Latest news – Page 686
-
News
Keep an open mind
Edward Foster has assumed that in all mediations, or perhaps in most of them, the result is a 50/50 settlement. From 35 years’ experience of mediations as a solicitor, and 12 years’ experience as a mediator, I have to say that is simply not the case.
-
News
Lesson in dollars
I write regarding last week’s letter, ‘Costly T&Cs’. I have just bought property in the US. On the closing statement, in addition to the attorney’s fee, is an item ‘Title Insurance’ - a further $350, which I was informed was indemnity insurance in case he got anything wrong. It appears ...
-
News
Wrong presumption
Criminal practitioners should be aware that in January the Stop Delaying Justice Scheme will take effect. The aim of this apparently is to achieve disposal of criminal trials in two hearings - first appearance and trial date. In a letter to practitioners in London, the chief ...
-
News
Criminal bar in dock for solicitor-advocate ‘turf war’
The criminal bar stands accused of using the planned quality assurance scheme to wage a ‘turf war’ on solicitor-advocates, following the circulation of a letter calling on barristers to engage with the scheme. In the letter, sent to all members of the Criminal Bar ...
-
News
Jackson reforms will 'encourage third-party funding'
A leading insurer has predicted that the Jackson reforms will encourage a flood of third-party litigation funders to enter the UK market. Peter Smith (pictured), managing director of after-the-event (ATE) insurance firm Firstassist, spoke this week after clinching the sale of the company by Equistone Partners (formerly Barclays Private Equity) ...
-
News
Intestacy law reform to help cohabitants
The children, spouses and cohabitants of people who die intestate could benefit from proposed changes to inheritance laws, published yesterday. New proposals published by the Law Commission include giving more rights to the surviving partner and children of unmarried couples and removing complex and costly ‘life ...
-
News
Crisis, what crisis? Number of solicitors soars to all-time high
The number of practising solicitors hit a record high last month, despite the parlous state of the economy, according to figures released by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. By the end of November there were 125,473 PC-holders, a rise of 462 on the previous month and of ...
-
News
CPS solicitor faces disciplinary action
A Crown Prosecution Service solicitor is facing disciplinary proceedings over failings in the treatment of evidence from an undercover police officer in trials of environmental activists. An inquiry by retired Court of Appeal judge Sir Christopher Rose into the CPS’s handling of cases against campaigners ...
-
News
PI lawyers risk conflict claims under ABS
The legal profession is unprepared for conflicts of interest in personal injury law that will occur from 2012, the Gazette has been told. Such conflicts could leave PI lawyers open to negligence claims and increase professional indemnity insurance premiums. The problem arises from the willingness ...
-
News
Queen unveils renovated Rolls Building
The Queen has officially opened the newly renovated Rolls Building, the £300m centrepiece of UK ambitions to become the world centre of dispute resolution. The development brings together the Chancery Division of the High Court, the Admiralty and Commercial Court, and the Technology and Construction ...
-
News
Law firms warned on text-generated referral 'spam'
Law firms have been reminded to check the origins of referrals to ensure they were not generated by unwanted text messages, after investigations uncovered widespread anger at such ‘spam’. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said this week it is working with mobile phone networks to study ...
-
News
Employment law reforms are 'unworkable', say lawyers
Proposed employment law reforms are unworkable, according to a survey of employment lawyers. More than three quarters (78%) of lawyers polled by solicitor network Contact Law said reforms announced last month by business secretary Vince Cable would lead to a ‘hire and fire’ culture. Only 8% of respondents were in ...
-
News
Society condemns out-of-court sentencing plan
The Law Society has criticised Nick Herbert’s proposal to give magistrates power to issue summary sentences outside of court, which it says could leave defendants without access to proper advice. Speaking to the Magistrates’ Association last week, the justice minister (pictured) mooted the idea of giving ...
-
News
Employment tribunal fees could run into thousands
Justice minister Jonathan Djanogly today launched a consultation on introducing fees in employment tribunal cases, with the aim of saving taxpayers £84m. Two charging options are mooted in the consultation paper. In option one, a claimant will pay an initial fee of £150-£250 to begin ...
-
News
Government snubs call for further bans on referral fees
The government has rejected a recommendation from a commons committee to extend the ban on referral fees. A ban on receiving or paying fees for personal injury cases features in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders bill. It is set to come into law ...
-
News
Lord Judge clarifies Twitter stance
The lord chief justice today told media and members of the public they can ‘tweet as much as they please’ in court as he clarified the use of text-based communication. Lord Judge said the use of laptops and hand-held devices was an important part of open ...
-
News
OFT probes impact of PI claims on motor insurance premiums
The Office of Fair Trading has launched an inquiry focusing on the effect of personal injury claims on steep rises in motor insurance premiums. Evidence gathered by the OFT and published today suggests that premium costs rose by 12% between 2009 and 2010, with a further 9% increase in the ...
-
News
Number of CQS firms reaches 1,000
The Law Society has awarded Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) accreditation to the 1,000th firm to enter the scheme. Less than a year after applications opened, nine-partner Coventry firm Penmans today became the 1,000th accredited CQS firm, bringing the total number of law firm branches with the ...
-
News
Lenders urged to set up one-stop shop for panel vetting
Mortgage lenders should create a single body to vet law firm applications for conveyancing panel membership, the head of mortgage fraud at Lloyds Banking Group has said. Paul Collins, who is also manager of the group’s conveyancing panel, said that lenders should develop a unified approach ...
-
News
US funder buys up Firstassist in ‘aggressive push’
US dispute financier Burford Capital is to acquire UK legal expenses insurer Firstassist in a £10.3m deal to create a firm offering both after-the-event (ATE) insurance and litigation funding. Burford is one of the world’s leading financiers of litigation and arbitration and listed on the ...