All News articles – Page 1501
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News
Straw’s bid to make referral fees a criminal offence fails
Conservative MPs have voted down Jack Straw’s attempt to make referral fees in personal injury cases a criminal offence. The former justice secretary tabled an amendment to the ban, included as part of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, which was debated in ...
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Courts for the foreign rich, not the indigenous poor
As the bill slashing civil legal aid speeds through parliament, a leading academic has exposed the ‘doublethink’ of the government, which appears to have one set of rules for the rich and another set for the poor. Dean of Laws at University College London, Professor Dame ...
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‘Pre-pack’ administrations rule changes face trouble
Businesses entering pre-packaged administrations (‘pre-packs’) have been grabbing headlines. Retailers Habitat UK, Alexon Group and Jane Norman are but a few high-profile examples. But there are examples in the legal sector too. Assets of top 50 law firm Halliwells were purchased by Hill Dickinson, HBJ Gateley Wareing and Barlow Lyde ...
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PI lawyers hit back at media critics
Personal injury lawyers have criticised elements of the media for suggesting a multi-million pound compensation bill for councils is the fault of claimants. Press critics were quick to blame the so-called compensation culture after it was revealed that local authorities had paid out £75m to ...
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Jackson: civil justice reforms are balanced
‘Lawyers leave no stone unturned when it comes to arguing about costs,’ the architect of the civil justice reforms being introduced by government said this week.
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DLA Piper invests in ABS venture
A new entrant is set to launch on the UK legal sector in 2012 with financial backing from international firm DLA Piper. The firm has become the joint largest shareholder in holding company LawVest, although the size of the investment remains secret. ...
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Sole practitioners in last stand against ABSs
The Solicitor Sole Practitioners Group (SPG) will this week stage a last-ditch attempt to block legislation allowing the creation of alternative business structures. The group, which represents 4,500 solicitors across England and Wales, claims it is still possible to prevent so-called ‘Tesco law’ from coming into force. ...
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Referral fee ban will hit PI claimants - says MoJ assessment
Personal injury claimants could suffer from a ban on referral fees while insurers and lawyers would incur no extra costs, according to the government department proposing the ban. An impact assessment of the proposed ban, published today by the Ministry of Justice, admits that ‘overall claimants ...
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In a froth over prisoners’ voting rights
I have been following the debate about prisoners’ voting rights in the UK with growing incredulity.
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Trusted advisor
Judging from the reaction to my blog on the new outcomes-focused regulation the profession is not overwhelmingly optimistic about this. However, one positive thing to hang on to in troubling times is the solicitor’s traditional role as a trusted advisor and how that concept is enshrined in the new rules. ...
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Tabak: without prejudice
Judging by the mood on Twitter - not to mention comments on newspaper websites - the public is seething. People are obviously appalled by Vincent Tabak’s crime, but they are equally livid at the law - and, specifically, the judge who deemed inadmissible so much of the evidence about his ...
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1966 and all that
Lord Collins of Mapesbury (Lawrence Collins) couldn’t be present to pick up his lifetime achievement award at last week’s Law Society Excellence Awards. Instead, he recorded an acceptance speech, Hollywood-style, that was broadcast at the event. In it he reminisced about a less frantic age ...
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Criminal-case mediation ‘by 2020’
Compulsory mediation of civil disputes and mediation of criminal cases could be introduced in the UK by 2020, a High Court judge has suggested. Mr Justice Ramsey (pictured) predicted that in 10 years’ time a Mediation Act would make the process compulsory before parties could ...
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LSC improves its performance - but still overpays £51m
The National Audit Office has qualified the Legal Services Commission’s accounts for the third year running, due to overpayments made to providers. The commission’s annual report, published today, reveals that in 2010/11 the LSC overpaid legal aid providers an estimated £51 million; £29.5m due to solicitors’ ...
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Claimant solicitors to get fraud data access
Claimant solicitors are set to be given unprecedented access to fraud records to root out potentially bogus cases. Agreement that lawyers acting for claimants should have access to the same information as motor insurers and their representatives follows a ground-breaking meeting between the insurance industry and ...
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Judges not ‘quangocrats’ should accredit advocacy, says Deech
Judicial assessment will be a key component of the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA), rather than assessment by ‘quangocrats and drama coaches’ according to the Bar Standards Board chair. Lady Deech said the controversial scheme ‘depends on the involvement of judges as the assessors of ...
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Lawyers could avoid complaints by addressing simple quality issues
A year since we launched - and I suppose we have to accept that it is now officially the end of the beginning. Frankly, it is a bit of a shock to realise that we have been up and running for that length of time. It comes as an even ...
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The worst advice
According to reports, the government has asked Aviva, AXA, Direct Line and the Association of British Insurers to help shape its justice reforms. Having had the misfortune of dealing with these organisations for many years, I realise just how ridiculous a proposition this is, although perhaps ...
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LSC helpline cut back again
The Legal Services Commission’s telephone helpline is taking emergency calls only in an effort to reduce a backlog of work. Emergency calls are those requiring action within 48 hours or where the information being sought is not available elsewhere. In July, the commission cut the ...