Latest news – Page 745
-
News
Ombudsman reveals £8.3m operating costs in first six months
The Legal Ombudsman has spent £8.3m in operating costs in its first six months since it came into being on 6 October, according to its annual report published yesterday. The Ombudsman’s combined implementation and operation costs have been £21.4m from 1 July 2009 when the project ...
-
News
Rape and torture victims turned away from collapsed advice service
Rape and torture victims were turned away from the collapsed Immigration Advisory Service last week, a former employee has told the Gazette. The employee said uniformed guards had blocked clients from entering the Manchester offices of IAS, which went into administration. The ...
-
News
Ombudsman warns of ‘confusion’ over legal services
Confusion over regulation of legal services is leaving consumers vulnerable and exposed, the Legal Ombudsman concludes today. Adam Sampson will publish his first annual report to parliament later today, following the launch of the organisation in October 2010. Sampson said that despite ...
-
News
Regulator to miss October deadline for ABSs
The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that the Solicitors Regulation Authority will miss its 6 October deadline for an ABS licence.
-
News
PII premiums not affected by ethnicity or conveyancing work
Law firms do not face higher insurance premiums because they conduct residential conveyancing work or are run by black and ethnic minority lawyers, an authoritative study has indicated. Law Society-commissioned research into last year’s professional indemnity insurance renewal found that while more firms overall had experienced ...
-
News
LSC invites tenders for Immigration Advisory Service work
The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is inviting expressions of interest from immigration contract holders wishing to take on some of the 8,000 file caseload of the Immigration Advisory Service (IAS), which went into administration on 8 July. Administrator Cork Gully has disclosed that the open ...
-
News
Cameron supportive of referral fees ban
A ban on referral fees has edged one step closer with David Cameron admitting he is ‘sympathetic’ to the idea this week. The prime minister was drawn into the debate on the fees by a question from Liberal Democrat MP David Ward during PMQs on Wednesday. ...
-
News
Filesharing cases settled
The long-running filesharing cases brought by London firm ACS:Law have come to an end, as the Solicitors Regulation Authority has published the allegations faced by the solicitor at the heart of the controversial claims. Manchester firm Ralli, which acted for a number of defendants alleged to ...
-
News
European arrest warrant needs reform
I read with interest Joshua Rozenberg’s recent column on the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ call for reform of the European arrest warrant.
-
News
Legal aid delay
Not only are we threatened with massive legal aid cuts, but the Legal Services Commission seems to be becoming slower at processing work. On 8 June, I exercised devolved powers to grant emergency legal aid to a client in connection with an appeal against a ...
-
News
All together now
The proposed decimation of legal aid is scandalous for a number of obvious reasons. I suggest that the legal profession indicates its outrage by refusing to act for the government or any MP voting in favour of the changes. Instead, ...
-
News
Cafcass problem
Your report of Anthony Douglas’ comments on A County Council v K and others [2011] EWHC 1672 underlines the view held by many children panel solicitors that he is too fond of putting a gloss on any criticism of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass). ...
-
News
No time-wasters
In common with many, I suspect, I enjoy reading the regular columns written by chief legal ombudsman Adam Sampson and his team. I am sure, like me, his readers recognise the familiar incidents described and agree that we can all improve our services. ...
-
News
LSB launches investigation to consider regulation of will-writing and probate
The Legal Services Board is to launch a formal investigation that will consider regulation of will-writing, following a recommendation from its consumer watchdog. The regulatory overseer stressed, however, that ‘a monopoly for solicitors is not the answer’. In its second major piece ...
-
News
MoJ in line of fire over interpreters contract
The Ministry of Justice could face a legal challenge to its new cost-cutting arrangements for the provision of interpretation and translation services across the justice sector.
-
News
LSC warned ministers on legal aid cuts
The Legal Services Commission warned ministers before publication of the legal aid reform bill that proposed fee cuts could result in ‘market failure’. In a letter sent to the lord chancellor in February, LSC chair Sir Bill Callaghan (pictured) advised the government that the ‘scale and ...
-
News
New Law Society president sets out his stall
Improving the Law Society’s relationship with the in-house sector and ensuring the success of the Conveyancing Quality Scheme will be two key areas of focus for the Society’s new president in the year ahead, he told the Gazette this week. John Wotton (pictured), who takes over ...
-
News
Family courts expect more litigants in person
Family courts will need to be better prepared to deal with litigants in person following the government’s legal aid reforms, MPs warned in a report published today. The report, from the Justice Committee, on the interim recommendations of the Family Justice Review, said an increase in ...
-
News
Firms urged to donate unused client funds
Law firms are being urged by two of the country’s top legal figures to donate funds being held for untraceable clients or beneficiaries to support advice centres. More than 7,000 law firms will receive letters in the coming days signed by attorney general Dominic Grieve and ...
-
News
Society given only 15 minutes for legal aid evidence
The Law Society, Bar Council and other representative groups were granted only 15 minutes each to give evidence to the cross-party committee scrutinising the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill this week, fuelling concerns that the government is seeking to rush through the changes. ...