All News articles – Page 1594
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News
Conveyancers ‘vulnerable’ to ‘Tesco Law’
There is a high level of anxiety among solicitors over the legal services reforms, with conveyancers showing the greatest concern, according to research released to the Gazette this week. A survey of more than 300 solicitors by law firm network Contact Law found that attitudes towards ...
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How to construct the foundations
In the article How Leeds law firms are battling the downturn, Karen Eckstein says: ‘There’s not a comprehensive handbook which tells you how to do it’ (set up a law firm). This ex-Leeds solicitor turned to the excellent Setting Up and Managing a Legal Practice by Martin Smith, published by ...
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Law Commission seeks ideas for projects
The Law Commission is consulting on a new programme of law reform and is seeking ideas for new projects, in particular those that support the drive to reduce waste and inefficiency. Projects are likely to focus on issues that are systemic and caused by laws ...
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Culture clash and compensation
Below is a brief note addressed to Lord Young in relation to a story in last Saturday’s Telegraph. Dear Lord Young I ...
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Migration limits threaten UK's position as a prominent legal centre
A welcome schism has opened up in the coalition; welcome to City law firms, at any rate. Vince Cable, whose increasingly Eeyore-like deportment has not gone unnoticed among political scribes, has hit out at proposed limits on non-EU highly skilled migration. In a Financial Times interview, he claimed that companies ...
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Fall in cases handled by magistrates
The number of cases handled by magistrates has fallen by 16% in a decade as more defendants are dealt with out of court, according to a report published this week. The report for the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies shows that around 1.64 million cases ...
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Immigration cap poses ‘threat’ to UK legal sector
The Law Society has made a submission to the Home Office warning that its proposed limits on non-EU highly skilled migration could damage the legal sector. The submission follows concerns voiced by Liberal Democrat business secretary Vince Cable that immigration limits are damaging British industry. ...
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Legal brand to launch national franchise
A new legal brand run by a solicitor is to launch as a national franchise next April, the Gazette can exclusively reveal. HighStreetLawyer.com aims to establish a recognisable law firm brand in a bid to compete with new market entrants when alternative business structures are sanctioned ...
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The CPS may find it hard to raise its game as budget cuts bite
Keir Starmer QC, director of public prosecutions, and his Crown Prosecution Service colleagues hosted a media drinks party last week to demonstrate their enthusiasm for transparency and to show off their new Southwark, London HQ. But subsequent press headlines will have punctured the party mood.
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Beware of rising pension charges
I have just received notification from the NHS that, provided my Pension Share Order is received by 31 December 2010, the implementation charge will be £393.62, including VAT. If it is received after 1 January 2011, the charge will be £2,760, including VAT. I calculate ...
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Baroness Prashar steps down as chair of the JAC with a parting shot
by Baroness Prashar It is a testament to the cooperative approach shown by the Law Society and the hard work of commissioners and staff at the Judicial Appointments Commission that the Society now has confidence in the openness and fairness of our selection process.
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Forty-year bar boom set to end
The number of barristers could be set to fall after 40 years of continuous growth, according to a report published last week. The report by consultants Jomati predicts that a drop in the number of law firms, coupled with more work done by solicitor-advocates, particularly ...
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The Audit Commission and legal professional privilege
On 13 August 2010, communities and local government secretary Eric Pickles announced the Audit Commission’s forthcoming demise. He claimed that the commission had ‘lost its way’, moving from being a watchdog championing taxpayers’ interests to a ‘creature of the Whitehall state’.
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‘Vicious circle’ in legal aid highlighted by thinktank
A legal thinktank calls on the government to adopt a more balanced approach to legal reform in a paper published today, and suggests that the large number of legal aid firms does not achieve best value for money. The Legal Services Institute (LSI) said the legal ...
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Law Society puts legal aid tender case to the High Court
The Law Society warned that the Legal Services Commission’s family tender process will restrict access to justice for victims of domestic abuse, forced marriage and children, as its judicial review of the tender process began in the High Court today. Outlining the Law Society’s case ...
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Mental health tender criteria ‘discriminate against smaller firms’
A London firm is poised to challenge the Legal Services Commission’s mental health tender process by claiming that it discriminates against smaller firms, as the Law Society’s action over the family contract commences in the Divisional Court today. The firm, which did not want to be ...
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Recession fuels ADR rise
The financial crisis triggered a surge in the number of disputes resolved by arbitration and mediation, with the UK performing well as a venue for hearing international cases, a study published this week found. The study, by membership body TheCityUK, discloses that the number of arbitrations ...
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LCS chief executive Deborah Evans reflects on achievements
by Deborah Evans Since 2006, the Legal Complaints Service (LCS) has delivered substantial improvements for both consumers and law firms, whether they are users of the service or beneficiaries of its advice.
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Vulnerable people will find it harder to access good legal advice
Hugh Barrett’s reply to John Ford’s concerns about the allocation of low-volume category legal services is inadequate. Mr Barrett’s letter explains that in most low-volume categories, the tender process was ‘non-competitive with matter starts awarded to all organisations that met our essential criteria’. ...
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Small firms optimistic about year ahead, research reveals
Small law firms have faced ‘unprecedented pressure’ but are largely optimistic about their prospects in the year ahead, exclusive research conducted by Wesleyan for Lawyers in association with the Gazette has revealed. A survey of 129 firms, mainly small practices with fewer than 10 partners, showed ...