All News articles – Page 1403
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Law Society at ABA conference
Law Society president Lucy Scott-Moncrieff is to discuss strengthening links between the UK legal profession and the world’s developing and mature economies at a global meeting of 8,000 lawyers. Scott-Moncrieff, attending the American Bar Association (ABA) conference in Chicago between 2-7 August, will also meet with ...
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End of term report on legal aid: could do better?
I do not think anyone would claim the legal aid scheme is perfect anymore than the NHS is. Far from it, most people would say, but both could be worse. The NHS has much more support from the public than legal aid is ever going to get. The perception of ...
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'Disproportionate intervention targets BME solicitors'
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) continues to target black and minority ethnic (BME) solicitors disproportionately for intervention, figures released earlier this week revealed.
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Hundreds of firms fail to nominate compliance officers
Some 800 law firms failed to nominate compliance officers for legal practice (COLPs) and compliance officers for finance and administration (COFAs) by yesterday's deadline, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has revealed today. These two roles are a key part of the SRA's move to outcomes-focused regulation ...
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Regulators’ knuckles rapped on complaints handling
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is failing to comply fully with its duty to ensure complaints are properly handled, a review has found. All legal regulators were this week ordered by the Legal Services Board (LSB) to improve the way they handle complaints. In a letter to ...
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Inquisitorial judges at heart of family reform proposals
Greater case management by judges is at the heart of the judiciary’s proposals for the modernisation of family justice, published today. Mr Justice Ryder, the judge in charge of the family court modernisation process accompanying the Crime and Courts Bill, set out his plans to improve ...
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Lasting power of attorney process to go online
The process of applying for lasting powers of attorney (LPA) is to go on the web under proposals announced by the Office of the Public Guardian on Friday. Basic information about individuals subject to powers of attorney would also be posted online, protected only by a password, according to the ...
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Review slams ‘systemic failures’ in bar’s disciplinary system
A damning report on the barristers’ disciplinary regime recommends creating a new tribunals service after uncovering 'systemic failures' in the current system. The report by the Council of Inns of Court (COIC) disciplinary tribunals and review group makes 82 recommendations for change after finding ‘systemic failures’ ...
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A very brief introduction to the Japanese legal profession
I have just come back from Kobe, Japan, where I attended a meeting with the Japanese and Chinese bars. This is an annual event in our calendar, and a beneficial one.
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Intellectual property
Hearing - Practice - Defendant seeking to launch television service called ‘NOW TV’ Starbucks (UK) Ltd v British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc and other companies: ChD (Patents) (Mr Justice Arnold): 29 June 2012 ...
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Father and daughter plead guilty to £250,000 legal aid fraud
A father and daughter who purported to be able to offer criminal law advice have pleaded guilty to frauds worth over £250,000, some against the Legal Services Commission. Mohammed Arshid Khatana, 51 and his daughter Mahria Khatana, 24, both of Hawkswood Gardens, Brierfield, Nelson, Lancashire, appeared ...
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Leading firms sign up to judicial recruitment campaign
Magic circle and other top law firms are spearheading a campaign to encourage more senior solicitors to apply for judicial office. The initiative follows the failure of earlier attempts to bring more solicitors into the judiciary. As the Gazette revealed last year, a committee of senior ...
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Law Society to protest at Santander’s 'panel cull'
Hundreds of solicitors are to be culled from Santander’s conveyancing panel - even after paying the lender’s charge of over £100 to have their panel membership reviewed, the Law Society has claimed. The Society said it would be ‘vigorously’ raising its concerns over Santander’s cull, which ...
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Twitter joke trial must not end here
There will be lots of talk of pride in Britain today, but perhaps the biggest source comes from the Royal Courts of Justice rather than the Olympic stadium. It was there, at the Court of Appeal, that justice - and sanity - finally prevailed, as Paul Chambers’ conviction of sending ...
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QC to be charged with failing to pay £600,000 in VAT
A QC is to face charges over an alleged £600,000 VAT fraud, the Crown Prosecution Service announced today. Rohan Anthony Pershad QC, who practises from London’s Thirty Nine Essex Street, will face one charge of cheating the public revenue. CPS central ...
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General damages to increase by 10%
The Court of Appeal today confirmed that general damages will increase by 10% for all judgments made after 1 April 2013. Senior figures at the judiciary said the judgment was being made several months in advance to provide 'simplicity and clarity'. The ...
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UK ‘miscarriages’ model rejected by South Australia
South Australia is now highly unlikely to adopt a UK-style Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), following a report by the parliament’s legislative review committee. The committee also cautioned against the creation of a CCRC at a national level.
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‘Baby barrister’ threat to solicitors
Barristers with under three years’ practising experience will be able to take instructions directly from clients if the Bar Standards Board’s latest plan for the extension of public access rules is approved. The board heard last week that ‘baby barristers’ may be the only representation ...
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Co-op/Lloyds deal will treble the group’s banking presence and offer golden opportunity
BBC business editor Robert Peston hailed the Co-op’s acquisition of 632 bank branches from Lloyds as the ‘deal of the millennium’. It is hard to disagree, and not just because it picked them up cheap.
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Increasing selection in state schools the best way to improve legal diversity
by Lucinda Moule, managing director at legal recruitment agency Laurence Simons Elitism is a huge problem in the legal industry. Research by Laurence Simons in 2010 found that 15% of lawyers still come from public schools that educate only 2% of the population.