Latest news – Page 735
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News
New guidelines proposed for sentencing drug offenders
The Sentencing Council has today launched a consultation on proposals to introduce new guidelines for judges and magistrates sentencing drug offenders. The plans will mean that for the first time in the Crown court, sentences will be based on the court’s assessment of the defendant’s role ...
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Failing the means test
I have read about Crown Court legal aid and the current problems surrounding it, but do people not realise that legal aid in the magistrates’ court is a much bigger problem? I agree that the idea of cases progressing faster is usually a good thing. ...
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Unhelpful advice
I detected a strange irony having read the Opinion ‘Bridging the gender divide’ ‘Bridging the gender divide’. The statement ‘the proportion of women that will reach partner level in private practice is half that of men’ is to some extent explained by the letter published ...
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Overcoming hurdles
Robert Cumming raises a good point in saying that labour laws needs to be reformed to ensure equality of pay. There is a huge groundswell of opinion, among women as much as men, that new paternity rights ought to be ‘use it or lose it ...
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A reality check on mediation
Where is the research evidence for mediation?, asks Michael Robinson. Well, in March 2007 the National Audit Office found that, on average, a mediated case takes 110 days to resolve and costs £752, compared with 435 days and £1,682 in cases where mediation is not used. ...
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'Green' legal alliance slashes emissions
A ‘green’ alliance of 44 law firms and the Law Society has succeeded in cutting CO2 emissions by an amount equivalent to the annual output of a magic circle firm, according to a report released today. The Legal Sector Alliance (LSA) said that its member firms ...
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Student loses LPC negligence action
An Oxford graduate has failed in an attempt to sue her law school for £100,000 after she failed to qualify as a solicitor. Russian-born Maria Abramova claimed that the ‘clearly negligent’ teaching on the Legal Practice Course (LPC) run by the Oxford Institute of Legal Practice ...
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Lawyers ‘cash in’ on Bribery Act ‘scaremongering’
Commercial lawyers are cashing in on Bribery Act scaremongering and taking part in ‘institutionalised corruption’ by setting up tax avoidance schemes, members of the House of Lords said last week. In a debate on financial crime legislation, Liberal Democrat peer Lord Thomas of Gresford, a practising ...
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Smaller firms preparing for ABS rivals
Most leaders of small law firms are considering changes to the way they manage their firm and the services they deliver, in preparation for the entry of new providers into the market from October, according to research seen exclusively by the Gazette. A survey of 58 ...
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High Court overturns Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal fines
The High Court last week criticised the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) for the lack of published guidance on the sanctions it can impose, as it overturned fines levied on four partners at a Merseyside firm. Brian Hazelhurst, Christopher Murphy, Stephen David Garrett and Martyn Robert Brown, ...
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Takeover Panel call to make M&A fees public
Advisory fees earned by law firms working on mergers and acquisitions would be made public under proposals outlined this week by the takeover watchdog. Opening a consultation on amendments to its code, the Takeover Panel has proposed that parties on each side of a bid should ...
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Government legal aid response delayed
The government has delayed its responses to the legal aid and civil costs consultations until after Easter, and will ‘review’ the definition of domestic violence, the legal aid minister has said. Jonathan Djanogly had previously said the government would respond before Easter, but speaking at the ...
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Targets for judicial diversity ‘wrong approach'
Setting targets for increasing the number of female judges would be the ‘wrong approach’ to boosting diversity, the minister responsible for legislation and law reform told the House of Lords last week. Facing questions over gender and race diversity in the judiciary, Lord McNally said that ...
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Solicitor jailed for money laundering and fraud
A solicitor whose lavish lifestyle included driving a Lamborghini worth more than £80,000 was jailed last week for four years and eight months after a joint investigation by the police and Solicitors Regulation Authority. Benjamin Cornelius, 37, was convicted at Cardiff Crown Court of money laundering ...
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Human rights commission prompts diversity concerns
A lawyers’ group voiced concern this week over the makeup of the commission set up by the government to investigate the case for a UK bill of rights. The Ministry of Justice said the commission comprises ‘human rights experts’ whose remit is to help ensure that ...
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Law Society warns LSB over 'micro-management'
The Legal Services Board must resist the urge to ‘micro-manage’ aspects of legal regulation, and should reduce its budget rather than extending its role to become an ‘economic regulator’, the Law Society has warned. Responding to the LSB’s draft business plan, Chancery Lane also cautioned that ...
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Society votes for SRA to regulate ABSs
The Law Society’s council yesterday voted by 54 votes to 16 to approve the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s application to become a licensing authority for alternative business structures. Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson said ABS will change the way law firms are allowed to operate. ...
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Legal advice ‘too expensive’ warns bar regulator’s chair
Legal advice is ‘too expensive’ and has ‘moved out of reach of the middle classes,’ the chair of the Bar Standards Board said this week. Speaking at Inner Temple, Lady Deech said: ‘The advice of a top barrister is affordable only by government, by corporate bodies ...
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LSC and Law Society fail to agree on civil contracts compensation
Firms that incurred losses after the High Court quashed the Legal Services Commission’s family tender last year will not receive compensation from the LSC, the Law Society announced today. Chancery Lane said it had been trying to negotiate a settlement arrangement with the LSC since last ...
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Weightmans and Mace & Jones to merge
National firm Weightmans and north-west firm Mace & Jones will merge on 1 May to create a £75m-revenue, 1,000-employee business, the firms announced today. The news follows Weightmans’ recent announcement that it will acquire the full 13-partner insurance team from south-east firm Vizards Wyeth on 1 ...