All News articles – Page 1601
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News
Lawyer who took up literary reins
Somehow lawyers don’t seem to make as successful novelists as doctors (or even vets or ex-jockeys), writes James Morton. Certainly, there have been some notable exceptions; in the 19th century, Harrison Ainsworth, Anthony Hope and R S Surtees, although they are more or less forgotten ...
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Litigants in person set to rise
The Law Society has warned that the courts could be ‘thronged by countless individuals unable to have a lawyer, like a scene from Pickwick Papers’, if the government presses ahead with legal aid reforms without conducting research on the likely effect on the number of litigants in person. ...
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Pre-nup, I love you
The firm that brought feuding spouses the antithesis of the perfect Christmas present – the ‘divorce voucher’ – has now come up with a new gift idea in time for Valentine’s Day. In a timely coincidence, as the Law Commission published its consultation on whether ...
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Security overhaul
I write in response to Richard Williams’s letter highlighting the ‘over-the-top’ attitude of court security staff. While I and many of my colleagues are well known at our local courts, there is a great inconsistency in the security measures undertaken. Some security guards let us through without a search, ...
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Resolve now to beat the January 2012 cashflow crunch
The date 31 January is usually a firm’s tightest cashflow point, with partners’ tax, a quarter’s VAT and quarter’s rent all payable within five weeks of each other in most cases. Exacerbated by the fact that cash in-flows are usually very quiet in December and January, firms often face a ...
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House calls
Justice secretary Ken Clarke and justice minister Jonathan Djanogly appeared in the House of Commons to answer MPs’ questions last week, in an apparently lively session.
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Tribunals Service reports rise in cases
The Tribunals Service received 220,400 new claims in the second quarter of last year, from 1 July to 30 September 2010, representing an 11% increase over the same period in 2009, the latest available statistics have revealed. However, the Service also increased the number of cases ...
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Legal services reforms to ‘influence worldwide markets', says IBA
Full implementation of the Legal Services Act 2007 could ‘substantially influence’ legal markets around the world, according to the new president of the International Bar Association. Akira Kawamura (pictured), partner at Japanese firm Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, last week became the twenty-second IBA president and the ...
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Are the law’s Judaeo-Christian roots withering?
Peter and Hazel Bull are two devout Christians who, until a judge told them otherwise, sought to run their Cornwall hotel on principles they perceived to befit their religion. Judge Andrew Rutherford ruled that, under new equality laws, their policy of not allowing unmarried partners to share double rooms directly ...
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CCBE president pledges to promote access to legal aid
The new president of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) has pledged to promote access to legal aid across Europe during his year in office.
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Court rules in ‘landmark’ discrimination case
Two devout Christian hotel owners discriminated against two gay civil partners by refusing to let them share a double bed in their hotel, Bristol County Court ruled today. Judge Rutherford held that the owners, who had a policy of not allowing unmarried partners to share double ...
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Short sentences for young offenders ‘inefficient’
The chair of the government spending watchdog has criticised the use of short sentences for young offenders as being inefficient. At a Public Accounts Committee evidence session last week, Margaret Hodge said that the Youth Justice Board could ‘save a lot of money and get better ...
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UK legal sector set to benefit from Hong Kong investment
A surge in foreign direct investment in Hong Kong presents key opportunities for the UK legal sector, Law Society president Linda Lee said last week on returning from a mission to the territory. Lee said Hong Kong could serve as a gateway to mainland China for ...
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Law firms’ poor use of Twitter risks 'damaging their brand’
Two-thirds of top-50 law firms have a Twitter account, but some may be 'damaging their brand’ by failing to tweet anything at all, a report has suggested. The study by web consultancy Intendance found that 66% of firms had set up at least one account ...
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Reasons for lawyers to love the EU
At a time when political rhetoric on Europe is increasing in volume, not only because of the troubles in the eurozone but also because of the European Union (Referendum Lock) Bill going through parliament, I think it is time to put forward the other side of the argument. A number ...
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Same-sex couples’ access to marriage is an important right
by Nichi Hodgson, freelance journalist Back in September, LGBT activist Peter Tatchell launched his ‘Equal Love’ campaign, which called for marriages and civil partnerships to be available to all British couples, regardless of their sexual orientation, contrary to current UK law.
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Are solicitors really better at drafting wills?
The hot topic in the field of wills right now is clearly the issue of whether will-writing should become a reserved activity; something that is on the Legal Services Board’s work agenda.
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Fraud hits record high, KPMG report claims
Fraud cases in the UK rose by 16% last year to reach a record total of 314 reported incidents, valued at £1.4bn, according to a report by KPMG.
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Lawyers' part in reducing clients' pension deficits
On 10 December 2010, Mr Justice Briggs ruled in the High Court that any Financial Support Direction (FSD) or Contribution Notice (CN) from The Pensions Regulator (TPR) issued against an insolvent company will rank as an administration expense, and therefore take priority over other liabilities such as bank loans. This ...