Latest news – Page 899
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News
Bias ruling paves way for more claims by carers
A law firm has become the first employer to face a claim for ‘discrimination by association’ after a tribunal ruled a former employee could bring a claim on the grounds of her child’s disability. Sharon Coleman alleges disability discrimination against her former employer, London law firm ...
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Council lawyers 'in well-being denial'
Council lawyers have been told to change the way they work and become more entrepreneurial after research found many are not using a far-reaching legal power at their disposal. A four-year investigation carried out by the University of Birmingham, the Cities Research Centre and the University ...
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£75k payout in email claim
A Midlands law firm has paid a £75,000 out-of-court settlement to a Muslim former employee who claimed she had suffered harassment and religious discrimination from a partner and board member. Shakespeare Putsman has apologised to Saleca Faisal-Parkar for two emails describing the paralegal as a ‘tent ...
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Working together to ride out the storm
I read with interest Jon Robins’s article ‘Under Pressure’ (see [2008] Gazette, 20 November, 14). It is unfortunate only one bank appears to have been approached for an attributable quote. A more rigorous process of engaging with banks to establish their views would have allowed a more balanced assessment. No ...
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Nursing support
I am writing in response to Jonathan Rayner’s article citing criticisms of medical provision in custody by forensic medical examiner Dr Jason Payne-James (see [2008] Gazette, 13 November, 1). I would like to put forward facts in support of the nurses working in police custody, prisons and other criminal justice ...
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Running for cover
I really hope there are some effective changes in the worrying lottery of obtaining cover each year. I for one really do not look forward to dealing with this and it is always the same – having to worryingly hold out to the last minute to get a reasonable quote. ...
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Legal 'super panels' for local councils
Three ‘super panels’ of law firms and barristers’ chambers are being formed to service about 30 local authorities across England, the Gazette can reveal. Birmingham City Council, the largest local authority in Europe, is tendering for a panel of around 25 firms on behalf of 17 ...
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KBF court action threat
Key Business Finance (KBF), the legal lender currently in administration, has been threatened with legal action by 10 law firms over advance payments made to the company. The 10 firms feature in a list, compiled by administrators Ernst & Young last week, of 125 firms ...
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Contingency fees 'nothing to worry about' - new study
The case for contingency fees in England and Wales received another boost this week after research seen by the Gazette found that their use in employment tribunals throws up few major concerns. The study – the first of its kind – said contingency fees in tribunals ...
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Arbitration soars
Demand for arbitration has soared this year, figures from the London Court of International Arbitration reveal. The court has heard 198 cases to date – 61 more than last year and 66% more than the average over the previous four years. ...
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Duty prosecutors advice plea
Duty prosecutors should provide early legal advice to police officers so that weak cases can be stopped at an earlier stage, according to an inspection report of new charging arrangements. The finding comes from a joint review of charging arrangements by Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution ...
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CCBE warning on the threat of notaries
A backdoor bid by continental notaries to beat off the threat of competition is meeting fierce resistance from lawyers across Europe. At its plenary session in Brussels last weekend, the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) abandoned its historically neutral position on the notarial profession to pass ...
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Bar raises court fears
The Bar Council has alleged that Crown Court cases are being disrupted because barristers are being forced to undertake litigators’ work when solicitors fail to attend hearings. In a letter to the Legal Services Commission’s Criminal Defence Service, the chairman of the council’s remuneration committee, ...
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LCS to cut spend by 10% next year
The Legal Complaints Service (LCS) is to spend 10% less next year than it will in 2008 as the organisation begins to wind down, according to board papers made public last week. In the year beginning January 2009, the service’s budget, which comes from the ...
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Anthony Edwards presented with outstanding achievement award
Anthony Edwards, senior partner at TV Edwards and Gazette contributor, was presented with the outstanding achievement award by Cherie Booth QC at the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards 2008. Other winners included Jackson & Canter, which won Legal Aid Law Firm of the ...
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Lawyers slam tribunal scam
Lawyers have demanded that the Tribunals Service ‘join the 21st century’ before scammers overwhelm courts with multiple age-discrimination claims. The scam targets job advertisements containing ageist phrases like ‘newly qualified’. The scammers apply for all such jobs and, if not offered the posts, threaten to take ...
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High-visibility jackets accompany community sentences
From this week offenders carrying out community sentences must wear high-visibility jackets branded with the ‘community payback’ logo. Justice secretary Jack Straw (pictured, left, with home secretary Jacqui Smith, right) said: ‘The taxpayer has an absolute right to know what unpaid work is being done to pay back to them ...
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The law of Property Act 1925 will not rescue clients
I refer to the unfortunate question raised in Calvert Solicitors’ letter, asking if the current recession is an ‘exceptional circumstance’ that would allow the return of a deposit under section 49(2) of the Law of Property Act 1925 (see [2008] Gazette, 13 November, 13).
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Amend the contract
Calvert raises a point which, during the downturn in the financial and property markets, could cause considerable grief for property buyers. This concerns a buyer whose deposit has been forfeited turning to his solicitor’s indemnity policy to recoup his loss. Notwithstanding the fact that the Law ...
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Land Registry DIY disaster
How embarrassing for the Land Registry. It thought it could handle all property transactions and cut out the solicitors with electronic conveyancing and their own rules. Now we find that electronic conveyancing is shelved and the rules have been changed to make solicitors the last line of defence against fraud ...