All News articles – Page 1620
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News
Home loan, electric issues, cement refinancing and BMW lease
Home loan: Magic circle firm Allen & Overy advised Nationwide Building Society on creating a £1.5bn residential mortgage-backed security on a £32bn loan portfolio. Lead managers UBS, Deutsche Bank and Bank of America Merrill Lynch were advised by US firm Sidley Austin. ...
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Good boys in court
Probably the most fearsome judge I ever saw was Melford Stevenson, writes James Morton, but there again I never saw the Lord Chief Rayner Goddard, who was reputed to begin to pick his nose when he was bored and about to dismiss an appeal. Entering court, Stevenson would stand, ...
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MPs question MoJ over budget cuts
The House of Commons’ Public Accounts Committee has questioned the ability of the Ministry of Justice to comprehend the impact of the 23% cuts set to be made to its budget, given its history of ‘poor’ financial management. At a committee meeting on Tuesday, MPs grilled ...
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Capacity issue
I have just come off the telephone with an anxious client regarding lasting powers of attorney and Court of Protection applications. I was concerned to hear that a manager from NatWest had told a client of mine that I had incorrectly completed a Court of ...
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Clifford Chance sued in New York over redundancies
Magic circle firm Clifford Chance is being sued in New York for alleged discrimination after the firm made six US associates redundant in 2007. Karen Ramdhanie, one of the six associates, alleges in a New York Supreme Court filing lodged last week that Clifford Chance discriminated ...
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Costs liability on discontinuing a claim
It is not uncommon for a claimant to decide to discontinue his claim after he has issued proceedings. If this is done then clearly the costs consequences set out in Civil Procedure Rule 38.6 (1) will apply. CPR 38.6(1) provides: ‘Unless the court orders otherwise, ...
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Conveyancing quality scheme raises standards
Your article on the launch of a conveyancing quality scheme is excellent news, not just for conveyancing clients but also for insurers of conveyancing risk. The introduction of the conveyancing quality scheme (CQS) represents a huge opportunity for all law firms. There are several great initiatives ...
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Corking correspondence
Obiter was tickled by a letter received by Nigel Spoor, a partner at Fairchild Dodds in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire. He writes: ‘My day has just been considerably brightened by reading a response from solicitors to my enquiry on maintenance arrangements for an unadopted ...
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Scrap single PII renewal date, report says
Solicitors should not be forced to renew their professional indemnity insurance (PII) on a single date, and the entire conveyancing process should be investigated, a ‘root and branch’ review of client financial protection has told the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
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Robertson to deliver human rights lecture
Leading international human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC will be the keynote speaker at a lecture in memory of Indonesia's foremost human rights activist Munir Said Thalib. Rafendi Djamin, Indonesia's representative on the ASEAN Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights, and Munir's widow, Suciwati, will also ...
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Family law
Ancillary relief – Discretion – Fairness – Foreign nationals Radmacher v Granatino Sub Nom NG V KR (pre-nuptial contract): SC (Lords Phillips (president), Hope (deputy president), Rodger, Walker, Brown, Mance, Collins, Kerr, Lady Hale): 20 October 2010 ...
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Pre-nups in fashion
Following the widespread press coverage of glamorous heiress Katrin Radmacher’s legs – sorry legal case – in recent weeks, it seems the Manchester branch of upmarket department store Harvey Nichols has spotted an opportunity. Given that pre-nups are currently more fashionable than the ankle boot (as Obiter is given to ...
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We need a level regulatory playing field
Two weeks ago we saw the publication of the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s consultation on the ‘architecture of change’: the SRA’s new handbook. A lot of the debate up until now has been about the pros and cons of outcomes-focused regulation (OFR) coinciding with the introduction of alternative business structures (ABSs). ...
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Mid-tier law firms seek mergers as loans rise
Mid-tier law firms are using increasingly high levels of bank financing, with many seeking to merge to secure their financial position, according to an authoritative survey by accountants PwC published today. The figures show that firms in the top 11-25 bracket now receive 40% of their ...
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Well-targeted training will give solicitors the skills to succeed
Marketing skills, languages, project management, business development, customer relationship management – the job spec for lawyers is changing radically, whether private practice, in-house or public sector. Leaders of the biggest UK law firms warn there are too many lawyers and too many law firms. Businesses are ...
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Overhaul intestacy rules
I read with interest the short article on the current intestacy rules. The situation needs a considerable overhaul but I doubt whether this or any other government will find time to grasp the nettle and improve the position. Although the situation of ...
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In the loop
Those concerned that the ‘pillar of the community’ image once enjoyed by the solicitors’ profession is now crumbling, like an ancient ruin, may be interested to read the findings of some research examining which lawyers have received the most press coverage in the last year. According to an analysis by ...
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Restrict the LPC
I write following the article by Carly Moore-Martin . It is a sad fact that a great many young people wish to qualify as lawyers but the opportunities to do so are simply not available. There are now websites where graduates ...
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Negligence
Health and safety at work – Local government – Breach of statutory duty – Risk assessments Steven Threlfall v Hull City Council: CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justices Ward, Jackson, Lady Justice Smith): 20 October 2010 ...