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News in focus – Page 10
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NewsNews focus: Call of duty thrown into stark relief
High Court backs top silk in multi-million-pound professional negligence claim, ruling that he did not owe a duty of care to third parties
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NewsNews focus: Master of the rolls' vision for smarter contracts
The Smarter Contracts initiative envisages replacing 4 billion international trade paper contracts with digital versions – thanks to blockchain technology. Now the law needs to catch up.
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NewsNews focus: No-fault divorce looms but closure of online portal blindsides solicitors
A long-awaited era of no-fault divorce is dogged by uncertainty pending the ‘shambolic’ closure of the online portal. So with only weeks to go before the law changes, what are solicitors telling clients?
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NewsNews focus: Lords verdict -JR reform is out of order
Far from putting ‘remedial tools into the judicial toolbox’, the Judicial Review and Courts Bill is under attack from peers for ‘tilting the playing field’ against those seeking to hold public authorities to account.
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NewsNews focus: Legal ombudsman - a rebalancing act
The legal ombudsman insists proposed reforms allowing for cases to be disposed of pre-investigation and for a one-year time limit on complaints are the best routes to long-term sustainability.
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NewsNews focus: Remodelled emergency legal aid housing scheme not yet fit for purpose
Experts have welcomed the government’s ambition to take a more rounded approach to housing issues, but plans to remodel the emergency scheme for tenants facing eviction appear flawed.
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NewsNews focus: Six things people get wrong about threats to judicial independence
Campaigning thinktank Policy Exchange continues to fuel debate about the limits of judicial independence. What if critics who allege ministers are bent on constitutional vandalism have got it wrong?
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NewsNews focus: Brexit Freedoms Bill - freedom from what?
Mired in politicking, the Brexit Freedoms Bill that will ‘move us away from outdated EU laws’ has still to be published. What lawyers are confronted with at present is an elaborate game of charades.
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NewsNews focus: The apprenticeship route into law
In National Apprenticeship Week, law firms explain why they have embraced a route into the profession which is proving a lifeline for aspiring solicitors who cannot afford the traditional path.
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NewsNews focus: JR under peer review
Concerns in the House of Lords about ‘new remedies’ available to the courts and the abolition of certain appeals could herald major amendments to the Judicial Review and Courts Bill.
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NewsNews focus: Lawtech - lessons from the sandbox
Lawtech is flavour of the month, but innovators face confusion over regulation and lack of access to data. The government-backed Lawtech Sandbox can help – but its own future is uncertain.
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NewsNews focus: Working a four-day week
Law firms that have begun experimenting with a four-day week report increased productivity and improved staff wellbeing, but is the profession ready to embrace this radical new way of working?
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NewsNews focus: First SQE results expose worrying attainment gaps
The first batch of results for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination shows mixed outcomes in terms of accessibility and attainment. But the regulator says it is much too early to jump to conclusions.
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NewsNews focus: Flying cars remain in the realm of sci-fi
The prototype ‘AirCar’ has been deemed airworthy but lawyers warn that it needs to navigate a host of legal and practical obstacles – such as meeting civil aviation standards – in order to get off the ground.
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NewsNews focus: Brexit - one year on
Solicitors continue to face a patchwork of arrangements that fail to reflect the importance accorded to legal services in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
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NewsNews focus: Unrepresented claimants are not using the whiplash portal - what now?
The Official Injury Claim portal was supposed to remove the need for lawyers, but with 90% of claims coming from people who instruct a solicitor it is clear that things are not going according to plan.
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NewsNews focus: Criminal barristers are poised for action over pay - what about solicitors?
The criminal bar will not wait any longer for the lord chancellor to pump more money into legal aid. Solicitors are uniting behind barrister colleagues, but Dominic Raab appears in no mood to budge.
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NewsNews focus: Global bar sounds alarm over growing threats to privilege
The International Bar Association fears lawyer-client confidentiality is being compromised as supranational agencies intensify efforts to tackle corruption, terrorism and climate change.
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NewsNews focus: E-scooters - a legal lacuna
The rising number of e-scooters on our roads and subsequent increase in accidents has highlighted a legal lacuna. But a new test case could finally deliver some clarity.
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NewsNews focus: How long do law firms take to pay their bills?
Official figures reveal stark differences in how quickly law firms pay their invoices, with City giants among the laggards. But the process is a bit more complicated than simply having an efficient accounts department.