All News articles – Page 1333
-
News
UK law firms are making headway in the tough South Korean market
North Korea’s belligerence casts a long shadow over its southern neighbour. But South Korea has shown it can develop and thrive despite the tension across the 38th parallel. It is, many insist, a good time for UK law firms to be thinking about South Korea. Although the country has ...
-
News
Foreign territory
Martin Maloney responds to my response to his original letter about assumptions of guilt within criminal law procedure. In essence, Mr Maloney repeats his previous assertions which I have already answered; basically that what distinguishes us from others is that we are lawyers and that this is a legal journal. ...
-
News
A glass half full
Despite not wishing to be thought a grumpy old lawyer I decided to look at the Legal Ombudsman’s recent report, The price of separation: Divorce-related legal complaints and their causes. This report made the news as it features lots of stories about wicked lawyers. The ...
-
News
Human rights
Human Rights – Freedom of expression – Protesters The wife and children of Omar Othman v The English National Resistance and others: Queen's Bench Division: 25 February 2013 The Queen's ...
-
News
Stolen identity
We have encountered a problem where this firm’s identity is being used by a potential fraudster. On one day in January, we were contacted by seven people/firms in Canada who received a letter from a potential fraudster, holding himself out as being an attorney at this firm, using this firm’s ...
-
News
Pedal power propels lawyers to Paris
So, what did you do in February? Lawyers at JD Spicer Zeb Solicitors cycled from London to Paris to raise funds for the Free Representation Unit. Simon Maughan and Michael Situ led the ride, which covered over 200 miles in three days and has so far raised close to £2,000. ...
-
News
MPs set to shed light on whiplash
MPs will answer whether the government is right to describe the UK as the ‘whiplash capital of the world’ in a definitive report on motor claims. The Commons Transport Select Committee today outlined the terms of reference for its inquiry into whiplash and called for evidence ...
-
News
Swings and roundabouts
Here we go again. In classic Daily Mail-style, out come the stories – which we are expected to treat as typical – of solicitors charging £4,000 for photocopying or overcharging by £30,000. Just like the single mother with 13 children.
-
News
Days of 100% damages payouts are over, says Hudson
Personal injury solicitors will have to ditch ‘100% compensation’ offers if they want to run a profitable business in future, the Law Society’s chief executive Desmond Hudson told members today. In an address to members, Hudson said he was ‘angry’ the government had ignored pleas not ...
-
News
Unpaid overtime costs lawyers £14k
Legal professionals are among the most likely workers to do unpaid overtime, according to the Trades Union Congress (TUC). A national study published this week found that 49.6% of legal professionals work unpaid overtime. Their average unpaid overtime, 9.7 hours a week, is exceeded only ...
-
News
‘Fightback’ scheme seeks to raise £2m for ad campaign
A personal injury solicitor is setting up a panel of firms to ‘stand up and fight back’ against non-lawyer entrants to the legal market. Paul Roberts, founder of north-west firm Porters, has created eLawyers, a network of 8-10 firms in each practice area in nine regions ...
-
News
BT Law is born as claims unit granted ABS licence
Telecommunications giant BT today announced its long-expected move into legal services with the launch of BT Law Limited. The subsidiary, which has received an alternative business structure (ABS) licence from the Solicitors Regulation Authority, will offer services to corporate customers, initially in the motor claims ...
-
News
MoJ acts after court interpreter fiasco
The Ministry of Justice says it has accepted all of the recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee in its report on the department’s ‘shambolic’ handling of the court interpreter contract. The committee last month published a damning verdict on the procurement and delivery of the ...
-
News
Admiral still cashing in on PI referral fees
Admiral, one of the UK’s leading car insurers, last year made £6 on every vehicle it insures through personal injury referral fees. The company revealed in its financial statement for the 2012 calendar year that it earned £18.6m from selling customers’ details to personal injury lawyers. ...
-
News
Grayling reprieves RCJ advice centre
The Ministry of Justice today announced that it will fund the family law service provided by the Citizens Advice Bureau at the Royal Courts of Justice - after its grant was removed by the Legal Services Commission as part of the ministry’s cuts. The MoJ ...
-
News
The bar is wrong in its objections to non-trial advocates
by Andrew Bishop, a solicitor-advocate and managing partner at Bishop & Light Solicitors, Hove It now seems that both the bar and solicitors are strongly opposed to QASA, the proposed quality assurance scheme for criminal advocates.
-
News
Society warns LSB against diversity surveys
The Law Society has joined a wave of criticism of the Legal Services Board (LSB) by repeating its opposition to the publication of the results of mandatory diversity surveys of firms. In its response to the LSB’s draft business plan for 2013-14, the Society accuses the ...
-
News
Seven MPs stand up against PI upheaval
MPs have called on the government to halt personal injury law reforms amidst ‘deep concern’ at the pace and extent of change. An early day motion in the House of Commons, signed by seven MPs so far from Labour and the Liberal Democrats, calls for the ...
-
News
Government sees off amendments on secret civil hearings
Government plans for secret courts were approved by a majority in the House of Commons on Monday evening, despite opposition from Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs and amendments tabled by the Labour frontbench. Labour and coalition rebels who had proposed putting in place further conditions to ...
-
News
MPs announce new whiplash probe
An inquiry into whiplash claims led by the House of Commons transport select committee will begin later this year, the committee’s chair has revealed. Louise Ellman MP said the study would focus on how to cut the number of fraudulent claims and make sure victims of ...