Latest news – Page 748
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News
Family lawyers hail new code
Family lawyers have welcomed last week’s publication of the long-awaited Family Procedure Rules 2010, which will come into force on 6 April. The new code, published by the Ministry of Justice, provides a single set of rules for proceedings in the magistrates’ court, county court and ...
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Calls to rethink telephone gateway for civil legal aid
The Law Society and other representative groups have called for a ‘fundamental rethink’ of ‘radical’ government proposals to introduce a telephone gateway for all civil legal aid services. The impact assessments published with the government’s recent legal aid green paper estimate that the introduction of a ...
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Profession’s growth 'defies gravity’, SRA figures show
The number of practising solicitors in England and Wales has risen sharply to more than 120,000, with their ranks growing at an accelerated rate despite the economic pressures faced by the profession, the latest figures have shown. One leading industry commentator claimed that the rise ...
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EU contract law plea
The expert group tasked with advising the European Commission on EU-wide changes to contract law should have more input from English law practitioners, the Law Society said this week. Society chief executive Desmond Hudson expressed concern that the panel is currently made up primarily of academics ...
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'Boom-bust’ warning for top commercial firms
Top commercial law firms must become more flexible and less reactive to cope with the boom-bust pattern of global markets over the next 10 years, a report by consultants Jomati has suggested. Introducing variable rather than fixed costs, creating links with legal process outsourcers (LPOs), and ...
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Website pioneers advice auction
A Cheshire solicitor has launched a website giving legal advice over the internet to members of the public, who can decide how much they want to pay for it. The site, www.expert-answers.co.uk, was created by property partner James Mather at Ellesmere Port firm Berkson Wallace.
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MoJ favours ban on cash inducements
Claims farmers would be banned from offering cash inducements and other benefits to the public, under proposals put forward by the Ministry of Justice in a consultation paper. In a move to implement one of Lord Young of Graffham’s recommendations in his October report on the ...
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'Virtual’ visitor interrupts police interview
The security of the virtual court system has been called into question once again, after a video technician appeared on a virtual court monitor during a confidential police station consultation between a solicitor and his client and began talking to the pair, the Gazette has learned.
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Dishonest dealings and tax
I read an article in a Sunday newspaper entitled ‘Self-employed? Make extra money from the VAT rise’. I am perplexed because, while I understand that in the current economic climate it is good to have incentives for smaller businesses, this incentive appears to be, prima facie, dishonest.
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Premature call on RTA claims process
I write to comment on the item: ‘FOIL president: cut claimant lawyer fees’
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Doing a disservice
Mr Digby-Bell is entitled to his opinions, which he is rarely slow to publicise. In doing so in his letter without a word in advance or participation in the council’s debates, he belittles the considerable efforts of the Law Society and its president in fighting for access to justice and ...
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'Wild west' lawyers
The alleged futility of the SRA’s ‘consultation’ made the letters page . This futility extends to the Legal Ombudsman too. On that date I attended a meeting with a diverse group of people with an interest in whether or not solicitors should be named when a ...
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Why not run a separate compensation fund for ABSs?
With alternative business structures due in 2011, the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority’s fitness-to-own test is likely to be tested. The attraction of law firms and client account to organised criminals cannot be underestimated.
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Burger deal, fashion buy, road-building initiative, new listing
Burger buy: Reading firm Pitmans advised restaurant operator Zing Leisure on acquiring three Burger King restaurants in London for an undisclosed sum. Burger King was advised by its in-house team.
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‘Not just peanuts’ campaign to support legal advice charities
The Access to Justice Foundation will today launch a national campaign encouraging law firms to release unclaimed money from their client accounts to help support free legal assistance in their local community. The charity’s ‘It's Not Just Peanuts’ campaign is targeting amounts of less than ...
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Law Commission consults on pre-nuptial agreements
The Law Commission has today published a consultation on the future of pre-nuptial agreements, seeking views on whether couples should be able to make binding agreements governing financial arrangements if their relationships end. The paper puts forward a range of options for reforming the law of ...
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Jones day to open three Saudi offices in 2011
US firm Jones Day will open three associate offices in Saudi Arabia this year, it announced today. An office in Riyadh has already been established, and further outposts in Jeddah and Al-Khobar will be set up later this year in association with Saudi firm Al Sulaim ...
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Thompsons presses for greater focus on rehabilitation
National personal injury firm Thompsons has called on government ministers to put rehabilitation for injury victims at the heart of its review of civil justice, after research into client attitudes showed overwhelming support for the benefits of rehabilitation. According to the firm, in a survey of ...
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Support grows for regulation of will-writing
A call for evidence on whether will-writing should become a regulated activity has received a huge response from the profession and public, with consumer bodies in favour of regulation. The Legal Services Board Consumer Panel has received 380 case studies from lawyers, members of the public ...
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Family procedure rules published
The Ministry of Justice has this week published the long-awaited Family Procedure Rules 2010, which will come into force on 6 April 2011. The new code provides a single set of rules for proceedings in the magistrates’ court, county court and High Court, along the model ...