All News articles – Page 1461
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News
Conveyancing forms update plan
The Law Society is seeking views on revising its general enquiry forms for residential conveyancing. It aims to update the property information form TA6 and the fittings and contents form TA10, which are filled in by sellers. Jonathan Smithers, chair of the Society’s land ...
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Data protection
On 25 January, the European Commission presented a proposal to reform the EU’s data protection regime. The proposal consists of a regulation governing private sector use of data that would replace the current Data Protection Directive (Directive 95/46/EC), and a new directive that would further regulate the processing of personal ...
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Discrimination
Defendants running hotel - Defendants having strong religious beliefs Hall and another v Bull and another: Court of Appeal, Civil Division (Sir Andrew Morritt, Lord Justice Hooper and Lady Justice Rafferty): 10 February 2012 ...
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Employment
Employment tribunal - Procedure - Hearing Eversheds LLP v Gray: EAT (Judge Clark): 29 November 2011 Rule 16(1) of the Employment Tribunals (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) Regulations 2004, SI ...
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Level playing field
Sunil Kambli's letter suggesting that the Law Society should require separate representation of mortgage lenders may point the way forward here. However, any such requirement must be imposed on all recognised bodies, including licensed conveyancers and alternative business structures. Any rule change would have to exclude borrowers' solicitors giving any ...
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In good wealth
Wealth management has never been one of Obiter’s preoccupations (a jam jar for loose copper generally sufficing), but it seems the coming thing in the legal sector. City firm Mishcon de Reya last week revealed plans to branch out into offering ‘private bank relationship management advice’, along with tax advice ...
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Rude gull hit
Another tale of a courtroom wardrobe malfunction, this time from Clive Gladstone of Northumberland County Council. He recalls being called to defend an application with only a few minutes’ notice: ‘As I hastened across, a seagull scored a direct hit right across the front of my dark suit jacket. The ...
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Human rights
Right to respect for private and family life - Freedom of expression Spelman (by his litigation friends) v Express Newspapers: Queen's Bench Division (Mr Justice Lindblom): 15 February 2012 The ...
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Immigration
Asylum seeker - Appeal - Respondent North Korean nationals seeking asylum SP (North Korea) and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department: Court of Appeal, Civil Division (Lord Justices Maurice Kay, McFarlane and Davis): 16 February 2012 ...
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Learning on the job
Dr Critchlow rightly suggests that those who want to be called doctor should take a PhD or LLD. When I was in Iran on business in 2010 giving two-day courses in Isfahan and on Kish Island I was perturbed to see that the certificates of ...
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No practical joke
I refer to the letter from David Kirwan ‘Writing on the wall’. When I started the Legal Practice Course in September 1996, I was astounded to be given a spelling and grammar test, particularly since the last time I had done anything like that had been when I was at ...
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The Swiss joker
Passing the London Hippodrome near Leicester Square the other day, I thought of one of the great and comparatively harmless 19th century conmen. In 1898 Louis de Rougemont sold the amazing story of his adventures to World Wide magazine, and what a success it was.
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Law now reserved for the wealthy
Has the door to the law silently closed to those who are either not from wealthy backgrounds or do not have connections in the profession? How many of today’s lawyers have working-class origins, compared with solicitors five, 10 or 20 years ago?
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Let's separate
At last some common sense. I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments in the letter from Michael Brough. It is high time that lenders and borrowers were separately represented, and we take ourselves out of the potential conflicts of interest that often arise. ...
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No limit
I have today been faxed by solicitors acting for a prospective purchaser. They inform me they are having to deal with Countrywide as their clients are having an HSBC mortgage. I am required apparently to undertake on completion to discharge all mortgages on the property. This is of course contrary ...
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Super marketing
Let’s face it: when it comes to passing trade, some law firms have an advantage over others. Obiter called in at the Co-op store at London’s Charing Cross this week for his quotidien bottle of gin and was surprised on inserting his bank card into the payment terminal to find ...
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Pancake play
No, there hasn’t been a breakdown of law and order in Lichfield. The scene is the annual pancake day race, to which Lichfield and London firm Keelys contributed a team. After last year’s triumph as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, this year’s theme was ...