Latest news – Page 898
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News
Bar paves the way for joint practices
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is paving the way for barristers to go into practice with solicitors, but will leave regulation of the new legal disciplinary partnerships (LDPs) to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). In its second consultation on the implications of the Legal Services Act ...
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E-working compulsory from 2010
Electronic working will be compulsory for civil legal aid providers from 2010 under plans announced by the Legal Services Commission (LSC) this week. The commission’s Delivery Transformation programme aims to save £7m a year. It will expand the use of online billing, ensure that ...
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Bart-Stewart attacks JAC
The new chair of the Black Solicitors Network (BSN), Cordella Bart-Stewart, has launched a scathing attack on the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC), calling for an independent review of appointment processes. Bart-Stewart has refused to take part in what she calls ‘marketing exercises’ such as JAC ...
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Family courts opened up
Family court hearings are for the first time to be open to the press, Justice Secretary Jack Straw told the Commons on Tuesday. From April, accredited media will be allowed to report hearings, unless the child’s welfare requires them not to be admitted, he said. ...
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Contingency fee problems 'modest'
It is worth emphasising a few points regarding contingency fees (see [2008] Gazette, 4 December, 2). The evidence is not that contingency fees present no problems, but that those problems are more modest than many assume. They do not give rise to rampant, unmerited litigation, but they do give rise ...
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Direct access only works for a few
As a practising barrister (and former solicitor), I strongly disagree with Tim Dutton QC (pictured), chairman of the bar, who supports direct access by lay people to counsel. It can work for a tiny minority who can marshal documents and evidence, write and speak coherently, and ...
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Complaints and planning options
Your article ‘LCS to cut spend by 10% next year’ offers a number of assumptions about the future Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) and the role within it of Legal Complaints Service (LCS) staff (see [2008] Gazette, 4 December, 3).
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Salaried partners need guidance
I refer to BD Woodhams’ letter ‘Unworkable scenario’ (see [2008] Gazette, 13 November, 13). This concerned the reprimand given to a salaried partner by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, even though she was not aware of the infringements caused by the sole equity partner of the firm in question.
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Council reforms not workable
While it may be perceived to be a little anomalous for Law Society Council members to extend the nature of the debate from the Council chamber to the columns of the Gazette, a rejoinder to the letter of Tim O’Sullivan might be of interest to the profession (see [2008], Gazette, ...
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Back to the future
I would like to press the Law Society to consider a return to the Solicitors Indemnity Fund (see ‘Insurance rethink’ [2008] Gazette, 27 November, 3). That may have been a little more expensive than competitive tendering in the open market, but at least we all knew where we stood - ...
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A stain on our reputation
I note that the authors of the Solicitor’s Handbook 2008 say that the solution to compliance in respect of referral arrangements is to send out compliance packs (see [2008] Gazette, 20 November, 9). Wrong. But the solution to non-compliance can, as they contend, be described ...
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Let's behave as professionals
The suggestions of the two QCs in the Gazette are excellent, subject to one point . The ideal solution would be to reinstate the ban on referral fees, which are regarded by many within and outside the profession as reprehensible - let us behave as professional people and comply with ...
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Sharia inaccuracy
The news item headed ‘Sharia "could have averted crisis"’ is inaccurate because it suggests 85% of all transactions approved by financial institutions’ own sharia boards are not compliant with the standards of the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions in Bahrain (AAOIFI) (see [2008] Gazette, 27 November, 6). ...
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Tribunal judges must be impartial
Your 4 December issue contained an advertisement for chairmen of Employment Tribunals (see [2008] Gazette, 4 December, 22). The advertisement reads: ‘Can you help put right the wrongs? We all know somebody who has been unfairly treated at work, but we often feel helpless to do anything about it. If ...
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Banks urged to increase cashflow
Law firms of all sizes are asking banks to provide them with secure pipelines of cash as the economy continues to deteriorate. In the coming weeks, Law Society President Paul Marsh and chief executive Des Hudson are to meet top executives at retail banks as well as the chief executive ...
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'Name and shame' threat for top firms
Some of the biggest names on the international law scene are likely to figure in an investigation aimed at naming and shaming firms doing business in Burma, the Gazette can reveal. Pressure group Burma Campaign UK (BCUK) said this week that it is already ‘actively investigating’ ...
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In-house counsel set to take work back from firms
In-house counsel are seriously looking at how they can take work back from external law firms and either do it themselves or send it abroad, according to a Gazette poll. In a survey of senior in-house counsel intentions to offshore legal work, respondents said overwhelmingly that, ...
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Bar chief in plea for unity
The incoming chairman of the Bar Council has made a plea for unity between the two branches of the profession as they face a continued squeeze over legal aid fees. In an interview with the Gazette, Desmond Browne QC said: ‘There must not be internecine ...
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PII insurers face standards scrutiny
Insurers and brokers offering professional indemnity insurance (PII) could be given a set of service standards following complaints over this year’s renewals. Because some brokers provided ‘bad customer service’ to solicitors, the Law Society’s PII crisis group will discuss ‘appropriate service levels’ with insurers and brokers ...
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APIL slams Straw for attack on lawyers
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) has criticised comments about ‘ambulance-chasing’ lawyers, reportedly made by Justice Secretary Jack Straw. Denise Kitchener, APIL chief executive, accused Straw of taking ‘easy potshots’ at personal injury lawyers in an interview published in the Daily Mail. ...