All News articles – Page 1427
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News
Keeping the Pirates at Bay (or away from it)
In 2003, a group of friends living in Sweden launched a website which quickly became one of the most notorious sites on the internet - a file-sharing website known as The Pirate Bay. The High Court has now instructed five internet service providers (ISPs) to take measures to block their ...
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Don’t rush into fee change, PI lawyers warn government
Personal injury lawyers have urged the government not to be rushed into radical changes to the low-value claims system. The government today closed its call for evidence and opinion on the future of the RTA Portal as it seeks to reduce the number of claims being ...
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The London Legal Walk: a show of solidarity
Times are hard in certain sections of the legal profession. There are many different views on what would be an appropriate response to the cuts in public funding scheduled to come into force in April 2013. Some believe that pro bono is a necessary safety net to protect the most ...
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Co-op goes nationwide with 3,000 new hires
The Co-operative Legal Services (CLS) today announced plans to recruit 3,000 staff and extend its legal services to all 330 of its high street banks, creating the largest consumer law business in the country. CLS, which in March became one of the first alternative business structures, ...
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Regulators apply for ABS licence
Two aspiring regulators of the legal profession this week detailed their plans to be approved to license alternative business structures. The Intellectual Property Regulation Board (IPReg) said it expects a decision from the Legal Services Board on its application within a year. The Institute of Chartered ...
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News
City firm must defend whistleblower accusations
A City firm is to face whistleblowing and sexual discrimination claims brought by a sacked east Africa-based equity partner following her successful appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT). The EAT has told Clyde & Co that it cannot rely upon its previous defence that the overseas-based partner was not ...
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Going ‘no comment’: a delicate balancing act
Sam Hallam’s conviction for the murder of Essayas Kassahun was overturned last week by the Court of Appeal, after he had spent seven years in jail. Barrister Henry Blaxland QC said Hallam, who was 18 when sentenced, had been the victim of a miscarriage of justice ...
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Call for ‘maturity of young adult' test in prosecution
Prosecutors should consider the maturity of a young adult as part of their public-interest test for prosecution, a report by lobbying coalition the Transition to Adulthood Alliance has suggested. The report, published this week, says that police and the Crown Prosecution Service should consider the ‘lack ...
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Solicitors must 'wake up and smell coffee' over advocacy scheme
All solicitors will need to sign up to the quality assurance scheme for advocates (QASA) to ensure their practices are not restricted, a leading solicitor-advocate warned this week as the Solicitors Regulation Authority approved the timetable for the controversial accreditation scheme.
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Co-op targets family legal aid - with loyalty points
Co-operative Legal Services (CLS) has a family legal aid contract and is already working on cases, ahead of the launch of its family law service in July, it revealed today. The news followed the announcement of the mutual’s plans to recruit 3,000 staff and expand its ...
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Official statistics reveal ALS performance shortfall
Three months into its contract to provide court interpreters Applied Language Solutions (ALS) was not meeting its performance targets, statistics published today reveal. Data provided to the Ministry of Justice by ALS, showed that from 30 January to 30 April 2012, ALS provided an interpreter in 81% of the cases ...
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Arbitration
Claim form - Service - Service out of the jurisdiction Bitumex (HK) Company Ltd v IRPC Public Company Ltd: Queen's Bench Division, Commercial Court (Judge Mackie QC): 2 May 2012 ...
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High Court backs Collyer Bristow
The High Court has found for City law firm Collyer Bristow and two of its former partners in a litigation fund-backed claim that centred on the failure of 19 complex investment schemes. The defendants had faced a claim for £60m, brought by 555 claimants. The claim, ...
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Desperate ban
The arguments are over and the lobbying is done - the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act is now fully inscribed in the law of the land. The views of politicians, stakeholders and the media over the merits of each provision are moot; attention should now fall to ...
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Hudson: bar strike would ‘damage profession’
Strike action by the bar will damage the legal profession and the justice system, the Law Society’s chief executive Desmond Hudson has warned, after a survey showed that nine out of 10 criminal barristers are prepared to refuse work in protest over fee rates and reforms.
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Bigamy and high stakes
The report that devotees may be photographed shaking Bill Clinton’s hand for $1,000 a time reminded me of the great 19th century dancer and courtesan Rosanna James, who ennobled herself as Maria Dolores de Porres y Montes. Better known as Lola Montez (pictured), she was reputed to charge Bostonians a ...
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'Work to rule' blow to troubled civil courts service
New evidence of a civil courts service reaching breaking point has emerged with staff working to rule and one county court asking law firms not to increase its ‘already vast workload’ by chasing work in arrears. Members of the Public & Commercial Services union in the ...
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SARs ruling brings relief to law firms
A Court of Appeal ruling on anti-money-laundering obligations will bring relief for businesses, including law firms, and remind lawyers of the importance of having appropriate systems to evidence concerns leading to suspicious activity reports (SARs). In a judgment last week, the court dismissed a claim made ...
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The legal profession is still capable of coming together as a community
A great deal is written and said about divisions in the legal profession - on the results of increased specialisation, the disparities in rewards, and the questions of public policy that generate discord. While such differences are real and worthy of note, this week’s London ...
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Local government career least popular option for students
Local government law is the least popular career option for law undergraduates, with less than 1% of 805 students questioned saying they would choose to work for a local authority, a survey has revealed.