All News articles – Page 1690
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News
A third of home information packs ‘unsatisfactory’
Almost a third of estate agents provide unsatisfactory home information packs according to a survey by Birmingham Trading Standards. Results of the study carried out at the end of last year revealed that, of the 37 packs examined, 70% were rated satisfactory or reasonably satisfactory, and ...
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Public sector faces high level of employment claims
Some 37% of employment appeal cases are against public sector organisations, despite such bodies employing only 22% of the workforce, research by Milton Keynes firm EMW Picton Howell has shown. The firm's analysis of national statistics and information from the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) showed that ...
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Gunfight at the EU Corral?
We had a glimpse of the future this week. There was a shoot-out at the EU Corral involving the new justice commissioner and the member states. The weapon used was the Lisbon Treaty, and the quarrel broke out, beyond the tumbleweed and swinging saloon doors, over the need for minimum ...
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Explore legal representation for rape victims, says Stern review
Legal representation for rape victims should be explored to counter the unfairness in the adversarial system felt by many, Baroness Stern said in her independent review into how rape complaints are handled, published today. ‘Victims often feel that the court system is unfair because they do ...
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MoJ consults on implementing Coroners Act
The Ministry of Justice has called for views on how it should implement reforms to the coroner’s service in a consultation paper. Responses will assist in the drafting of secondary legislation, with a final consultation to be held in 2011.
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Who will take up external investment?
The Gazette revealed this week that law firms are already getting well into discussions with external investors in readiness for when the rules change in October 2011, and indeed some are even going as far as to...
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Solicitors should be concerned about the ‘entire contract’ rule
by Richard Buxtonwho heads a small firm in Cambridge specialising in environmental and public law As the solicitors in Buxton v Mills-Owens [2010] EWCA Civ 122 who stood to lose all profit costs, the Court of Appeal’s decision that we terminated our retainer with our erstwhile ...
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Two solicitors accused over file-sharing ‘bully tactics’
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has referred two solicitors from London firm Davenport Lyons to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal over claims that the firm sent ‘bullying’ letters accusing hundreds of people of illegal file-sharing. Consumer group Which? complained to the SRA in 2008 that Davenport Lyons partner ...
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Adverts for magistrates’ courts branded ‘tacky’
A leading criminal solicitor has urged firms to boycott a ‘tacky’ scheme to introduce commercial advertising boards into magistrates’ courts. HM Courts Service has given permission for a private company, Executive Legal, to install the boards and charge local law firms £424 a year to display ...
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News analysis: how will reform of LSC affect legal aid lawyers?
Sir Ian Magee’s review of the delivery and governance of legal aid, commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and published last week, was the third report in the space of 12 months to criticise financial controls at the Legal Services Commission. It followed the qualification of the LSC’s accounts for ...
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Firms enter into ‘gentlemen’s agreements’ with investors
Law firms are entering into ‘gentlemen’s agreements’ with investors in anticipation of the rule changes that will allow them to sell equity stakes in their businesses from October 2011, a leading consultant told the Gazette this week. Giles Murphy (pictured), head of assurance and business services ...
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Call to simplify ‘intrusive’ legal aid means test
The Ministry of Justice’s decision to grant legal aid to families bereaved by the 7/7 bombings has prompted calls for the ‘intrusive’ and ‘distressing’ means test forms to be simplified. Last week justice secretary Jack Straw said that due to the ‘exceptional circumstances’, families who had ...
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Blowing our own trumpet
I was surprised and disappointed at the headline and tone of the front page news item ‘Most people "could not tell a good lawyer from a bad one"’ (see [2010] Gazette, 4 March, 1).
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Staff cuts bolstering revenues in mid-tier corporate firms
The ‘pressure is still on’ mid-tier corporate firms, research by accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers has shown, despite strong revenue figures for the last quarter. The latest figures from PwC’s quarterly law firm benchmarking survey indicate that, although revenues held up well during the traditionally quiet period to ...
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Burying good news
It is astonishing that the government has not publicised the Ministry of Justice research into public attitudes to legal services (see [2010] Gazette, 4 March, 1) – after ministers specifically commissioned it so they had a baseline from which to measure the impact of the reforms.
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Call for conveyancers to diversify as pressure grows on fees
Conveyancers are facing unprecedented pressure over fees but have largely failed to diversify into other areas, according to research seen exclusively by the Gazette. The news comes as Spicerhaart, the estate agency which has launched website iSold.com in association with supermarket Tesco, said that it expects ...
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Judges face an even tougher task in children’s cases
Judges in family proceedings have been given an unenviable task. Following a decision of the Supreme Court last week, they must now think longer and harder...
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Probate: inheritance tax, mistakes, Hastings-Bass and disinherited children
Mr Pitt was left brain damaged after a road accident. His wife was appointed his receiver. Mr Pitt received £1.2m in agreed damages. Acting on the advice of financial advisers Mrs Pitt transferred the lump sum to a discretionary settlement.
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Children should give evidence, says Supreme Court
Children in family proceedings should be called to give live evidence in court if the advantage it would bring in deciding the case outweighs the risk of harm to the welfare of the child, the Supreme Court ruled last week. In a unanimous decision, five law ...
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Courts are places for the dispensation of justice, not vulgar commerce
‘Today’s drink-driving hearings are brought to you by Gethomesafely Ltd personal breathalysers.’ Excuse our flippancy, and it will be infinity and a day before that message is broadcast across an HM Courts Service public address system. One hopes. But our disclosure this week that commercial ...