All News articles – Page 1568
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News
10% of your earnings to charity?
Three of the five magic circle firms publish corporate social responsibility reports, outlining, among other things, their charitable giving in terms of time and money. According to these reports, and where figures were available, in 2009/10, Linklaters donated £2.5m to charity and Clifford Chance £2.4m. Over ...
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Impact of the VAT rise on law firms
On 4 January 2011 the standard rate of VAT will rise from 17.5% to 20% – the third change in the standard rate in the last two years. This impending rise may have prompted some savvy partners to buy their new refrigerators or computers now instead of next year, but ...
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Government announces court closures
The justice minister Jonathan Djanogly announced today that 93 magistrates’ courts and 49 county courts will be closed as part of the government’s drive to improve the justice system. The government says the move will save an estimated £41.5m, alongside a possible £35.8m raised from the ...
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Allen & Overy faces lawsuit over employee sacked for erotic blog
A former Allen & Overy solicitor sacked for writing an erotic blog that allegedly used the names of her co-workers and a client is claiming £3.5m compensation from the firm for unfair dismissal and sex discrimination. Former senior associate Deidre Clark, 44, who wrote under the ...
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Will parliament spot the real problem with legal aid cuts?
by Paul Rumley, a partner in the clinical negligence team at Withy King As shown in president Linda Lee’s excellent summary piece it is clear that the government has a simple arithmetical problem (over and above the deficit itself). The debate on legal aid today in ...
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A single telephone number for Europe
Here’s a good idea. The European Commission is consulting on a single numbering service for businesses in Europe which have branches in more than one member state.
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Leading Sheffield firm falls victim to downturn
Century-old Sheffield law firm Ashton Morton Slack LLP has collapsed into administration, becoming the latest regional casualty of the economic downturn. Administrators from BDO, appointed by the limited liability partnership’s members last Friday, blamed the firm’s demise on cashflow problems arising from declining volumes of work and increasing overheads. ...
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Consumers unattracted by non-legal brands, survey suggests
Two-thirds of consumers would not want to buy their legal services through non-legal brands, according to a survey of 2,000 clients seen exclusively by the Gazette. In the poll by law firm referral service Contact Law, 66% of consumers said they would not be happy to ...
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Youth crime has fallen, report suggests
The volume of crime committed by young people has fallen by 25% over the last decade, according to a report published today by the National Audit Office. However, the report reveals that those offenders who receive serious community sentences or custodial sentences remain just as likely ...
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Is more mediation in divorce cases missing the point?
In recent speeches legal aid minister Jonathan Djanogly has emphasised the government’s commitment to increasing the use of mediation, particularly in disputes over arrangements for children, property and finances that arise when family relationships break down. As well as the obvious desire to achieve savings that ...
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Where there’s a will
Your recent article, Rise in number of intestacy disputes, highlighted two interesting issues: hard times encourage people to contest inheritances; and intestacies offer more opportunities for such disputes to take place. My summary of this state of affairs is that necessity and greed are powerful motivators of human behaviour, and ...
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Mystery shoppers to test will-writers
Mystery shoppers will test the service provided by will-writers early next year, as part of a Legal Services Board project. Research agency IFF Research has been commissioned by the LSB, the Legal Services Consumer Panel and the Office of Fair Trading to recruit individuals to report ...
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Tuning into mediation
Simon Cowell is determined to bag the Christmas Number One, after splashing out £1m to record five different winners’ songs for X Factor contestants. However, the bullish impresario now has a formidable rival, in the unlikely form of Norwich solicitors Hatch Brenner. Partner Mark Fitch has written and recorded a ...
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Legal profession
Administrative law – Bias – Conflict of interest – Disciplinary tribunals R (on the application of Kaur) v Institute of Legal Executives Appeal Tribunal: QBD (Admin) (Mr Justice Foskett): 23 November 2010 ...
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Memory lane
Law Society’s Gazette, December 1970 Letters to the editor – Is it negligence to place a live body in a coffin?In case some of your readers missed what I feel to be a most ...
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Justice and showbusiness should never mix
The head of Sky News has used the trials of parliamentarians accused of dishonesty over their expenses to renew his plea for cameras to be allowed into courtrooms. John Ryley said televising proceedings would help tackle ‘growing public dissatisfaction with the judicial process’.
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Solicitors miss out on judicial posts
Two women and two ethnic minority lawyers were among the 13 candidates recommended for appointment to the High Court in the most recent selection round, the Judicial Appointments Commission has said. The JAC said the appointments would increase ethnic minority representation in the court to ...
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Immigration
Administration of justice – Human rights – Asylum and immigration tribunal MA (Somalia) (respondent) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (appellant): SC (Lords Phillips (president), Walker, Mance, Sir John Dyson, Lady Hale): ...
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LSC under fire over spending
The Legal Services Commission’s ‘unlawful’ family tender cost around £1m, its legal director told the House of Commons justice committee last week. The LSC also came under fire from MPs over senior executives’ pay, after its recently published accounts showed that former chief executive Carolyn Regan ...
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Family law
Administration of justice – Ancillary relief – Anonymity – Conspiracy Sally Ann Lykiardopulo (appellant) v Panaghis Nicholas Fotis Lykiardopulo (respondent) and Michael Lykiardopulo (interested party): CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justices Thorpe, Stanley Burnton, Tomlinson): ...