All News articles – Page 1602
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News
Hammonds in talks on transatlantic merger
City firm Hammonds and US firm Squire Sanders & Dempsey are discussing a merger that would create a 1,300-lawyer transatlantic practice with combined revenues of more than £400m. In a statement released this afternoon, the firms said that they are ‘evaluating the possibility’ of a tie-up, ...
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Social mobility and exclusion in the legal profession
Last summer, when arch-Blairite Alan Milburn produced a report for the Cabinet Office on social mobility and the professions, it got limited publicity.
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Law Commission consults on criminal law reforms
The Law Commission has proposed a cut in the number of criminal offences for regulatory breaches. In a consultation published today, the commission said using civil penalties for technical breaches of farming, food safety, banking and retail laws would save the criminal justice system £11m a ...
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Good timing makes law firm marketing easier
As with so many things in life, timing is vital when it comes to writing law articles as a way of marketing your firm. Good timing can improve your chances of getting your article published in the media and it can help maintain a steady flow of material for your ...
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High street firms ‘fear for the future’
The future of many high street firms could be in jeopardy unless they adopt a more customer-friendly approach to business, according to a new study. Some 87% of lawyers in sole practitioner and small firms already fear for their future, the analysis found, with many ...
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The coming regulatory revolution
The European Commission is concerned at the take-up of electronic commerce in the EU.
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Immigration cap will ‘strangle’ City law firms, Chancery Lane warns
The government’s plan to impose an annual cap on immigration will ‘strangle’ City law firms, the Law Society warned today. The cap will ‘severely restrict’ firms’ ability to conduct overseas work; prevent firms from attracting overseas lawyers and moving employees to London from their international offices; ...
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Indemnity insurer ‘breaking FSA rules’, says Chancery Lane
Insurers are breaching Financial Services Authority (FSA) rules by telling law firms to accept professional indemnity insurance (PII) quotes within seven days, the Law Society has said.
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Green nightmare
Department of Energy and Climate Change documents have reportedly revealed that the much-vaunted Carbon Reduction Scheme will be enforced against company executives and employees with the sanction of heavy fines and even imprisonment if there is perceived to be any failure to provide ‘assistance’ and so on. This revelation is ...
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Duty solicitors are not ‘overpaid’
I was surprised to see Mr Edwards’ claim that many duty solicitors are ‘overpaid’. When one considers the hours worked, experience gained and education obtained in the pursuit of duty solicitor status, duty solicitors are in the main underpaid. If one compares a duty solicitor’s salary to that ...
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Unrealistic deadlines
I am primarily a conveyancing solicitor and have recently been dealing with a number of purchases whereby I have been given 10 working days to exchange contracts from receipt of the papers. Do solicitors not realise when placing these deadlines that the solicitor acting for purchasers needs to apply for ...
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Big is not better
On 10 February 2010 several large legal aid fims met Jack Straw and discussed the future. The MoJ has disclosed the names of the firms which attended but has indicated that the agenda and minutes are secret. I wonder if Tony Edwards' recent comment in the ...
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Lloyds’ hidden agenda
Despite 26 years of good service, we have recently suffered the blow of withdrawal of our conveyancing panel membership by Lloyds Banking Group. We are obviously taking immediate steps to seek the rescission of this decision. It is important for firms to appreciate ...
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The age of criminal responsibility is much too low
Following the sentencing of two 11-year-old boys at the Old Bailey for the attempted rape of an eight-year-old girl, the Law Society has called for the age of criminal responsibility to be increased.
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Summing up
The age of the alternative business structure is nearly upon us. In this utopia, lawyers and accountants will work in perfect harmony to provide a seamless client service. That’s the theory, at any rate. But, as one source who used to work for Garretts, once the law firm arm of ...
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Real property
Agency – Equity – Professional negligence – Estoppel by representation Jean Sarah English v (1) Colin English & Yvonne English (2) Hodge Jones & Allen (a firm) (3) Swift Advances plc: Ch D (Judge David Cooke): 3 August 2010 ...
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Penny-pinching
Times are tight at the moment, so you would expect the Legal Services Commission to be doing all it can to maximise its income. But Obiter had to chuckle at two letters received this week which reveal the full extent of penny-pinching at the legal aid body. A letter from ...
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Nude of the world?
When out and about in the company of solicitors, as Obiter often is, it is not uncommon for members of the profession to suggest improvements to this publication. Obiter is duty bound to listen, of course. But a suggestion made at a drinks party this week caught us rather by ...
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Insolvency
Administration – Insolvency practitioners’ proposals – Law firms – Pre-pack administrations In the matter of Halliwells LLP sub nom Halliwells LLP v (1) Shay Bannon (2) Dermot Power (administrators): Ch D (Mr Justice Kitchin): 30 July 2010 ...
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What is going on?
I read with interest the interview with the new LSC chief executive Carolyn Downs. I am very sorry to hear that she is upset by what she sees as aggressive and adversarial behaviour on the part of legal aid providers. Unless she masters the facts of her brief rather than ...