All News articles – Page 1610
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News
Lord chief justice calls for shorter cases
The lord chief justice has called for family and criminal cases to be shortened. Speaking at the Lord Mayor’s dinner for the judiciary last week, Sir Igor Judge said the processes for resolving family and criminal cases need to be improved to deliver justice, particularly ...
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Zurich to cut new PII business ‘significantly’
One of the top three solicitors’ professional indemnity insurers will ‘significantly’ cut the number of new law firms it takes on this year, the Gazette can reveal. Zurich, which had a 13% share of the solicitors’ professional indemnity insurance (PII) market last year, said that it ...
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Halliwells break-upconfirmed as former rivals move in
The break-up of north-west law firm Halliwells was completed yesterday with confirmation that its Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield operations have been acquired by three former rivals. City firm Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG) has scooped up Halliwells’ Manchester insurance practice, taking on 17 partners, plus other ...
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The bar – ready to compete with solicitors?
Participating in the IBC Conference in Manchester recently, I heard Nick Green QC speak in person about his vision for the bar, and came away with a copy of his excellently clear paper The Future of The Bar.
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Stock exchanges, supermarkets, bicycles and banks
China might: Magic circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advised Agricultural Bank of China on listing on the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges, potentially raising a world record $22.1bn (£14.5bn).
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Appeal court indemnity blow for insurers
Insurance companies cannot enter the ‘circle of confidence’ between solicitors and clients in the hope of unearthing evidence from seized documents that would enable them to refuse indemnity, the Court of Appeal confirmed last week.
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Britain's tax system is now among the most complex in the world
Taxpayers may not benefit from changes to fiscal policy – we’re all going to be paying more tax – but they will benefit from simpler tax law. It took nearly two centuries from the introduction of income tax for Britain’s tax law to reach a colossal 4,555 pages by 1997; ...
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Legal aid solicitors must not face a repeat of the tendering debacle
Last Thursday I received news that the small firm at which I have recently become a partner will be able to continue to provide a publicly funded service for the people of our town, with its high levels of poverty, family breakdown and unemployment, from 14 October. ...
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Solicitor ahoy
At this time of year the need for a holiday becomes urgent, but for many it is still some weeks off. Many solicitors will find their gaze wandering from the contract in front of them, through the grimy window of their offices, their minds already picturing the exotic delights of ...
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Brand support to give solicitors competitive advantage
Much has been written about the pace of change, smart systems and the threat of consumer-centric major competitors. Fortunately, I believe there are some tasks, for example those requiring our deepest knowledge and expertise, which considered alongside clients’ desire for a face-to-face relationship, that will still require the traditional lawyer. ...
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London law centre admits to ‘speculative’ mental health bid
A London law centre has admitted bidding for mental health work even though it had no experience in the field, but claimed it needed to diversify ‘in order to survive’. Following the result of the Legal Services Commission’s recent mental health tender exercise, lawyers claimed that ...
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Administrative law
Penology and criminology – Imprisonment – Release on licence R (on the application of Ellerton) v Secretary of State for Justice: CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justices Sedley, Richards, Goldring): 7 July 2010 ...
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Probate – resulting trust and joint bank accounts
Joint bank accounts often give rise to problems on death, either because of uncertainty as to the extent of the deceased’s interest or because of uncertainty as to the correct inheritance tax (IHT) treatment.
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What litigators need to know about the forensic investigation process
In today’s electronic world, where filing cabinets of information can be copied onto a device small enough to swallow, litigators are increasingly turning to forensic investigators to help identify the data that could make or break their case. This is creating a growing industry, from specialist teams within the big ...
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Fears mount over ‘£500m’ legal aid cut
Speculation mounted over the future of legal aid this week amid reports that the Ministry of Justice plans to slash the £2.1bn legal aid budget by half a billion pounds. Justice secretary Ken Clarke (pictured) submitted proposals to the Treasury last week, outlining how the department ...
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CPS case preparation ‘neglected’, chief inspector’s report finds
‘Initiative overload’ has caused case preparation at the Crown Prosecution Service to be ‘neglected to an acceptable degree’, according to the annual report from the organisation’s chief inspector. Published this week, the report covers the performance of the CPS from April 2009 to March 2010. ...
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Justice Committee announces inquiry into family law
The House of Commons Justice Committee has announced an inquiry into the operation of the family courts. It has called for written evidence addressing four issues: the effect of CAFCASS’s (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) operations on court proceedings; the impact on court ...
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The role of coaching in law firms
How do we get the best performance from our lawyers? By using a coaching style of leadership and management. I do not set out a complete argument for choosing coaching below, but I proceed on the assumption that you are not happy with your present management style and feel something ...
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Butler-Sloss calls for focus on children
A former president of the Family Division has called on the government to cut the number of children in custody and safeguard access to justice in child welfare cases. Delivering the Law Society’s first Henry Hodge memorial lecture last night, Lady Butler-Sloss said too many children ...
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How to cross the TUPE minefield
The transfer of undertakings minefield should not be allowed to obliterate new business opportunities. Gordon Turner offers guidance how to cross it safely