Latest news – Page 805
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News
Solicitors face professional indemnity challenge from insurers
Insurers are beginning to challenge solicitors over the terms of their professional indemnity insurance (PII) policies amid early signs that the profession is facing a wave of negligence claims. Some 82% of major insurers predict that the number of claims on solicitors’ PII policies this year ...
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DLA Piper denies lawyer’s discrimination claim
National firm DLA Piper has appeared before the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) this week to deny a lawyer’s claim that it discriminated against her on the grounds of her ‘perceived’ disability.
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Public Accounts Committee publishes damning report on LSC
The Ministry of Justice has announced measures to save £6m a year from the legal aid budget by ‘tightening the rules for civil legal aid’. The announcement came as the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) published a ...
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MoJ restricts civil legal aid
The Ministry of Justice has announced it is to press ahead with proposals to restrict civil legal aid for people not resident in the UK, tighten the funding rules for judicial review and limit funding for public interest cases, despite strong opposition from lawyers. The consultation ...
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Five national firms to offer advice to 48 local authorities
Five national law firms have been selected to provide legal advice to 48 local authorities in the East Midlands under the EM LawShare consortium umbrella. Anthony Collins, Browne Jacobson, DLA Piper, Freeth Cartwright and Weightmans will offer legal advice on 13 areas of law including ...
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MPs attack ‘lax’ Legal Services Commission
The Public Accounts Committee has today lambasted the Legal Services Commission for its handling of legal aid funds. Committee chairman Edward Leigh MP said financial controls at the LSC were ‘lax’, noting that ‘it does not know enough about the costs and profitability of firms to ...
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Shoosmiths launches Access Legal consumer brand
National firm Shoosmiths launched a new brand for its consumer legal services today in a bid to put its stamp on the ‘fragmented’ post-Clementi landscape. Access Legal will deliver legal services to the firm’s consumer clients in the areas of conveyancing, employment law, legal disputes, medical negligence, motoring, personal injury ...
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Most consumers think all will writers are solicitors
Some 67% of consumers wrongly believe that all will writers are solicitors, research has shown. A survey of more than 1,000 people revealed that 82% assumed that training and qualifications are required before someone can become a will writer. More than ...
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Plumbing depths
In the months since Home Information Packs (HIPs) were introduced, we at the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors have seen and are still seeing alarmingly poor quality in all aspects of building work which requires notification.
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West Ham United is sold and a flotation by Tiger Airways
Rights move: Magic circle firm Linklaters advised financial group UniCredit on a €4bn (£3.49bn) rights issue. US firm Shearman & Sterling advised Bank of America Merrill Lynch and UniCredit Bank as global coordinators and bookrunners, and a consortium of other banks as bookrunners ...
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Defamation fees cap risks 'restricting access to justice’
Government proposals to limit lawyers’ fees in defamation cases risk ‘restricting access to justice’ according to claimant solicitors, while those representing defendants say they do not go far enough.
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Top US firms plan London push
Top US firms are planning to expand in London in 2010, with trainee, associate and partner positions expected to be up for grabs over the course of the year. White & Case will bring in between 25 and 30 new associates in London this year, London ...
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Vietnamese lawyer escapes death sentence
A Vietnamese lawyer who acts as a consultant for a magic circle firm has been found guilty of activities aimed at ending communist rule, but his death sentence has been commuted to five years’ imprisonment. Le Cong Dinh was charged with activities including posting articles ...
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MPs condemn 'serial litigant’ website
A website set up by an employment solicitor to enable lawyers to identify ‘serial litigants’ in employment cases has been ‘condemned’ in a parliamentary early day motion (EDM) signed by more than 40 MPs. The website, serial-litigants.com, uses records ...
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BRM Solicitors could repay up to £89,000 to former miners
Chesterfield firm BRM Solicitors could repay up to £89,000 to former miners after being taken to task by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for its handling of government compensation claims. BRM partner Peter James McGowan has appeared before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal after admitting a number of ...
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Firm launches website for 'undersettled’ coal miner compensation claims
A Yorkshire firm has set up a new website to gather claims from former coal miners who believe that solicitors undersettled their original government compensation claims. The site, Minerscompensationclaims.com, was launched in December by nine-partner firm Jordans. The website aims to gather previously settled claims from ...
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Legal world comes to aid of Haitian survivors
Law firms around the world have offered financial and pro bono support to help survivors of the Haitian earthquake, while the Law Society has launched an appeal to gather donations. Chancery Lane has set up an online appeal which will aggregate money raised by the legal ...
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Lawyers unite to oppose further criminal legal aid cutbacks
The government has united solicitors and barristers in their opposition to proposals to make further cuts to criminal legal aid work. But as both sides seek a solution that protects their members’ interests, there are differences over the best way forward. The Bar Council and Criminal ...
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Recession fears leaves corporate and property lawyers overstretched
Corporate and property lawyers are being overstretched as firms remain fearful of a double-dip recession and refuse to recruit new staff to deal with an upturn in work, the Gazette has learned. At a national meeting of the Junior Lawyers Division (JLD), which represents lawyers from ...
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Conveyancing solicitors face higher bank charges over Registry portal
Conveyancing solicitors will face higher bank charges as a result of the Land Registry’s new electronic portal. On 31 March, Land Registry Direct, the means by which solicitors access the Land Registry’s e-business services, will be replaced by a new electronic platform. ...