All News articles – Page 1644
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News
Solicitor comparison websites are an opportunity (though prices will fall)
The launch of the solicitors’ comparison website wigster.com, reported by the Gazette, is likely to engender polemic reaction from within the profession.
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Criminal law
Acquisition of criminal property – Fraudulent dealing – Mens rea – Money laundering R v Michael Geary: CA (Crim Div) (Lord Justice Moore-Bick, Mrs Justice Rafferty DBE, Judge Gilbert QC): 30 July 2010 ...
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Cyril Glasser remembered
The Gazette’s report of the death of Professor Cyril Glasser did not allude to the fact that he was an outstanding and much-loved law teacher. Some of our members attended his seminars at University College London, where he delivered weekly lectures on civil procedure with specific ...
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Decimal point
Obiter was taken aback by readers’ reaction to the Gazette’s recent front-page headline, ‘Family law "decimated" by LSC tender’. Quite right, you might think – after all, it is appalling that so many firms should have lost their family legal aid contracts. But ...
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Obiter dictaphone
Criminal defence solicitor Jeremy Leaning cc’d Obiter on this letter to justice secretary Ken Clarke. He promises to keep us posted of the minister’s response. Dear SirPermission to bring a handheld voice recorder/dictation machine into courtOn 4 August I attended East Cornwall Magistrates’ Court at Bodmin ...
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Worse even than the LCS?
It may be difficult for many consumer-advising solicitors to imagine a service much more hostile to, and biased against, solicitors than that offered by the unqualified advisers at the Legal Complaints Service, forwhom ‘service-related complaint’ often appears to translate to ‘opportunity for solicitors to open their chequebooks, regardless of the ...
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News
Everyone loses
I am a solicitor specialising in mental health law. Last week a hospital administrator asked me to represent a patient. It became apparent that the patient did not want me to represent her but wanted to use the solicitor who has represented her for the last seven years. This solicitor ...
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News
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 ...
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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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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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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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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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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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News
Midlands merger creates £30m turnover practice
Birmingham firm Shakespeare Putsman and Nottingham firm Berryman will merge to create a Midlands practice with £30m in combined turnover. The firm will employ 440 people across the East and West Midlands. Shakespeare Putsman merged with Stratford firm Needham & James in ...
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News
Miners in court over alleged undersettlement of claims
The first known court actions against law firms for alleged undersettlement of sick coal miners’ government compensation claims began this morning. As first revealed by the Gazette in July, 18 cases will be heard today and tomorrow in Leeds County Court.
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Why some lawyers are turning away from the goal of equity partnership
Pity those poor equity partners. They may pocket an eye-watering wedge of the profits and dictate how the firm is run, but there can be a heavy price to pay.
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Redundancies predicted over family legal aid tender
Some 90% of family lawyers think the legal aid tender result will lead to widespread redundancies across the profession, according to a survey of Resolution members. The poll also showed that 86% of respondents whose firms were unsuccessful in the tender have appealed. ...
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Thoughts from the American Bar Association's annual meeting
I was at the American Bar Association’s annual meeting in San Francisco last week. Here are some conclusions.
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News
Lack of capital putting firms at risk of Halliwells-style collapse
The legal market could see another law firm fall in a Halliwells-style collapse in the next 12 months due to lack of capital and high property costs, experts have told the Gazette. Accountants also warned that the demise of the north-west firm may make it more ...
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News
Law Society opens PII helpline
The Law Society today opened its professional indemnity insurance (PII) helpline to help steer solicitors through this year’s renewals season. The Society said that the free helpline ‘will support solicitors having difficulties with professional indemnity insurance during the renewal period’. The Law ...