All News articles – Page 1545
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News
Disbursement? VAT depends…
A common query posed to VAT advisers is: can a particular cost be recharged without VAT as a disbursement? Well, that depends. The recent case of Barratt, Goff & Tomlinson (BGT) [MAN/2009/0219] highlights just how muddy the issue of disbursements has become. The appellant was ...
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‘More needs to be done’ to address inequality in the profession
The Law Society is ‘making strides’ to promote equality and equal practice in the legal profession, Law Society president Linda Lee said today as the Society marks the global centenary of International Women’s Day. Lee, who will host a roundtable discussion on women in the ...
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Failure to manage your data could be criminal
The way a law firm handles information could represent a ticking time bomb. Every document you file carries legal, financial and practical implications for your business. It is vital to understand these implications, and the actions required to protect the business and its clients.
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Firms make ‘initial contact’ with external investors
More than two-thirds of law firms would be ‘comfortable’ securing funding from an external investor when Alternative Business Structures are introduced in October, and 30% have already made initial contact with potential investors, according to research released today. A survey of 200 solicitors carried out for ...
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College of Law launches part-time BPTC programme
The College of Law in Birmingham is to offer a part-time Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) beginning September 2011. BPTC course leader Paul Shoulders said: ‘The new part-time course, subject to validation by the Bar Standards Board, will open up the potential rewards of a career ...
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Some thoughts after the Arab revolutions
It has been interesting to see that lawyers have played a prominent role in the actions to overthrow dictatorships in the Arab world. In Tunisia, the overwhelming majority of lawyers went on strike rather early in the protests. The courthouse in Benghazi, Libya was apparently ...
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Disability hate crime victims ‘let down’ by system, says DPP
Victims and witnesses with disabilities have been let down by the criminal justice system, the Director of Public Prosecutions said this week as he called for a change in society’s attitude towards disability hate crime. Keir Starmer QC said victims and witnesses with disabilities ‘have not ...
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News
What happens when politicians clash with courts over human rights?
‘Is X a good judge?’ one lawyer asked another. There was a pause while the second lawyer weighed his words. ‘There are only good judges and better judges,’ he replied at last. ‘And yes, X is a good judge.’ ...
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Neuberger warns against mediation and defends legal aid and Jackson
The Master of the Rolls warned against mediation being used as a replacement for the courts, defended the cost of legal aid, and voiced strong support for Lord Justice Jackson’s civil justice reforms in a speech earlier this week. Giving the annual Bentham Lecture, Lord Neuberger ...
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Smooth as Silk
For anyone who gets home from a long day of billable hours with a craving for even more law, a new BBC1 drama began last week. Silk, written by ex-barrister and Kavanagh QC creator Peter Moffat, focuses on two rival barristers seeking to be appointed as QCs. Martha Costello (pictured, ...
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A professional menace
Paul Davidoff’s letter strikes a chord with me. The problem of poorly drafted wills (whether made by solicitors or unqualified individuals) is of general application. Where I differ from Mr Davidoff, however, is in his reference to Will Aid, where the implication is that these ...
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Properly rewarding and promoting law support staff is overdue
The advent of ABS and the personal opportunities that will follow throw into focus the skills required to manage and promote a successful law firm. Over many years, firms have invested in a robust and in many cases excellent management team, bringing together a full range ...
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Landmark judgment highlights retainer letter lapse
A High Court judge warned solicitors of the need to be clear in retainer letters, as he ruled that a firm had breached its contract by refusing to carry out further work for a client until he had paid his bills, in a ...
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Name game
Solicitors will already be familiar with the term LeO to describe the Legal Ombudsman, which opened last October. But this could so easily have been a far more amusing acronym, as the ombudsman himself reveals in his blog. Adam Sampson says the complaints body considered various options before settling on ...
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Family law
Child abduction - Children’s welfare - Discretionary powers Re O (Children): CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justices Wilson, Pitchford, Black): 16 February 2011 The appellant mother (M) appealed against a decision ...
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Mediator shortage looms, says family lawyers' group
Separating couples may ‘escape’ the new requirement to consult a mediator before going to court because of a shortage of properly accredited mediators, family lawyers’ group Resolution has suggested. The group’s chair Dave Allison also warned there was a risk that members of the public may ...
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Government's rhetoric on divorce mediation is far too simplistic
by Christina Blacklaws, senior partner at Blacklaws Davis Mediation works. I have practised as a mediator for 15 years now and am still shiny-eyed about it.
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Tenancy deposits
Since 6 April 2007, the well-worn road of disputes about the return of tenants’ deposits has taken a new turn with the statutory obligation on the landlord to protect the deposit within an authorised tenant deposit scheme (section 213 Housing Act 2004). ...
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Fees in deep freeze
I long ago came to the conclusion that the last government did not like solicitors, presumably because we were the point of contact for members of the public who were dissatisfied with the actions of the executive and wished to turn to the judiciary for redress. ...
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Rallying cry
Following last week’s Memory Lane item featuring a 1970s call to start a solicitors’ racing car club, it seems the profession still has an attraction to fast cars. Freeth Cartwright partner Paul Calladine writes: ‘I was interested to see the article "Memory Lane February 1971" and the prospect of a ...