Latest news – Page 721
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News
Government seeks views on stripping back Equalities Act
The government has today begun the process of stripping back unwanted elements of the Equalities Act. The Home Office claims that last year’s legislation scrapped 100 sets of regulations in an effort to lighten the burden of red tape on businesses. But ...
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Nine non-solicitors to join and vote on Scottish law society council
The Law Society of Scotland has appointed nine new non-solicitor members to its council, to comply with new legislation. They have full voting rights and will replace the current three lay observers. The new appointees come from a diverse range of backgrounds ...
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Lawyers charging consumers for complaints - research
Lawyers are failing to advise consumers how to go about making complaints and in some cases are charging people for complaining, research by the Legal Services Board (LSB) has found. A survey of dissatisfied legal customers by YouGov revealed more than half were never told about ...
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Clarke rules out further raid on legal aid pot
Kenneth Clarke today ruled out further legal aid cuts in addition to those already signalled, following the apparent u-turn earlier this week over his proposed sentencing reforms. Speaking to the Law Society’s Junior Lawyers Division today, the justice secretary confirmed that ‘the flurry of nonsense’ in ...
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Ranks of corporate counsel swell as work retained in-house
More than one in 10 City lawyers are now working in-house as law firms face an increasing squeeze from the commercial sector, according to research by a recruitment consultancy. Between 2000 and 2010, the number of solicitors in commercial organisations and financial institutions rose by 140%, ...
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Sentencing discount u-turn sparks fears of deeper legal aid cuts
Fears that the government may be planning to implement even deeper cuts to legal aid than it has already signalled rose significantly today. Prime minister David Cameron is widely reported to have shelved key parts of justice secretary Kenneth Clarke’s plan to give offenders a ...
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Half of accident victims do not claim
The UK may not have the ‘compensation culture’ that so many commentators claim, new research has suggested. A study conducted by the website personalinjurylawyers.co.uk has found that almost half of respondents who had been the victim of an accident never went on to claim compensation. ...
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Co-op offers legal services through bank branches
The Co-operative has this week become the first high street bank to offer legal advice to its customers. The Co-operative Group, the UK's largest mutual business, has begun a pilot scheme to deliver legal advice through three Bristol-based branches of Britannia. The ...
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Clifford Chance announces pay increases
Magic Circle firm Clifford Chance has announced salary increases for its senior lawyers, but a pay freeze for trainees and newly-qualified solicitors. The Canary Wharf-based firm will pay lawyers with three years’ experience a salary of £85,500, up by £1,000 on last year. Those with two years’ PQE will receive ...
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Lawyers seek deal with insurers over freedom to choose non-panel firms
The Law Society’s civil justice committee is in negotiations with legal expenses insurers to agree rules that will ensure freedom of choice of solicitor in personal injury claims. The committee has held two meetings with insurers in a bid to agree terms enabling clients to choose ...
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Lawyers are members of ‘rich minority’, say unions
Unions have held up the wages paid to members of the legal sector as proof of Britain’s growing earnings chasm. The TUC has today published a report that states that judges, barristers and solicitors have seen their salaries more than double since 1978 in real terms. ...
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Government seeks children’s views on justice system
The Family Justice Review Panel has invited children to give their views on reforming the court service so that it better meets their needs. Roger Morgan, the Children’s Rights Director for England, has drawn up a young people’s guide to the family justice review, published today. ...
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Solicitors acquitted of mortgage fraud
Three solicitors have been acquitted of involvement in an alleged £50m commercial mortgage fraud, while the jury was unable to reach a verdict in relation to three others. Hardeep Sodhi, who at the time of the alleged offences was a solicitor at Birmingham firm Patwa; Simon ...
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College of Law offers voluntary redundancies
The College of Law has begun a review of staffing levels and is to offer a voluntary redundancy package to staff across its eight centres. A spokesman for the College said: ‘We hope no compulsory redundancies will be necessary. 'This review ...
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Excellence awards open for entries
The Gazette opened nominations for its Legal Personality of the Year award this week, following the success of last year’s inaugural award. The Gazette award forms part of a suite of Law Society Excellence Awards designed to recognise outstanding individuals and teams within the profession. ...
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Avoiding a constitutional standoff
I agree entirely with Joshua Rozenberg. Newspapers would help their own cause by just reporting the news and not stretching extra-marital tittle-tattle to several pages in each daily edition. Not door-stepping errant spouses and their young families would also be a ...
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Bad claim form?
Under paragraph 5.1 of practice direction 7A of the Civil Procedure Rules: ‘Proceedings have started when the court issues a claim form at the request of the claimant, but where the claim form as issued was received in the court office on a date earlier than the date on which ...
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Commercial interest
If I arrived in the UK without any knowledge of Clementi, Jackson, the Legal Services Act, the MoJ portal for low-value RTA claims, the CMC boom and the ‘compensation culture’, I might be forgiven for believing that ‘there are few areas where Britain is stronger than in the law’. ...
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Duplication cost
I was admitted to the roll in January 2010. I declined to attend an admission ceremony (not my cup of tea). I assumed that my admission certificate would be put in the post but alas it did not arrive. ...
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Parity proposal
I would say to Ilex president Mr McGrady (‘Ilex chief in parity plea’) that if he wants parity, he and his members should try and qualify as solicitors. Barry Brooks, Brooks & Co, Fetcham, Surrey