All News articles – Page 1650
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News
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Employment tribunal claims soar
Employment tribunal claims soared by 56% in 2009/10 compared to the previous year, according to Tribunal Service statistics. Actions brought by multiple claimants, mostly unions, rocketed by nearly 90%. These included 10,600 claims brought on behalf of airline pilots in relation to the working time ...
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EC plans could mean greater protection for client money
Client money held in solicitors’ bank accounts could be given far greater protection in the event of a bank collapse, under European Commission proposals unveiled last week. The commission proposed an EU-wide €100,000 (£83,200) cap on the compensation available for deposits that are lost in the ...
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New Law Society president unveils conveyancing scheme
The new president of the Law Society has pledged to promote the profession’s role at the ‘heart of society and commerce’, as she revealed plans for a new scheme to support conveyancers. The conveyancing quality scheme, to be launched by the Law Society this autumn, will ...
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Corporate and securities law falls short on human rights
Corporate and securities law recognises human rights, but only to a limited extent, a UN report compiled with input from two magic circle firms has found. There is ‘limited to non-existent’ coordination between corporate regulators and government agencies tasked with protecting human rights, and a lack ...
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Do corporate law and human rights mix?
‘Corporate and securities law directly shapes what companies do and how they do it. Yet its implications for human rights remain poorly understood. The two are often viewed as distinct legal and policy spheres, populated by different communities of practice.’ Discuss.
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Criminal procedure
Road traffic – Aiding and abetting – Death by dangerous driving – Jury directions R v Paul David Martin: CA (Crim Div) (Lord Justice Hooper, Mr Justice Gross, Judge Moss QC): 6 July 2010 ...
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‘One-stop cyber shop’ for legal services
A ‘one-stop cyber shop’ for legal services across all 27 EU member states was launched last week amid fears about data protection and the expense of maintaining the site.
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Could a graduate tax help reduce the profession's diversity deficit?
by Paul Rogerson editor-in-chief of the Gazette ‘It surely can’t be right that a teacher, or care worker, or research scientist, is expected to pay the same graduate contribution as a top commercial lawyer, surgeon or City analyst… whose graduate premium is so much bigger.’
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Why not let us do our own duty rotas?
As one due to depart on annual leave, I feel that the Law Society’s comments on the new duty solicitors rota and the delay in issuing it are well founded. I received the rota only on Monday 12 July and find that, during the subsequent fortnight, I have no fewer ...
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Private equity to target legal process outsourcing
Private equity investment is set to transform legal process outsourcing in a trend that will see many commercial firms miss out on work and could affect the training of future solicitors, leading experts have predicted. David Hawley, partner in the consulting strategy department at Deloitte, said ...