News in focus – Page 20
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NewsNews focus: Are we putting court users in harm’s way?
As HMCTS came under fire last week for insisting that it’s ‘business as usual’ in Covid-hit courts, practitioner groups and trade unions have called for an urgent review of safety.
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NewsNews focus: Guideline hourly rates - ending the big freeze?
The Civil Justice Council has unveiled its long-awaited report on guideline hourly rates. Clarity is to be welcomed but after a decade-long freeze it could be a while before solicitors reap the benefits.
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NewsNews focus: 21 things for solicitors to look out for in 2021
What lawyers need to look out for over the next 12 months.
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NewsNews focus: 'Wreckers' absent from human rights review panel
The panel set up to review the Human Rights Act appears unlikely to push for its dismemberment. Instead, the review’s restricted scope may pave the way to consensus.
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NewsNews focus: Post-Beckwith, SRA must focus on 'what matters to clients’
Will the SRA stop insisting 'solicitors are paragons of virtue' in their private lives?
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NewsNews focus: Solicitors still missing scam red flags
Law firms are still ignoring too many red flags, SRA compliance conference hears
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NewsNews focus: Bankers leap to defence of JR
The Faulks review has prompted hundreds of responses, amid anger that not all will be published. Councils and bankers are among advocates of a mechanism that will not be surrendered lightly
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NewsNews focus: Courts recovery plan - progress report
HMCTS is ramping up court capacity amid the huge disruption caused by Covid-19. But the recovery plan is coming in for criticism, as the LCJ urges the government to be ‘realistic’ about funding.
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NewsJohnny Depp: the end for a Town called Sue?
The outcome of the Johnny Depp defamation case has been hailed as a triumph for press freedom. Does this spell the end of high-profile actions where celebrities seek to vindicate their reputation?
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NewsNews focus: The defenders of judicial review
The Faulks inquiry considering reforms to judicial review has already been challenged by expert voices calling the process vital to the democratic balance of power.
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NewsNews focus: Pay rises and job cuts - the City’s strange case of double vision
The fluctuating fortunes of City firms amid the pandemic have given conflicting signals about their financial vigour. How well placed are the top-50 to withstand further shocks?
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NewsIn focus: Making the most of HMCTS data
In the landmark report Digital Justice, HMCTS was urged to improve the collection and sharing of data to enhance access to justice. But progress is ‘disappointingly slow’
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NewsNews focus: What explains a spate of law firm mergers?
Against a background of Covid-19, merger activity this year is not seen as a last resort.
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NewsNews focus: Challenging ingrained prejudice
Barrister Alexandra Wilson revealed that she had been mistaken for a defendant three times in a day. What is to be done?
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NewsNews focus: Impact of Covid-19 on justice system in Wales
Has the pandemic bolstered the case for further devolution?
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NewsNews focus: Searching for signs of life in our urban legal districts
Government attempts to nudge people back into the office have fallen flat.
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NewsNews focus: 'Tide turning' for holiday illness claims
Holidaymakers who issue fraudulent sickness claims have sparked negative headlines, but a pivotal court ruling means that defendants will no longer have an ‘easy ride’ picking holes in expert evidence.
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NewsNews focus: Witnessing wills in absentia
Lockdown has prompted the government to update the 183-year-old rules on witnessing wills. But some solicitors think reform is unnecessary and risks creating a contentious probate spike.
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NewsNews focus: 'Reinvigorating' commonhold
The Law Commission believes commonhold could be an attractive alternative to leasehold, dissipating the perception that ‘leaseholders don’t truly own their home’. But lenders need convincing.
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NewsNews focus: Steady improvement at complaints watchdog stalls
An increase in efficiency at the Legal Ombudsman was abruptly halted by Covid-19. A backlog of cases, high staff turnover and an already rejected budget herald tough times ahead.