All News articles – Page 1342
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News
Unsuitable assessment
I wonder how many COLPs and COFAs answered the ‘suitability test’ correctly? The form on page two asks the question ‘have you ever been convicted of a criminal offence not falling within section 1.1?’ The Solicitors Regulation Authority confirmed to me that any speeding conviction ...
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News
SRA revokes PC authorisations
The Solicitors Regulation Authority last week began revoking authorisations of firms that failed to complete their practising certificate renewals. As the Gazette went to press, 11% of expected applications had either been created and not finalised or not submitted at all. The figure is similar ...
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News
Time for ethics to fight back
by Louis Armstrong CBE, chairman, Professions for Good As a society we place our trust in a wide range of expert advisers, specialists and representatives to act in the best interests of both ourselves, and the organisations and communities we work and live in.
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Sri Lanka bars lawyers
The Sri Lankan government has refused to allow an international delegation of lawyers to visit the country to assess the rule of law and independence of the judiciary. One delegate, former Supreme Court of India chief justice J. S. Verma, said he had his entry ...
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Society pours cold water on the SRA’s red-tape bonfire
The Law Society has come to the defence of nearly half the items on a menu of ‘unnecessary’ red tape drawn up by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
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The Eastleigh by-election could be improved by lawyers
Where are the lawyers of Eastleigh? Or more specifically, as Chris Huhne’s former constituency, site of a coming by-election, has 50 law firms within 4.5 miles of the town centre, why is no candidate in this election paying much attention to legal issues or the law? ...
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Why do firms run shy of campaigns?
The legal profession is often wary of the word ‘campaign’. Historically it was perceived as the preserve of those at the (often politically motivated) margins of the profession. Yet currently, we routinely advise our law firm clients on how to structure and deliver campaigns across a ...
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News
Modern twist on Carmen
Thanks to everyone who entered our competition to update the storyline of Bizet’s Carmen for a modern, legally savvy audience. One entry stood out: ‘Carmen should be a life coach, Jose an environmental consultant and Escamillo could run a donkey sanctuary. When Carmen dumps Jose ...
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News
Cause for complaint
I note that one of the changes to the Legal Ombudsman scheme rules is to accept complaints from prospective clients who could reasonably have expected to receive a service. This appears to be inconsistent with the principles of risk management in Lexcel, whereby the risk manager ...
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News
‘Rolled-up’ hearing for RTA Portal challenges
A legal challenge to halt cuts to personal injury fees will be fast-tracked through the High Court, it was revealed today. The judicial review application by two claimant groups in opposition to new recoverable fixed costs in the RTA Portal has been listed for a ...
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Charter firms improve their diversity profile
The partnerships of the firms that have signed up to the Law Society’s Diversity and Inclusion Charter are overwhelmingly white, heterosexual, male and able-bodied, new research has revealed. However, 70% of the firms that in 2012 completed the charter survey for the second successive year achieved ...
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City firms eye China scheme
An initiative to promote business and legal ties between China and the UK has attracted leading City firms, its backers said this week. The UK-China Legal Partnership Initiative (LPI), to be formally launched this month, will run annual seminars, to be held alternately at China’s ...
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News
MoJ sets out rules for post-Jackson civil justice system
The Ministry of Justice today sets out in detail how the Jackson reforms will work when the majority come into force on 1 April. In a statutory instrument laid down in parliament, the department sets out the Civil Procedure (Amendment) Rules that will set out the ...
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Cobbetts creditors must wait and hope
Further details have emerged of defunct firm Cobbetts’ financial troubles as administrators begin talks with creditors.
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The nature of Cobbetts’ rescue prompts questions
Four hundred jobs are to be saved at defunct firm Cobbetts, an outcome that sparked much back-slapping among the insolvency practitioners involved. KPMG will be counting its winnings, though the outcome is, of course, a rightful cause for celebration for the legal profession in general and those lawyers saved from ...
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US seeks to join Venice Commission
The US has applied for membership of the Venice Commission – the Council of Europe-affiliated body that advises governments on legal and constitutional reform. The commission, formed to advise European countries undergoing the transition to democracy, has since extended its focus to include Africa and Latin America. ...
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Jackson implementation ‘a complete shambles’ say litigators
The president of an organisation representing more than 1,000 civil litigators has added her voice to a growing chorus of alarm about the rushed implementation of the Jackson reforms. Francesca Kaye (pictured), president of the London Solicitors Litigation Association, described the Ministry of Justice’s handling ...
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News
Interpreters contract: inept and dangerous
I write with regard to the court interpreter contract. Catherine Baksi is quite right still to be pursuing this particularly inept – and dangerous – example of outsourcing. Inept, since the terms of this monopolistic contract are holding the criminal justice system and we service providers to ransom.
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News
Court mandarins imprisoned?
Relieved faces at HM Courts & Tribunals Service this week. The House of Commons justice committee has decided against what it called ‘further action’ over the service’s attempt to stop officials feeding the committee’s inquiry into the courtroom interpreter fiasco. However, the committee’s report says ...