Latest news – Page 732
-
News
Definition of CHIS
Ibrahim Hasan may have misstated the position when he wrote that a witness on a housing estate who discloses information about anti-social behaviour is considered a covert human intelligence source. In his thoughtful and useful article, he states that section 29(8) of the Regulation of Investigatory ...
-
News
Foolish to follow US
Bill Jackson in his letter ‘Time to adopt US libel model’ argues that we should adopt one aspect of the US libel law model – namely the requirement for a claimant to prove malice in cases involving public figures – and commends that model to us. ...
-
News
Quality concern
Susan Humble, clerk to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, states in her letter ‘Checks and balances’ that: ‘Statistically, only a small proportion of SDT decisions are appealed and it speaks volumes for the quality of the decision-making process that its decisions are overturned in very few cases.’
-
News
Respect has to be earned
Fascinated as I was by District Judge Paul Mildred’s article ‘Conduct unbecoming in our courts’, I can’t help but think he has misdirected himself. Respect can be demanded, but, in my experience, is given only when it is earned. ...
-
News
News focus: responses to the Jackson consultation on civil costs
The Ministry of Justice consultation on the implementation of Lord Justice Jackson’s (pictured) recommendations on reforming civil litigation and funding costs closed on 14 February. Six weeks later, we have the government’s response to the 600 submissions it received. They must be speed-readers at the MoJ. ...
-
News
Legal Ombudsman is 'consumer-unfriendly'
The Legal Ombudsman was last week accused by a consumer watchdog of capitulating to ‘spurious objections from the legal profession’, after announcing plans for a ‘staged approach’ to publishing information about complaints against law firms. In the first part of a three-stage approach, LeO has begun ...
-
News
Family lawyers welcome 'ambitious' Justice Review Panel plans
Family lawyers have welcomed the ‘ambitious’ proposals published by the Family Justice Review Panel last week, but warned that the changes will not work unless there is adequate funding. The Law Society and Family Law Bar Association supported the interim recommendations of the panel, which ...
-
News
Money laundering rules to be relaxed for solicitors
Solicitors will no longer need to fear criminal conviction for minor due diligence errors such as keeping an out-of-date passport on file, the Law Society said last week, as the government announced plans to reduce the regulatory burden attached to anti-money laundering obligations. Chancery Lane said ...
-
News
Legal Services Board rebuffs Djanogly on ILEX rights
The Legal Services Board has dismissed a call by justice minister Jonathan Djanogly for it to consult more widely on proposals to extend the rights of legal executives to conduct litigation and appear in court. Last week, Djanogly told the House of Commons that an application ...
-
News
Carlisle solicitor admits fraud
A former Carlisle solicitor is awaiting sentence after admitting a £250,000 fraud. Pauline Lesley Butler, who worked as a sole practitioner at her firm Pauline L Butler in Carlisle, pleaded guilty at Carlisle Crown Court last week to charges of fraud and false accounting. ...
-
News
Luton solicitor's campaign set to change road safety law
A Luton solicitor has been instrumental in an apparently successful attempt to change road safety laws. Mark Wardrop, partner and head of litigation at Pictons in Luton, campaigned for the creation of a new offence of ‘causing death by dangerous or reckless cycling’ after acting for ...
-
News
Conveyancing solicitors call for binding contracts
Conveyancing solicitors and estate agents have called on the property industry to develop legally binding preliminary contracts to reduce the number of house sales that fall through. At an event hosted by the president of the E-Homebuying Forum, Sir Bryan Carsberg, last week, representatives from ...
-
News
DAS considers offering written legal advice
Legal expenses insurer DAS is considering providing written legal advice to its policyholders once reforms allow, its legal chief told the Gazette this week. DAS head of legal Kathryn Mortimer said that the insurer, which has already made clear its intention to acquire Bristol firm CW ...
-
News
Solicitors Regulation Authority unveils handbook
The Solicitors Regulation Authority published the final version of its new solicitors handbook this week, as it revealed it had received ‘quite a number’ of enquiries from potential new market entrants about becoming alternative business structures. The SRA has applied to become a regulator of ...
-
News
APIL calls for damages discount review
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers has alleged that a failure by the justice secretary to review the damages discount rate has led to some claimants being under-compensated by ‘hundreds of thousands of pounds’. Launching a judicial review against the MoJ last week, APIL said the ...
-
News
European courts face workload ‘crisis’, claims House of Lords
The European Union’s two highest courts are facing a ‘crisis’ in managing their existing and ever increasing workloads, according to House of Lords report published yesterday. The report predicted ‘another crisis of workload soon’ for the Court of Justice (CJ), the supreme or constitutional court of ...
-
News
Government bids to improve social mobility in professions
The government has launched a strategy to end the culture of privilege that sees former independent school pupils dominating the top jobs in the judiciary and boardroom to the exclusion of people from less affluent backgrounds, it emerged today. Launching the new strategy Opening Doors, Breaking ...
-
News
New tax on settlors imposes ‘cumbersome bureaucracy’
A new system for collecting tax from settlor interested trusts is complex and expensive, and imposes a ‘cumbersome bureaucracy’ on everyone involved, the Law Society has warned. A settlor interested trust is one where a person – the settlor - has placed assets, such as money ...
-
News
Society defends solicitors over legal aid
The Law Society president has reacted to negative news coverage concerning the growth in the number of solicitors. The Society president Linda Lee has written to the Daily Mail newspaper in response to an article published yesterday under the headline ‘Now we have more lawyers than ...
-
News
Public backs compulsory mediation assessments
Two-thirds of the public support the new enforced mediation assessments being introduced for divorcing and separating couples tomorrow, according to research published by City firm Charles Russell. Under the rules, which come into force on 6 April, couples seeking to take private law family cases to ...