Latest news – Page 910
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News
'Put council notices online'
The law should be changed to give statutory notices posted on the internet the same legal status as those in local newspapers, according to the founder of a new website. Andrew Bullen, managing director of Public Notices UK, aims to secure the support of a Conservative ...
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Law firms eye up Syrian market
Law firms, financial services providers and insurance companies are sizing up the Syrian business market as the government makes moves to open up to foreign investment, the Gazette has learned.
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Fujitsu starts £700m claim against NHS
Formal moves have begun in the largest single claim for compensation ever made against the NHS, a computer contractor revealed last week. Fujitsu Services said it had issued a procedure initiation notice to the IT agency NHS Connecting for Health following the termination of a ...
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Sports
London firm Couchman Harrington Associates advised AIM-listed sports services group Essentially on its £325,000 acquisition of Arundel Promotions, set up by ex-England cricketer Alec Stewart and football manager Alan Smith. Arundel was advised by London firm Gregory Rowcliffe Milners. ...
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Outrageous fortunes
The public need to be convinced that solicitors often offer a cheaper service than other providers. Over the last couple of years, I have become increasingly concerned about the level of fees charged by some new entrants into the legal market.
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Training need?
I noted with interest the report of ‘shoddy’ phone advice given to bail defendants (see [2008] Gazette, 31 July, 2). I thought the Gazette might like to hear of a case I had recently. A youth client had been arrested for breach of pre-charge bail conditions, ...
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Six-week wait
I have been following the Gazette’s coverage of court delays. You may be interested to hear of a letter sent to solicitors on 14 August by Northampton County Court concerning arrears, which are now said to be 31 working days in some areas of work.
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Frontline cuts
I am sure every litigator has experienced horrors similar to those outlined in the recent series of letters describing inefficiencies in the court system. Do we have any reason to believe they are caused by anything other than budget cuts? My ‘favourite’ recent experience was ...
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Lasting benefit
I am writing in respect of new public guardian Martin John’s announcement of a review of the lasting power of attorney form (see [2008] Gazette, 7 August, 3). Key stakeholder organisations are already working together in preparation for this review and the wider review of the Mental Capacity Act. ...
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Price comparison site targets legal sector
Moneysupermarket.com, the price comparison website, is to start selling legal business sales leads to law firms involved in conveyancing, probate and employment later this month, the Gazette can reveal. Consumers visiting the website will be asked if they want advice from participating firms if they have ...
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Child welfare fears add to justice burden
Applications for children to be separately represented in private law family cases have soared by almost 25% in two years, as courts battle to ensure the children’s voices are heard in complex disputes, the Gazette has learned. The number of rule 9.5 applications to appoint a ...
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MoJ widens judicial pool
The government has decided that legal executives will not be entitled to sit as judges on the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT), but can apply for other judicial appointments following a consultation earlier this year. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) accepted representations from CAT, the Lord Chief ...
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Eversheds in diversity drive
Top 10 firm Eversheds has piloted a groundbreaking scheme encouraging teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue a career in the legal profession, the Gazette has learned. The national firm has been working with government-appointed Widening Participation Officers (WPOs) based at UK universities tasked with increasing the ...
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Pll providers shun small firms
Small firms renewing their professional indemnity insurance (PII) cover will be further squeezed in an already hardening market after insurers Norwich Union and Liberty cut policies for these practices. Norwich Union, which controls 8.3% of the legal PII market, has stopped offering new cover to firms ...
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'Firms favour UK trainees'
City University’s law school is telling international students on its law masters programmes to apply for jobs with US firms or go in-house because recruitment practices at English firms favour UK candidates, the Gazette can reveal. Professor Alan Riley, director of the LLM programme at City ...
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Registry fraud payouts soar
The Land Registry is facing a compensation bill up by £5 million on last year because of an increase in fraudulent title registrations. Figures in its annual report, published in August, show the value of claims pending for losses resulting from errors on the register caused ...
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Rhys Jones fee row threatens trial delay
The solicitor representing the defendant charged with murdering Liverpool schoolboy Rhys Jones has launched judicial review proceedings against the Legal Services Commission (LSC), claiming that the trial has been wrongly classified as a very high cost case (VHCC). Seven defendants are due to go on trial ...
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Thumbs-up for mediation pilot
Employment lawyers have given the thumbs-up to a judicial mediation pilot and called for it to be available in tribunals across England and Wales. Results of a survey carried out by the Employment Lawyers Association (ELA) revealed that the majority (78%) of the 123 respondents who ...
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SRA advocacy plans slammed
Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) proposals to introduce a scheme of voluntary accreditation for solicitor higher court advocates could lead to ‘incompetent solicitors’ appearing in court, the College of Law’s Legal Services Policy Institute has claimed. The institute called instead for mandatory assessment and compulsory accreditation in ...
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Herbert Smith targets lawyers on career break
City firm Herbert Smith is planning to tempt lawyers on a career break to join the firm as part of a recruitment drive. In conjunction with executive search consultancy Sapphire Partners, the firm will host a ‘back to practice’ workshop at its London offices in September, ...