All News articles – Page 1702
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News
Solicitors sign referral deal with financial advisers
Solicitors and independent financial advisers (IFAs) have entered into a nationwide tie-up in order to benefit from the relaxation of the rules on partnerships between lawyers and non-lawyers. Some 600 law firm members of the 360 Legal Group will be given access to 1,700 IFA members ...
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Chancery Lane attacks 'deeply flawed' MoJ legal aid proposals
The Law Society has called on the Ministry of Justice to clarify its ‘incoherent’ and ‘deeply flawed’ consultation on criminal legal aid cuts. In a hard-hitting letter to legal aid minister Lord Bach, Law Society president Robert Heslett said the vagueness and uncertainty of the paper ...
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New EU term begins – what’s on the agenda
The summer break is over. Newly elected MEPs are beginning to meet, and the policy machine is grinding into action once again. So, what is on the agenda generally, and for lawyers in particular?
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Pakistan must take steps to ensure judicial independence, says IBA
Flawed judicial appointments processes, shortcomings in court infrastructure and a lack of training for legal professionals are hindering the independence of the judiciary in Pakistan, a report by the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute has warned. The report said that the reinstatement of Pakistan’s ...
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Tall (or not) story
They are among life’s great imponderables. Does God exist? Does a falling tree make any sound if there is no one there to hear it? Does humour have a place in legal services? This last question has been the subject of some debate in the ...
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Purdy and propriety
It was entirely right to include a full review of the recent decision in Purdy v DPP (see [2009] Gazette, 20 August, 10). The Gazette's choice of Ms Purdy's solicitor Saimo Chahal as the author was no doubt reasonable.
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Negligence
Asbestos – Breach of duty of care – Contractors Corus UK Ltd v (1) Cavendish (UK) Ltd (2) Cavendish Laboratories Ltd (3) Woods Building Services Ltd: QBD (Mr Justice Foskett): 7 August 2009 ...
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Memory lane
Law Society’s Gazette, September 1939 [Britain declared war on Germany 70 years ago today. To prevent the Roll ...
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Personal injury
Contract terms – Disclosure – Miners – Vibration white finger Brian Strydom v Vendside Ltd: QBD (Mr Justice Blair): 18 August 2009 The appellant (S) appealed against a decision dismissing ...
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HIP protection
Your recent online story ‘Estate agencies charging 50% more for HIPs’, based on a survey by Which?, raises some important issues. But the results must be viewed in the correct context.
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Green words need to be translated into practical regulatory requirements
by Vanessa Havard-Williamsis chair of the Legal Sector Alliance policy committee. Ahead of the G20 meeting this week in Pittsburgh, the Legal Sector Alliance has released a communique addressed to the leaders of the G20, calling for practical regulatory requirements – not hot air.
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Firms seek emergency loans to pay for high indemnity premiums
Cash-strapped law firms are seeking emergency loans to pay for hiked professional indemnity insurance (PII) premiums, amid claims that many insurers are tightening their payment terms. Independent finance providers Syscap and Key Business Professions (KBP) have reported a recent surge in the number of firms asking ...
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Securing licences, debt refinancing and selling lager
Brewing up: Magic circle firm Freshfields advised brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev on selling its Tennent’s Lager brand to beverage company C&C Group for £180m. C&C Group was advised by City firm LG. Course ...
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Nationwide probate deal
The Law Society has published a joint protocol with the Nationwide Building Society to assist in the winding up of estates. The protocol is the first such agreement to be reached with a building society, although similar arrangements are already in place with banks HSBC and ...
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Court defeat
In the best traditions of English tennis, the Law Society’s team came away with the wooden spoon at the biennial European Lawyers Tennis Tournament in Rome. The team, captained by retired solicitor Russell Miller, comprised Peter Morton, partner at London firm K&L Gates, Clive Borthwick, ...
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Separating couples may be forced into mediation under MoJ plan
Divorcing and separating couples could be compelled to consider mediation before going to court under plans being examined by the Ministry of Justice. At present, only parties who are funded by legal aid are obliged to consider mediating. Justice minister Bridget ...
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General counsel put their heads together
Long gone are the days when going in-house was likened to putting on a nice comfortable pair of slippers. These days, general counsel enjoy a high status as the demanding keepers of their company’s legal purse strings. They want more for their money, and they ...
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Freedom of information data show fall in cost of police station work
The government was accused of ‘reckless’ and ‘savage’ cuts to criminal legal aid this week, as information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FoI) seen exclusively by the Gazette cast doubt on the need for the reductions. The Ministry of Justice said the cuts ...
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Law Society claims Co-op panel cuts may be indirect discrimination
The Law Society has alleged indirect discrimination in the newly merged Britannia Building Society and Co-operative Financial Services’ (CFS) decision to axe the 3,600 sole practitioners from Britannia’s conveyancing panel. The Society said the move would have a disproportionate impact on ethnic minority lawyers, and criticised CFS for failing to ...