Latest news – Page 720
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News
Split juries into smaller groups, psychologists argue
Juries should be split into three groups of four to allow every member an equal chance to participate, a new study has suggested. Researchers from the psychology department at the University of Portsmouth found that in large groups, many people feel intimidated to speak out and ...
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Solicitors launch new third-party litigation funder
Two solicitors launched a new third-party litigation funder Vannin Capital today, set to invest ‘significant sums’ in litigation. The funder, founded by solicitor Nick Rowles-Davies and solicitor and barrister William Evans of Ely Place Chambers, is backed by Isle of Man-based private equity firm Bramden Investments. ...
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Society to intervene in recoupment appeal
The Law Society has been given permission to intervene in the Legal Services Commission’s appeal against a ruling that the LSC’s action to recover payments on account was an abuse of process due to the delay in bringing the claims.
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£20,000 law firm donation kickstarts head injury fund
A fund for families of people with head injuries has been kick-started by a £20,000 grant from a litigation law firm. The long-established Stewarts Law Foundation, a charity fund founded by the firm’s partners, donated the money to the Headway Emergency Fund earlier this month. ...
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New CLLS chair vows to uphold English law ‘brand’
The new head of City of London Law Society (CLLS) has vowed to uphold the English ‘brand’, already so prominent throughout the world. Alasdair Douglas has been confirmed as the new CLLS chair, representing law firms that employ 14,000 solicitors and have an annual turnover of ...
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Notarial profession of England and Wales ahead of European counterparts
I write in connection with the European Court of Justice decision of 24 May relating to notaries. The decision states that Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria and Greece breached the law by attempting to reserve access to their countries’ notarial professions to their own nationals. ...
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Law theory test
I read Jonathan Goldsmith’s recent column with more than a passing interest. The perspective with which I read it was the exact opposite of the German lawyer to whom he alludes, in that I have just moved from private practice into academia. ...
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Unwilling to listen
I read your recent news article highlighting the report from three expert judges who issued a stark warning about current proposals to reform the civil litigation system. It is extraordinary that the government continues to push through its ideas regardless.
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Solicitor-advocates seek to block evaluation scheme
Solicitor-advocates will make a last-ditch attempt in the coming weeks to halt plans for compulsory evaluation of their performance by judges. Up to 1,400 advocates who handle criminal cases are set to be formally assessed from next spring as part of the Quality Assurance Scheme for ...
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Patient data leaked to personal injury claims worker
A claims company employee has been fined after using his former girlfriend to obtain patients’ confidential records. Martin Campbell (pictured) was supplied with the personal data of 29 people by his then partner Dawn Makin, who worked as a nurse at walk-in health centres in Bury. ...
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Jackson reforms could trigger business debt headache
Insolvency experts have warned that civil litigation funding reforms could deter small businesses from trying to reclaim debts. Provisions in the government’s forthcoming Justice Bill will prevent successful claimants from recouping their solicitors’ success fee from losing defendants, or recovering an after-the-event insurance premium. ...
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Tighten rules to protect young witnesses, say charities
Children’s charities have called for ground rules to be enforced in court to prevent the exploitation of young witnesses. A report released this week by the NSPCC and Nuffield Foundation found that inadequate procedures and a lack of training for legal professionals were having detrimental effects ...
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Gutted law firm reopens after 10 days
An Essex firm that was devastated by fire last month managed to open for ‘business as usual’ just 10 days later. Jefferies in Westcliff on Sea had its office destroyed on 8 May when a blaze ignited at the retail outlet beneath it. ...
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HMRC may stall lawyers’ taxis
Late-working City lawyers could soon find themselves rubbing shoulders with office cleaners and other shift workers on the night bus if plans to abolish tax relief on late-night taxis are carried through by HM Revenue & Customs. Where employees are required to work significantly later than ...
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Scottish government to review role of Supreme Court
The Scottish government has set up a panel of experts led by a former solicitor general for Scotland to review the ‘aggressive’ intervention of the Supreme Court in Scotland’s legal affairs. The review was sparked by growing disquiet among Scottish politicians and lawyers at the Supreme ...
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Sound Off campaigners deliver Downing Street letter
Supporters of the Law Society's Sound off for Justice campaign delivered a letter to Downing Street yesterday urging Prime Minister David Cameron to intervene and withdraw the planned £350m cut to legal aid. The letter was delivered by members of the Law Society and Rheagan Hendry, ...
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Human Rights Institute questions Sri Lanka's judicial independence
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) has written to the Sri Lankan government to voice its concerns about the erosion of judicial independence in the country. IBAHRI expressed particular concern about constitutional amendments limiting the chief justice’s term of office to five years, and ...
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Defence solicitor accused of fraud
A criminal defence solicitor and two legal associates plotted to cheat the legal aid fund by ruthlessly inflating and forging every possible expense, a jury was told last week. Solicitor Reuben Ewujowoh, 44, principal at Rae & Co in Southwark, London, and co-defendants legal assistant Lloyd ...
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EU access to representation proposal nears
The European Commission (EC) is this week expected to move a significant step closer to ensuring that all those facing criminal charges across the EU have access to legal representation. As the Gazette went to press, the EC was expected to publish a legislative proposal ...
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Online costs help for legal aid lawyers
An innovative IT project aimed at legal aid lawyers could help solicitors reduce costs, barristers set Matrix Chambers claimed last week. The chambers has set up LegalAidLink (LAL), a website enabling legal aid providers to establish private online communities in which they can interact securely and ...