All News articles – Page 1799
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Helpline to make appointments at law firms for legal aid clients
A pilot helpline enabling civil legal aid clients to book face-to-face appointments with solicitors could boost the numbers of people receiving publicly funded advice, the chairman of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG) has told the Gazette. The Legal Services Commission (LSC) launched the trial Community ...
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Call to divide AG's dual role
Parliamentary support for the government’s decision not to split the Attorney General’s legal and political functions has attracted scathing criticism from experts. Last Thursday, the Joint Committee on the Draft Constitutional Renewal Bill published its report that, controversially, ignored the advice of the Justice Committee to ...
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HIPs questionnaire 'biased against solicitors'
The proposed home information pack (HIP) questionnaire has been branded a ‘crude attempt’ to help non-solicitor pack providers and push solicitors out of the conveyancing market. A year after the introduction of the controversial packs, the government has launched a consultation to add an extra document ...
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Victory for firm over client account funds
Irwin Mitchell has won approval to claim funds paid on account even though the client’s finances were later subject to a restraint order. The national firm was acting for a client facing a Revenue & Customs investigation, who paid £5,000 on account of costs into its ...
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Protecting a valuable species
The Court of Protection must address the ‘catastrophic impact’ of the Mental Capacity Act on visitors. Court of Protection (CoP) appointed deputies, managing the affairs of those who lack mental capacity, and receivers (pre-Mental Capacity Act 2005), benefited substantially over the years from the wisdom and ...
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Leeds: legal powerhouse
Leeds’ legal market is so strong, some even believe it has become overcrowded. What makes the city so attractive to law firms?
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Immigration
Human rights – Asylum seekers – Proportionality - Remittal TG (Central African Republic) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (2008): CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justice Buxton, Keene):15 July 2008 ...
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Making light of hard work
The relationship between trainees and law firms is heavily biased in favour of the latter
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Football frenzy
It’s a global footballing bonanza this week, and to kick off we have some homegrown talent. Eighteen-year-old Junior Bilal (inset), who works in the business support unit at Cumberland Ellis, is in Manchester playing for England (above) in the INAS-FID European Championship 2008.
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Indian niche firms pique UK/US interest
Indian lawyers are leaving traditional family firms in increasing numbers to set up niche corporate operations – which are then being courted by UK and US firms, new research has shown. UK and US firms are keen to form ties ahead of the Indian legal market ...
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US firm promotes lawyer
PRIVATE PRACTICE Partners Regional firm Thring Townsend Lee & Pembertons hires employment specialist Jeremy Nixon from Bird & Bird. The firm also promotes Graeme Fearon in the ...
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Family law
Local government – Adoption – Expert reports - Placement orders – Children Re B (children) sub nom (1) MJ (mother) (2) LB (father) v (1) Local Authority (2) CB, AB, MB (by their guardian EE) (2008): CA (Civ ...
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Who should safeguard equality?
Whose job is it to make sure that the legal profession is not institutionally racist or sexist? It is an awkward question, but one that needs to be addressed urgently. There are, undeniably, serious issues to be tackled, not least because the majority of new entrants ...
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Media and entertainment
Administration of justice – Broadcasting – Contempt of court – Fines – Sub judice Attorney general v ITV Central Ltd (2008): DC (Lord Justice Pill, Mr Justice King): 15 July 2008 ...
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Employment
Local government – Discrimination – Equal pay – Legitimate aim – Proportionality – Trade unions Allen & Ors v GMB (2008): CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justice Tuckey, Smith, Maurice Kay): 16 July 2008 ...
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RICS drops Quinn from PII list
Quinn Insurance, which provides lawyers with professional indemnity insurance (PII), has been removed from the preferred PII list of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Gazette has learned. RICS, whose preferred insurer list mirrors the lawyers’ preferred insurer pool, removed Quinn after it withdrew ...
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'Quotas undermine diversity'
Intense competition between firms eager to demonstrate their diversity credentials and the use of quotas to measure recruitment of black and minority ethnic (BME) staff only serve to undermine equality, Stuart Popham, senior partner at magic circle firm Clifford Chance, has warned. Popham claimed the trend ...
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Defamation
Absolute privilege – Complaints – Police – Slander Richard Anders Westcott v Sarah Westcott (2008): CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justice Ward, Sedley, Stanley Burnton): 15 July 2008 The appellant ...
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Security for costs
The recovery, or not, of pre-action costs in an application for security for costs just got a little easier to work out, say Chris Warren-Smith and Ian Pegram In adding up the costs incurred ...