All News articles – Page 1496
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News
Not in my name
I have read how the Law Society is continuing its fight against legal aid cuts. I do not recall the Society asking whether they should spend money on a campaign with which I may not agree. I speak only in respect of civil legal aid. My ...
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News
Message to SRA: no problem
I write in relation to the SRA’s decision to impose the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocacy on criminal litigation. The reasoning by Mr Plant as to why this scheme is required is far from clear. Those who practise in the criminal courts on a daily basis ...
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News
Tweet little mystery
Having recently dipped a toe into the wonderful world of Twitter, Obiter was greatly amused last month by a stream purportedly authored by justice minister Jonathan Djanogly, in which he apparently reported that his ‘liberation’ of legal aid was going ‘swimmingly’. Sadly, it transpired that ...
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Memory lane
Law Society’s Gazette, July 1951 As it was a hundred years ago – a sidelight on legal history ...
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Human rights
Jurisdiction - Extra-territorial jurisdiction Al-Skeini and others v United Kingdom: European Court of Human Rights (Grand Chamber): 7 July 2011 The European Court of Human Rights held that the applicants’ ...
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News
Law Society should head off the referral parasites
Third parties’ expectations of receiving a ‘wedge’ from us for an introduction started about the time legal aid was withdrawn for personal injury actions. It seems lots of folk want to get their fingers in the pie. Most introducers have no interest in the legal ...
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News
Law firms plan for Olympics delays
City firms have already begun putting action plans in place to deal with the disruption caused by the London 2012 Olympics, the Gazette has learned. London 2012 organisers have written to all firms in the capital warning that capacity on rail and underground services will be ...
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News
Defending Jackson
To all lawyers moaning about Lord Justice Jackson’s reforms: would you prefer the general rule as to costs in Spain? The relevant part of article 394-3 of law 1/2000, of 7 January, relating to civil procedure [in Spain] reads: ‘When… costs are imposed on a losing ...
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It is premature to declare hacking inquiry a good moment for the judiciary
‘Never waste a good crisis’ runs the old adage, and anyone in a position to use the crisis engulfing News International, various politicians and the police is using events as a peg to make their own point. To the list of people utilising events, one ...
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News
Numbers in custody must fall
by Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust and secretary general of Penal Reform International The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill currently before parliament presents an opportunity to get to grips with a distorted, often ineffective system which places too much store ...
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News
PII special: overview - taking cover
In the legal sector - and the insurance market for that matter - the summer of 2010 was a tipping point; a realisation that things had gone too far and action was a necessity. So what was the trigger for this sudden application of the brakes? ...
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NHSLA considers clinical negligence pilot
Claimant lawyers and the NHS Litigation Authority are working on a joint scheme for fast-tracking clinical negligence cases. The two groups will meet next month to examine a pilot for dealing with cases valued up to £25,000. The scheme will use a ...
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News
Cuts set to delay case reviews, says CCRC
The independent body that played an instrumental role in the acquittals of Barry George and Sion Jenkins (pictured) has warned that further cuts to its budget will cause delays in dealing with cases. In its annual report published this week, the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which ...
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News
Bout time
There seems to be something of a craze for white collar boxing sweeping through the profession. Following last week’s report that a group of insolvency practitioners in Leeds were organising a fisticuffs event, Obiter has learnt this week that a team of Birmingham-based barristers - ...
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News
Domestic violence rules 'boost cost of disputes'
Family lawyers have attacked the government’s plans to deny legal aid to domestic violence victims who accept ‘undertakings’ from an allegedly abusive partner. Responding to a query on the issue from the House of Commons’ Justice Committee, the Ministry of Justice confirmed that undertakings given during ...
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News
The Localism Bill divides opinion
At a time when many lawyers are grappling with the implications of the new Bribery Act, the Localism Bill’s passage through parliament has received relatively little attention. This despite the array of legislative changes that are contained within its three slim volumes.