All News articles – Page 1265
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News
Insurers to revamp third-party code
Insurers are to rewrite a code of conduct on the practice of third-party capture of claimants, the Gazette can reveal. James Dalton, head of motor and liability at the Association of British Insurers (ABI), said he wanted the voluntary code to be more robust and ensure ...
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Poor will suffer from court fee changes, MoJ warned
Government plans to means-test waivers for civil court or tribunal fees could impact the most deprived and vulnerable sections of society, the Civil Justice Council has warned. The advisory group of judges, academics and lawyers, chaired by the master of the rolls (pictured), said there were ...
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Fight PI changes, says MASS chair
A figurehead for the claimant personal injury sector has urged solicitors not to give up opposing further changes to the system. Craig Budsworth, chairman of the Motor Accident Solicitors Society (MASS), told today’s Manchester Law Society conference that the fight against increases to the small-claims limit ...
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International firms call off merger
International firms Speechly Bircham and Withers today announced that they had dropped merger plans following almost two months of talks. The firms said in March they had entered ‘preliminary discussions’ over creating a joint practice with more than 600 lawyers. But in ...
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Small business spurning legal services – LSB research
Just one in eight small businesses will turn to a solicitor to solve a legal problem despite many suffering financial loss as a result. Research published today by the Legal Services Board found only 12% of legal problems resulted in demand for advice from solicitors’ firms. ...
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‘Christmas tree’ bills
According to the official summary (slightly paraphrased) the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act exists to make provision about the Green Investment Bank; employment law; to establish the Competition and Markets Authority and to abolish the Competition Commission and the Office of Fair Trading; to amend the Competition Act 1998 and ...
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Price-competitive tendering risks demolishing the supplier base
by Desmond Hudson, chief executive of the Law Society Whether driven by political dogma or economic necessity, it is clear that the Ministry of Justice will have to find savings in criminal legal aid.
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Mass meeting of barristers takes a stand on QASA
The largest of the six bar circuits has voted to boycott the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) – which the circuit leader vowed ‘will be defeated’. At a ‘unique’ meeting attended by some 400 barristers in London on Saturday, Sarah Forshaw QC, leader of the ...
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Barmy PCT model
You report the excellent news that of the 25 highest-earning criminal legal aid firms, only a tiny minority will sign the new contract. This shows that, at long last, our branch of the profession has found its spine. Governments have respect only for those who fight hard, as our medical ...
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UK turns back on EU justice project
The UK will decline to take part in a European Commission (EC) initiative to launch a ‘European justice scoreboard’ that aims to improve justice systems across the continent, justice secretary Chris Grayling told the House of Commons earlier this week.
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‘Google’ asylum refusals
Home Office officials are resorting to searching the internet for reasons to refuse asylum, entry clearance and leave to remain applications – and copying and pasting the resulting text into refusals, the Gazette has been told. Philip Trott, head of immigration at Bates, Wells Braithwaite, ...
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Grayling asks for quality standard for PCT firms
The justice secretary has asked the Law Society and Bar Council to develop a quality standard for firms bidding for criminal legal aid contracts under controversial plans for price-competitive tendering (PCT). In an exclusive interview with the Gazette, Chris Grayling said: ‘I have invited both the ...
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Gest appearance
While the nation focused on his appearance (one newspaper even describing him as a Welsh David Gest), it seems the legal world’s Apprentice hopeful may just have a chance of winning the contest. Young Alex Mills (pictured), founder of the Dynamo Legal brand, impressed Lord Sugar with his design for ...
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Appeal Court applies Russian law in dispute
The Court of Appeal has applied Russian law to dismiss an appeal by a wealthy Russian businessman who sought a half-share of the family’s £40m London home. The dispute concerned the beneficial ownership of a family home bought by Vladimir and Olga Slutsker using an offshore ...
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Extradition: removing the automatic right to appeal will lead to injustice
by Rebecca Niblock, solicitor at Kingsley Napley LLP and co-author of Extradition law: A Practitioner’s Guide Contrary to popular belief, things can move quickly in extradition. Two contrasting proposals for reform, one passing unnoticed last week, the other lying dormant, could lead to significant changes for ...
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Turning lord chancellor into just another politician was a mistake
In less than a month’s time, we shall be marking the 10th anniversary of a constitutional revolution. It will not be a cause for celebration. On June 12, 2003, the judiciary lost its head. In sacking Lord Irvine of Lairg, Tony Blair was not merely reshuffling his cabinet. The prime ...
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Pilot aims to limit clinical negligence solicitors’ fees
Solicitors could receive as little as £500 for clinical negligence cases worth up to £25,000 in a proposed fixed costs pilot scheme drawn up by the NHS Litigation Authority. In a document prepared by the authority and seen by the Gazette, the terms of the fixed ...
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Overwhelming public backing for legal aid: poll
Government claims that the legal aid system has lost credibility with the public are rebutted by a survey published today showing that seven out of 10 adults fear that criminal legal aid cuts could lead to innocent people being convicted of crimes they did not commit.
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Hundreds attend legal aid protest rally
Over 500 lawyers attended a mass rally at parliament today to protest over criminal legal aid reforms which ‘strike a dagger through the British justice system’. Gerry Conlon, one of the Guildford Four and Breeda Power, daughter of one of the Birmingham Six, were also ...
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Westminster legal aid protest: images
Over 500 lawyers attended a mass rally at parliament today to protest over the planned criminal legal aid reforms. Here is a selection of images of those who came to raise their voices against the changes. ...