All News articles – Page 1750
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News
Fixed fees fall-out
The current proposals from the Legal Services Commission in relation to fixed fees for family cases are likely to have an adverse effect on children, families and the administration of justice.
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Don't overreact to downturn, says professional services group
Law firms operating in the UK will fall behind firms in foreign markets unless specific regulatory burdens are lifted, according to government officials and law firm chiefs. In its first report, submitted to Chancellor Alistair Darling this week, the Professional Services Global Competitiveness Group (PSGC) ...
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Upholding decency
I read with much emotion and ever-increasing indignation the brave and intimate feature by Jonathan Rayner concerning the serial failure of the ‘system’ to deal humanely or in any way appropriately with his son ‘Patrick’, particularly once the latter was introduced into the criminal process (see [2009] Gazette, 5 March, ...
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Stifling information damages democracy
Sarah Webb is wrong to say there is no problem with costs in publication proceedings (see [2009] Gazette, 5 March, 10).
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Parklife to court life
Fans of Blur (a popular music group, m’lud) are delighted that the band are gearing up for a series of gigs this summer, including Hyde Park in July – their first live performance since 2000. Drummer Dave Rowntree has another matter on his mind: law ...
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Constructive dialogue
I write in response to the comments made by Richard Charlton about the fixed fees that apply to legally aided mental health work (see [2009] Gazette, 5 March, 14-15).
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Law firm staff win landmark TUPE claim
Firms winning legal service contracts from competitors could face a ‘landslide’ of six-figure claims for unfair dismissal if they do not take on staff on reasonable terms along with the contract, the winner of a landmark employment tribunal case said this week. In the case, Liverpool ...
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MoJ chiefs face MPs over Crown Court failings
Senior officials at the Ministry of Justice this week denied MPs’ charges of ‘complacency’ and running a ‘dysfunctional organisation’ following an auditors’ report criticising the administration of Crown Courts. At a hearing of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee on Monday, chairman Edward Leigh ...
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The ‘rules of the game’ on terror have not changed
The International Commission of Jurists was lucky in the timing of its report on counter-terrorism and human rights: Assessing Damage, Urging Action. In the US, the new administration of President Obama was but a month old, promising a review of his predecessor’s ‘war on terror’. ...
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Chancery Lane seeks tax concession
The Law Society has warned that taxing law firms on work they have yet to be paid for could result in small practices getting into financial trouble. President Paul Marsh has written to HM Revenue & Customs asking the authority to suspend the UITF 40 ...
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New Business Court is too important to wait for
I tip my hat to Frances Gibb at the Times this week for referencing our story revealing that the Business Court, due to replace the various commercial courts in the new Rolls Building, is slipping back into 2011.
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SRA drops plans for board changes in BME row
The Law Society has dropped a plan to cut short the term of the Solicitors Regulation Authority board as debate continues over ways to tackle the disproportionate number of black and minority ethnic (BME) solicitors facing disciplinary hearings. It has also turned down a proposal to co-opt two non-voting ...
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Trading blows
On 26 February you carried a special In Business report, ‘Marketing – the next generation’ (see [2009] Gazette, 26 February, 12-14). Significantly, both articles were written by marketeers and predict the demise of solicitors, when large corporate businesses are expected to enter the solicitors’ market.
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Release partners for pro bono bench placements, says LCJ
Major law firms should allow junior partners to seek part-time judicial appointments as part of their pro bono activities, the lord chief justice said last week. ‘We must find a way of tapping into the talents of the brightest and best solicitors,’ Lord Judge told ...
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Quality before price
Ian McLachlan’s view (see [2009] Gazette, 19 February, 11) is worrying from a professional indemnity and risk management point of view.
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Legislation planned to bar solicitors convicted of fraud from practice
Plea negotiations are to be introduced and Crown Court powers will be extended to make fraud prosecutions more effective, Attorney General Baroness Scotland (pictured) announced today (18 March). Legislation is also planned to allow the Crown Court to bar convicted fraudsters from practising in certain key professions, including as a ...
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Law Society wins loans pledge from high street banks
The Law Society has voiced fears that increasingly centralised decision-making at Britain’s embattled retail banks could damage the finances of law firms as the recession deepens. Chancery Lane fears that local branch discretion will be reduced and that this will result in banks walking away from more deals and terms. ...
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Baker & McKenzie to cut staff in London
US firm Baker & McKenzie is to axe up to 85 staff in London, including between 20 and 30 lawyers, as part of a new redundancy consultation. The firm is also anticipating a pay freeze and scrapping its all-staff bonus. Gary Senior, London managing partner, ...