All News articles – Page 1793
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News
CDS Direct advice was appropriate
I do not agree with Matthew Coxall’s view of the advice provided by CDS Direct (see [2008] Gazette, 4 September, 9). In his letter, Mr Coxall questioned the advice provided by CDS Direct to his client. I have investigated the case concerned and I am ...
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Sports
London firm Couchman Harrington Associates advised AIM-listed sports services group Essentially on its £325,000 acquisition of Arundel Promotions, set up by ex-England cricketer Alec Stewart and football manager Alan Smith. Arundel was advised by London firm Gregory Rowcliffe Milners. ...
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Sky Walkers
Dedication, as we all know, is what you need if you want to be a record-breaker. And so a team of lawyers from broadcaster Sky determined they would set the world record for the – wait for it – longest three-legged walk in 24 hours. Like you do. ...
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Sentencing
Antisocial behaviour – Kidnapping – Mitigation – Sentence length R v Peter Graham Oswald: CA (Crim Div) (Lord Justice Gage, Mr Justice Treacy, Mr Justice Bean): 22 August 2008. The ...
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Victims wary of orders
A change in the law has put women ‘at risk’ as domestic violence victims do not want partners who breach non-molestation orders to be jailed, practitioners have warned. Family lawyers claim the number of applications for non-molestation orders has ‘fallen significantly’ since the law was changed ...
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Mediation nod for PI
Mediation is just as suitable for settling personal injury (PI) cases as it is for other disputes, the former vice-president of the Court of Appeal’s civil division has said. Speaking at a conference for personal injury lawyers this week, Sir Henry Brooke, who chairs the Civil ...
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Peter Williamson on Lord Ouseley's report
Lord Ouseley's report on BME solicitors has two overriding messages for the regulator. You may have seen media coverage of Lord Ouseley’s recent review of the disproportionately high presence of black and minority ethnic (BME) solicitors in the compliance procedures of the SRA. Some called the ...
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LCS seeks miners pledge
The Legal Complaints Service (LCS) has written to 817 firms asking them to confirm in writing that they have not – and will not – take deductions from miners’ compensation payouts for unions, claims-handlers or themselves, the Gazette has learned. The letter, signed by LCS chief ...
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Jobsworths yes, but not racists
Professional regulators must learn the art of light-touch supervision, argues Martin Mears, but it is absurd to excuse them from racism. Apart from the usual axe-grinders and ‘stakeholders’, few are likely to have read Lord Ouseley’s report on why black and minority ethnic (BME) solicitors feature ...
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Revisiting the issue of pay
The Public Guardian has failed to address a catastrophic decline in the income of Court of Protection visitors. All practitioners involved in Court of Protection work will warmly welcome new Public Guardian Martin John’s initiative in reviewing serious problems arising from the new lasting power of ...
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Human rights
Civil Procedure – Disclosure – Inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment – Interrogation – National security R (on the application of Binyan Mohamed) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs: DC (Lord Justice, Mr Justice Lloyd Jones): ...
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Local government
Torts – Trespass – Access – Bridleways – Damages Field Common Ltd v Elmbridge Borough Council: Ch D (Mr Justice Warren): 27 August 2008. The court was required to assess ...
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Standards sliding on good grammar
I was interested to read the article by Martin Cutts concerning the increasing number of errors, both grammatical and semantic, appearing in letters and other legal documents (see [2008] Gazette, 4 September, 8).
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Registry fraud: we told you so
I read with interest and some despair your item ‘Registry fraud payouts soar’ (see [2008] Gazette, 4 September, 3). Some years ago, when it was proposed that land/charge certificates were to be abandoned with the move to e-conveyancing, I attended a seminar at the York District Land Registry. All the ...
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States of play: how US firms are doing in London
‘New York firms are much more successful here than London law firms have been in New York.’ This was the controversial view espoused by Kenneth MacRitchie, managing partner of the London office of Shearman & Sterling (and a UK-qualified former Clifford Chance partner) earlier this year.
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Family law
Civil procedure – McKenzie friends – Rights of audience – Appropiate circumstances to grant rights of audience Re N (a child) sub nom A v (1) G (2) N (by his rule 9.5 guardian): Re N (a child) sub ...
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Law firms eye up Syrian market
Law firms, financial services providers and insurance companies are sizing up the Syrian business market as the government makes moves to open up to foreign investment, the Gazette has learned.
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Enter the dragon
Sixteen members of Staffordshire firm Ansons got soaked for a good cause, paddling a 40-foot dragon boat in the annual challenge at Chasewater Country Park, Lichfield. No, they didn’t capsize, but torrential rain and paddle-splashes provided the next best thing. For the second year running, trainee Clare Smith had the ...
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News
Firm ditches mental health law over rates
A London firm specialising in mental health law is to slash its caseload in protest at the ‘punitive’ rates paid under the government’s fixed-fees scheme. Kaim Todner said this week it had given notice to the Legal Services Commission on 1 September that it would ...
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Defamation
Libel – Malicious falsehood – Offer of amends Tesco Stores Ltd v (1) Guardian News and Media Ltd (2) Alan Rusbridger: QBD (Mr Justice Eady): 29 July 2008. The ...