All News articles – Page 1481
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News
Satellite jobs to go as Pannone aims south
National firm Pannone has announced that 12 jobs will be lost through the shutting of two satellite offices. The cuts will be a mixture of secretarial and fee-earning roles at offices in the Cheshire villages of Hale and Alderley Edge. Managing partner ...
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LeO should handle all complaints, says watchdog
The Legal Ombudsman should be given powers to handle complaints about all providers of legal services, the profession’s consumer watchdog said today. In the meantime, the scheme should be extended on a voluntary, 'stop-gap’ basis, to cover activities such as will-writing - an avenue that the ...
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Merger expectations grow among small firms
A third of small and medium sized firms expect to merge in the coming year as the trend to join forces continues, according to research by the Law Consultancy Network. The fourth set of six-monthly statistics complied by consultant Andrew Otterburn showed that 21 of the ...
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'Gang of Five' in late bid to halt civil litigation reforms
An alliance of lawyer pressure groups will this week make a last-ditch bid to halt the government’s civil litigation reforms.
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What to do about the Syrian Bar?
We should spare a thought for lawyers in Syria. I know that we have large issues like alternative business structures and legal aid to concern us, but they have a life-and-death struggle on their hands.
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Family lawyers renew attack on ‘devastating’ legal aid cuts
Removing legal aid for private family cases could lead to thousands of children losing contact with a parent and many families being left dependant on welfare benefits, family lawyers warn today. In a renewed attack on provisions of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of ...
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Legal aid cuts are false economy, says study
Planned cuts to legal aid in private family work, social welfare law and clinical negligence will save less than half the sum predicted by the government, according to an independent economic study published today. The Law Society’s chief executive, Desmond Hudson, said the report’s findings ‘fatally undermine’ Ministry of Justice ...
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Marvo Dave and the albatross trick
David Cameron truly is a magician. Not in the Paul Daniels sense, of course, although I’m sure SamCam would make an equally lovely Debbie McGhee. His main trick is the power of persuasion. He has convinced the working man and woman to sneer at the words health and safety in ...
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US giant sets up English law practice
Major US firm Davis Polk & Wardwell is to set up an English law practice in a bid to break new markets from London. The move marks a new stage in the rivalry between New York and London jurisdictions. The firm, which opened in London ...
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Obscenity trial shows up outdated law
In 1961, the case of R v Penguin books, more commonly known as the Lady Chatterley trial, exposed the gulf between what the English establishment and the public considered to be obscene. On Friday, it happened again when defendant Michael Peacock was found not guilty of publishing ‘obscene’ gay BDSM ...
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Profits flat at Allen & Overy
Relocating staff to a single central London site cost magic circle firm Allen & Overy almost £25m, it has emerged. The full cost of the move was revealed in its LLP annual report and financial statements for 2010/11. The one-off outlays meant that continuing costs rose ...
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Quality hallmark for HSBC’s conveyancing mini-panel
HSBC has established a conveyancing panel of solicitors and licensed conveyancers to provide legal services to its residential mortgage customers. Solicitor member firms must have the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) accreditation. The panel, managed by Countrywide, will launch on Monday across the UK. Of ...
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Should doom merchants have gone to Specsavers?
With the new year came the long-awaited announcement that the Solicitors Regulation Authority has begun processing applications from companies looking to become alternative business structures.
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European and US lawyers warn IMF on threats to independence
Two bodies representing 1.4m lawyers across Europe and the US have formally warned the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that reforms imposed as part of economic rescue measures could undermine the independence of the legal profession.
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SRA ‘ready and waiting’ for ABSs
Applications by firms to become alternative business structures (ABSs) could take up to nine months to process, the Solicitors Regulation Authority revealed this week. The SRA, which on Tuesday became a licensing authority after two years of preparation, said it is ‘ready and waiting’ to accept forms from new entrants ...
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Bias shown by barrister-judges is certain to compromise advocacy accreditation
It is no surprise to me that the bar insists on judicial evaluation of advocates. When the barrister-judge starts the trial in open court by offering the solicitor-advocate his spare wig, you have little doubt of the bias that we will endure at the hands of many barrister-judges within the ...
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Open mind on ADR
Alan Langleben appears to have misread my earlier letter. I entirely approve of mediation as a means to dispose of cases efficiently and economically - indeed, my firm is closely involved with mediation companies in the region, and actively promotes alternative dispute resolution to our ...
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Cameron extends PI fees cap in attack on ‘albatross’ safety culture
David Cameron today announced plans to cap lawyers’ fees from personal injury claims at £25,000. Speaking to an audience of small companies, the prime minister launched an attack on the so-called compensation culture and blamed it for holding back the growth of UK businesses.
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New arrangements will provide a stronger platform
I am pleased to say that at the end of last year, the Law Society Council approved a package of changes to the arrangements for the governance of the relationship between the Law Society and the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Under the new arrangements agreed between the ...
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Lord Falconer slams assisted dying law
A thinktank led by former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer (pictured) has called the law on assisted dying ‘inadequate and incoherent’. In a report published today, the Commission on Assisted Dying concludes that the law can be reformed without endangering protections for vulnerable people. The report’s ...