Latest news – Page 763
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News
House price fall could prove fillip for conveyancers
Conveyancing solicitors moved to calm concerns over a looming housing crash this week, and suggested that a fall in house prices could have a ‘silver lining’ for the profession. Last week, the Halifax reported a 3.6% decline in house prices in September, the biggest monthly fall ...
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SRA closes Burges Salmon investigation
South-west firm Burges Salmon will not face the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal following allegations that it gave inappropriate legal advice to farmers, a long-running investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority has decided. The SRA, which for two years considered allegations about advice given by Burges Salmon to ...
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Advice and legal expenses insurance
I read with interest the letter from Paul Asplin, the chief executive officer of DAS UK Group I agree with what Mr Asplin said concerning the judgment in Eschig not affecting the position of already-compliant legal expenses insurers.
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Footing the bill for chancel repairs
I cannot accept the picture Michael Hall paints of a ‘muddle’ arising from chancel repair liability. Any conveyancing solicitor who is instructed by a purchaser identifies and investigates matters affecting a property his client wants to buy, and reports to the client (and probably a ...
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QualitySolicitors steps up expansion with 50 new branches
Law firm franchise QualitySolicitors is to launch 50 new branches next month, the ...
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CMC sector and lacking value
I note the reply of Kally Sahota of Select Claims Ltd to my letter. He appears to seek to justify his existence as a business by reference to the regulatory regime under the stewardship of Kevin Rousell. I do not accept his premise.
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No support for cut-price conveyancers
I am sure all firms that undertake conveyancing will have had a fraught time with their professional indemnity insurance renewal this year, with most insurers refusing even to quote where property accounts for more than 50% of turnover. While going through my PI file, I ...
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Chancery Lane seeks family contracts extension
The Law Society has called on the Legal Services Commission to extend existing family contracts until April 2012, following Chancery Lane’s successful High Court challenge to the family tender process. However, some firms that did win family contracts through the tender process are now understood to ...
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Lord Young attacks personal injury ‘lottery’
The peer leading the government’s review of the ‘compensation culture’ said this week that he is ‘ashamed’ of some personal injury lawyers in respect of how they advertise their services. Addressing the Conservative Party conference, Lord Young of Graffham (pictured) claimed that some personal injury advertising ...
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Suspects at disadvantage without legal adviser, study shows
A report published by the Legal Services Commission has highlighted the crucial role played by defence solicitors in giving advice to defendants at the police station. The study by the Legal Services Research Centre (LSRC), the independent research division of the LSC, comes as the government ...
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Courts will ‘struggle to cope’ with Equality Act caseload
Employment lawyers have warned that tribunals could be ‘submerged’ by a surge in cases stemming from the Equality Act 2010, which came into force this month. The act comes against a backdrop of increasing employment claims, with figures released by the Tribunals Service last week indicating ...
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'No legal case' for Iraq invasion
Human rights lawyers have claimed that the UK had no legal case for its 2003 invasion of Iraq, in a submission to the Chilcot Inquiry seen by the Gazette. The Solicitors International Human Rights Group found fault with the UK government’s two main justifications for ...
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Intestacy rules in need of updating
Nearly two-thirds of the public do not have a will, and a change in family relationships points to a need to amend the current intestacy rules, research has suggested. A report by the National Centre for Social Research, conducted to provide the Law Commission with up-to-date ...
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Lawyers hit by corruption and international bribery
Almost a third of lawyers worldwide have lost business to law firms or individual lawyers engaged in international bribery and corruption, a major study has found. More than one in five said they had been approached to take part in a possible corrupt transaction, according to ...
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Policestationreps sees threefold increase in lawyers using website
A website set up to connect firms doing criminal defence work with accredited police station representatives has reported a threefold increase in lawyers using the site, as solicitors face tightening profit margins. Policestationreps.com provides solicitors with the contact details of local police station representatives so that ...
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Welfare group opposes immigration cap
Lawyers acting for an immigrants’ welfare group are to challenge the legality of the government’s temporary cap on immigration. The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) has sent a pre-action protocol letter to the Home Office, informing it of its intention to launch judicial ...
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Blueprint for local government revealed
Local government legal services could be delivered from just six regional centres of excellence within the next decade, it has been suggested. A roadmap unveiled by the Association of Council Secretaries and Solicitors (ACSeS) last week outlined how a national network of six legal hubs could ...
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Chancery Lane calls for appraisal system for family judges
An appraisal system should be introduced for family judges, so that they can hear feedback on their performance and to reassure the public about the quality of the judiciary, the Law Society has suggested. In its response to the government’s family justice review, Chancery Lane said ...
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Earn CPD points with the Gazette
Today sees the launch of Gazette CPD, through which you can gain up to 10 CPD hours by answering questions about our articles. Each month (excluding August and December), an assessment consisting of 15 questions based on four articles published in the previous month’s Gazette will ...
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High volume of complaints against lawyers as LeO launches
The new Legal Ombudsman handled nearly 500 complaints on its launch day yesterday, taking its first call two minutes after opening at 8.30am while its chief executive was appearing on Radio 4's Today programme. Of 497 potential cases, more than 20 are already being investigated, chief ...