All News articles – Page 1593
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News
High Court ruling paves the way for patent attorneys
A High Court ruling has cleared the way for patent attorney litigators to conduct litigation in High Court cases. In what is believed to be the first judgment on the scope of patent attorney litigators’ rights, Mr Justice Lewison clarified that they are entitled to conduct ...
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Solicitors warned on stamp duty land tax avoidance schemes
Conveyancing solicitors are being pressured to become involved in stamp duty land tax (SDLT) avoidance schemes that cost the public purse around £35m, the Gazette has learned. To protect solicitors and help them challenge requests from clients or third parties to become involved in such schemes, ...
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Supreme Court backing of Twitter reflects badly on mainstream media
Why did the Supreme Court announce last week that it was offering what its president, Lord Phillips, describes as ‘a green light to tweeting and other forms of [text-based] communication’? There have never been any restrictions on sending texts from the Supreme Court or, until recently, ...
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Pro bono thrives in private practice
The value of pro bono work provided by private practice solicitors has reached £475m, according to Law Society research. The figure represents a 19% annual increase and is equivalent to an estimated 2% of the total gross income of private practice. The ...
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QualitySolicitors in settlement over copyright infringements with BPO
Law firm network QualitySolicitors has paid money out of court to settle a copyright infringement dispute with professional services consultancy Best Practice Online (BPO). BPO alleged QualitySolicitors infringed its copyright in relation to more than 100 articles published on the QualitySolicitors website in 2009 and early ...
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Turning a brief encounter into lasting romance
‘Perhaps you have seen someone you like in a cafe, bar or a shop; you may have passed each other on the street or caught their eye on a train. It is fate that you were in the same place at the same time. Don’t let that chance pass you ...
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Easing the burden on employment tribunals
There seems to be a consensus that our employment tribunals are unable to cope with the rise in claims. Much of the weight could be lifted simply by a tightened approach on compliance with directions. Employment lawyers are familiar with tribunal orders that contain references to ...
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Supreme Court ruling puts children first in immigration cases
A landmark Supreme Court ruling has put the ‘best interests of the child’ at the centre of decision-making in immigration cases involving the deportation or removal of their parents. Giving judgment last week in the case of ZH, a Tanzanian woman who had made three failed ...
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A popular choice
Thumbing through the latest speech given by an esteemed member of the judiciary last week, Obiter read something so unexpected it almost – though not quite – caused one’s glass of brandy to tilt to a dangerous degree. In a complete reversal of normal events, ...
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Civil procedure
Civil evidence – Affidavits – Case management – Committal for contempt (1) Consolidated Contractors International Co SAL (2) Consolidated Contractors (OIL and GAS) Co SAL v Munib Masri: CA (Civ Div) (Sir Anthony May (president QB), Lords Justices Smith, ...
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Jackson and clinical negligence claims
by Roger Wicks, partner at Gadsby Wicks in Chelmsford As the deadline approaches for responses to the Jackson review, many continue to ask why Lord Justice Jackson and those around him appear so keen to withhold justice from thousands of deserving people.
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CPS consults over guidance on retracted rape claims
The Crown Prosecution Service has issued a 12-week consultation on its new guidance over when to prosecute people who retract allegations of rape or domestic violence. The interim guidance, which is effective from today, applies in cases where a complainant of rape or domestic violence retracts ...
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Redefining the defence of fair comment
Most parents have experienced the plaintive cry of ‘it’s not fair!’ hurled from the mouths of offspring made to tidy their rooms or deprived of the must-have of the moment. But the words have also recently sprung from the lips of our judiciary and government ...
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Legal services comparison website launched
The latest legal services comparison website to enter the market was launched by a Hertfordshire solicitor last week. Michael Welsh has launched fixed costs comparison site comparelegalcosts.com, which offers consumers a choice of three firms based on their postcode.
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Supreme Court gives green light for courtroom tweeting
The Supreme Court gave the go-ahead for people to ‘tweet’ from inside the courtroom last week. The court issued guidance on the use of live text-based communication from the courtroom by legal teams, journalists and members of the public. Since the guidance ...
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Will the profession follow the Supreme Court's endorsement of Twitter?
Twitter is either an indispensable communications tool, perfectly suited to a breathless and urgent age, or akin to ethereal bindweed, adding little or nothing of value and banal in its ubiquity. Take your pick. What seems clear, though, is that lawyers are going to have ...
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Research highlights gender differences in legal profession
An in-depth study by the Law Society’s strategic research unit has revealed a picture of a profession in which there is a high level of disparity between the sexes; a tendency to remain in the same job; and a high value placed on flexible working. The ...
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ProcureCo fears
Thirteen police station cases create 12 charged to court, 11 representation orders in magistrates’ court and one Crown court case. A ProcureCo would have to capture all duty work, and generate its own clients overnight (as that is where most work is) in several courts, not to mention covering police ...
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Glam-tastic
It’s official; solicitors are glamorous. Confirmation, if ever we needed it, came last week when Glamour magazine named solicitor Lisa Morgan (pictured) alongside the likes of Cheryl Cole and Kate Middleton as one of the most influential women in Britain. Morgan was named junior lawyer of the year at the ...