‘unnecessary political posturing’ that could detract from children’s wellbeing.
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Cheer for SNR Denton partners as profits soar 48%
SNR Denton’s financial performance has seen a 'material improvement' after its 'disappointing' results last year, according to figures announced today. Unaudited results for the EMEA region report profits per equity partner of £350,000 - up 48% on last year, and pre-tax profits of £28m - a 38% increase over last ...
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Bill threatens principles of ‘open and natural justice’
A bill before the House of Lords this week threatens the principles of ‘open and natural justice’, the Law Society has warned. The Justice and Security Bill, which had its second reading in the House of Lords today (19 June), proposes extending closed material procedures (CMP) ...
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Crichton among birthday honours lawyers
Two lawyers were among those knighted in the Queen’s birthday honours list announced at the weekend, while the judge behind the pioneering Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) received a CBE. Former deputy High Court judge Clive Callman received a knighthood, chief executive of the Crown ...
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Record profits for Eversheds as the good times roll again
Eversheds has returned to growth and posted record profits after three years of declining or flat revenues. Profit per equity partner climbed 14% to £632,000 in 2011/12, while income climbed 3% to £366m. Net profit grew 10%. In a statement, the firm said all major ...
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Appeal tribunal slaps down serial employment litigant
A litigant who began 31 sets of employment tribunal proceedings over 28 months has been told he can bring no more cases without the Employment Appeal Tribunal’s express permission.
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Quindell snaps up claims networker to sidestep referral fee ban
One of the biggest new entrants to the legal market has invested in a networking business that brings together claims management companies (CMCs). AIM-listed Quindell Portfolio, which already owns a law firm and has applied to become an alternative business structure, said the move was designed ...
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Senior lawyers attack closed civil hearings
Government plans to hold certain civil court hearings in secret have come under fire from 50 senior lawyers who have said that no case has been made for introducing such an ‘inherently unfair’ procedure. The 50 lawyers, all special advocates with experience of the present system ...