All News articles – Page 1476
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News
Government’s replacement for control orders has come under critical scrutiny
What’s the difference between a control order and a terrorism prevention and investigation measure? The current equivalent of house arrest has a succinct but sinister-sounding title; its forthcoming replacement, though more explicit, is destined to become a near-acronym (TPIM, pronounced ‘T-pim’) and does not lend itself to the creation of ...
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Junior lawyers slam college over training contracts
The Junior Lawyers Division has angrily rejected College of Law claims that there will soon be more training contract vacancies than Legal Practice Course graduates to fill them. The college has been accused of ‘spinning’ the figures to make it appear that securing a training contract ...
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Olswang to pilot new training model targeting City firms
A groundbreaking solicitor training model has launched this week, targeting City law firms and in-house legal departments. The first non-legal services provider to be authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to take on trainees, Acculaw claims it will cut costs and improve efficiency for firms looking ...
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Lenders warned over panel charges
The Law Society has warned mortgage lenders against following the example of Santander by charging a fee for conveyancing panel membership. Chancery Lane told the Council of Mortgage Lenders that such a trend would make house buying more expensive, and could see solicitors applying for several ...
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Letterhead change
Elizabeth Muirhead’s letter questions the need for firms to change their letterheads, websites and emails to say ‘authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority’ from 6 October, when our new Handbook and Code of Conduct come into effect. The reason for the change is to ...
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Report card
The annual report of the Ministry of Justice is worth a good ferret, as there are always gobbets to be unearthed among the notes to the accounts. The nation’s magistrates might be concerned to note that HM Courts Service posted a massive £153m overspend, reflecting a newly discovered deficit in ...
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The City can capitalise further on its reputation for legal services
by Stuart Popham, chairman of TheCityUK When I heard Kenneth Clarke say: ‘The City of London is a legal centre - not just a financial one,’ I raised a cheer.
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Building a rapport
The last two years or so have been a problematic time for conveyancers as the effects of the recession have seen a fall in transactions, a severe and continuing hardening of mortgage-lending availability and terms, and continuing problems for solicitors in securing access to lenders’ residential conveyancing panels.
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Judicial appointments
Solicitors make first-rate judges. That is a bold statement, but it is one that Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) chair Christopher Stephens (pictured) stands by. He is ‘passionate’, he tells the Gazette, about seeing more solicitors securing a judicial role. The opportunities for solicitors are certainly there. ...
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Legal aid bill ‘contravenes UN convention’
The government’s plans to remove legal aid in private law family cases will place the UK in breach of its obligations under a United Nations convention to prevent discrimination against women, the Gazette has been told. Cris McCurley, partner and head of international family law at ...
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Charity in legal aid challenge on clinical negligence
Action Against Medical Accidents has launched a legal challenge against the government’s controversial plans to scrap legal aid for clinical negligence cases. The charity has issued judicial review proceedings, arguing that the Ministry of Justice's decision to remove such cases from scope is irrational and unfair. ...
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Lib Dem dissenters told LASPO reforms will go ahead
The Law Society and Bar Council have urged Liberal Democrats to hold their party to account over the government’s reforms of legal aid and civil litigation costs. But Lib Dem peer and justice minister Lord McNally (pictured), who will pilot the legislation through the Lords, has signalled that compromise is ...
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News
Advising clients on compliance in UK-Swiss tax agreement will not be straightforward
The UK-Swiss tax agreement, announced last month, will be in force from 31 May 2013, and full details will only be made available as both countries sign it. But it is already clear that the existence of the agreement places legal advisers in a difficult position when advising their clients ...
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The number of training contracts has declined, but Acculaw offers another way into a tight market
There has been a predictably mixed reaction to the launch of new outsourced training provider Acculaw, a venture which could have a dramatic impact on training among City firms. One obvious response is to ponder why no one has thought of this before - or if they have, why the ...
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Advocacy accreditation will be implemented ‘circuit by circuit’
The controversial Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) will be implemented in stages, but there will be no pilot, it has emerged. A report to the Bar Standards Board indicated that consideration was being given to piloting of the scheme, which is due to ...
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Medical accidents charity ponders judicial review bid
Opponents of the government’s Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill could launch another High Court challenge. Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) will decide this week whether to seek a judicial review to counter the removal of legal aid for clinical negligence cases. ...
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News
Police ‘abusing’ bail rules
The police are abusing bail rules, the chairman of the Law Society’s criminal law committee has alleged. Richard Atkinson has called for evidence from solicitors of what he believes to be a worsening phenomenon. He said: ‘Practitioners have very real concerns that huge numbers of people ...
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Bid to force ABS reform on US states
Final submissions will be made this week in a landmark legal action which experts believe could open up the US legal market to alternative business structures.