All News articles – Page 1753
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News
Law firms must take a rigorous approach to IT security
Losing data is a business or government’s worst nightmare. From stolen laptops to files that go missing in the post, recent high-profile cases have made us all well aware of the damaging repercussions this can have. For a law firm, information is critical for everything it does – knowledge, advice ...
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Government amends secret inquest plans
The government is revising plans for non-jury inquests included in the Coroners and Justice Bill, limiting the circumstances in which such inquests can be held. The revisions will allow for more judicial involvement and discretion, offering more balances and checks, the Ministry of Justice said. ...
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Straw’s pay warning to legal aid lawyers
Lawyers and law firms dependent on state funding would be ‘wise to reconsider’ their expectations of earnings, the Lord Chancellor has warned. In a stark vision of the future, underlining the government’s determination to press ahead with controversial legal aid reforms, Jack Straw said last ...
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Solicitors see estate agents as allies, says survey
Most solicitors see estate agents as collaborators rather than competitors, according to the latest in a regular half-yearly survey of trends in the conveyancing market. The study, the third carried out by property search company Searchflow, found that estate agents are the main source of referrals for nearly a quarter ...
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Fund more free advice, urges Tory MP
Emergency funding for free legal advice must be made available to help people suffering in the downturn, Parliament will hear this week. Nadine Dorries, Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire, said she would use an adjournment debate on Tuesday evening to urge the government to provide ...
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Alarm at Jobcentre Plus advertisement rule
Law firms and other employers sponsoring recruits from outside the European Economic Area have condemned as ‘political’ the UK Border Agency’s (UKBA) ruling that all vacancies should be advertised in Jobcentre Plus.
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Firms’ network forms alliance with accountants
The prospect of solicitors joining other professionals in one-stop shops for clients with issues that cross disciplinary boundaries has come a step closer with an alliance between law firms and accountants. LawNet, a national network of mid-tier firms set up in 1989, has formed a collaborative ...
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Litigation funder seeks an extra £35 million
The only UK-listed third-party litigation funder is raising a further £35m, in part because it says other funders have fallen away with the downturn. Juridica Investments, in Guernsey, raised £80m when it launched on the Alternative Investment Market in December 2007, but says it requires more ...
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Where there’s a will...
Solicitors working pro bono have raised £775,000 for charity through the 2008 Will Aid campaign. The campaign involved preparing wills for people free of charge, but inviting them to make a voluntary donation to a charitable fund. Lauren Smith of Sheffield firm Watson Esam raised more than £4,000 in a ...
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Majority stake
It’s been a long and winding road. In 1922, Maud Crofts, Carrie Morrison (pictured), Mary Pickup and Mary Sykes became the first women to qualify as solicitors in England. Sadly, however, the next 35 years of history of women’s achievements in the profession are a little sketchy. It was not ...
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Over-regulation may thwart LSA reforms, Law Society warns
Over-regulation by the Bar Standards Board may make partnerships between barristers and solicitors unattractive and threaten the intentions of the Legal Services Act, the Law Society has warned. Responding to the BSB’s second consultation on the regulatory implications of the Legal Services Act 2007, Chancery ...
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Post-recession: the state of the legal landscape
One of the advantages of being president of the Law Society is that people generally don’t turn down an invitation to speak to you about their work. I must confess that I exploited this benefit to the full recently when I asked Professor Richard Susskind to drop by at a ...
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Which? is impartial
Following your item headlined ‘High street network and Which? link up’ (see [2009] Gazette, 26 February, 1), I would like to clarify that Which? Legal Service would not solely recommend one particular service. As part of the consumer charity Which?, we pride ourselves on providing independent, impartial advice. ...
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Human rights
Freedom of expression – Intelligence of services – Investigatory Powers Tribunal – Emanations of the Crown A v B: CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justice Laws, Rix, Dyson): 18 February 2009 ...
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News
How’s that?
The West Indies have been racking up huge batting totals in the Caribbean this winter (Ramnaresh Sarwan, 291, Barbados, springs to mind). These gritty performances have in turn caused great anguish for the English bowling attack. Unfortunately, Obiter has to predict that the pained expressions of Andrew Strauss & Co ...
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Office of the Public Guardian highlights positives
I am disappointed to see that the Gazette continues to highlight criticism of efforts made by my office to improve services to customers. I think it’s wrong for the Gazette to portray the views of a vocal minority as the general (and current) position. It is true that there ...
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Free legal web project seeks funding
A scheme to create a comprehensive online guide to English law is looking for £50,000 to fund its first phase. The Free Legal Web, the brainchild of legal publishing consultant Nick Holmes, has already won a government-sponsored prize for innovative uses of official information.
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Firm urges US to follow regulatory reforms
US-based international law firms face a future as subsidiaries to English firms unless the US adopts English-style regulatory reforms, according to the chief executive of a firm operating in 46 US states. Michael Skoler, of The Law Offices of James Sokolove Law, said that the US’s ...
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Financial regulation
Legal profession – Partnerships – Conduct of business – Financial promotion Financial Services Authority v Fox Hayes (a firm): CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justice Longmore, Wilson, Lawrence Collins): 17 February 2009 ...