All News articles – Page 1803
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News
Practice criminal law and earn the minimum wage
I was admitted to the roll on 1 September 2008. To be able to work in criminal law, I had to complete police station accreditation, which involved a portfolio of 27,000 words and travelling some 200 miles to take the critical incidents exam. If I want to become a ...
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Practising fees for in-house lawyers could be cut
In-house lawyers could pay less for practising certificates once the Solicitors Regulation Authority decides how it will fund itself in the new era ushered in by the Legal Services Act. The Gazette has learned that the SRA is about to consult the entire profession ...
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Dying in a democracy
‘The Official Secrets Act is not there to protect secrets, it is there to protect officials!’, the archetypal mandarin Sir Humphrey Appleby told his ministerial dupe Jim Hacker in the timeless sitcom Yes Minister. One recalled Sir Humphrey’s cynicism upon the publication of the Coroners ...
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Developing new skills may help lead to prosperity
As some firms struggle to survive, there is no better time than the present for lawyers to develop the extra skills they may need to prosper. From ‘cocktail party’ training to better writing skills to a three-year doctorate in legal practice – just what skills should ...
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SRA to revisit equality strategy
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to ‘revisit’ its equality and diversity strategy after criticism from the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The strategy was published this month following Lord Ouseley’s report on the disproportionate number of black and minority ethnic solicitors facing disciplinary hearings. It ...
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Experience necessary
Though a sly old fox, Obiter has almost been out-foxed by Hertfordshire law firm Curwens. We requested details of long-serving legal secretaries and were startled to receive Curwens’ surely unbeatable record of 72 years. Closer scrutiny, however, revealed the firm was claiming the sum of Jenny Rogers’ 48 years and ...
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Novel experience
May I congratulate Neil Rose on an excellent article about combining a professional legal career with that of a novelist (see [2008] Gazette, 18 December, 8). I am not a solicitor, but have worked as administrator for LawCare for the past ten years, and also had my third novel published ...
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Phone-recording rule will hit tiny number of firms
Only a tiny number of law firms will be affected by a requirement to record telephone instructions from March, an expert has advised. Ian Muirhead, managing director of Solicitors Independent Financial Advice, said the new rule is aimed at curbing insider dealing and will affect around ...
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Music store purchase, nightclub licence and football sponsorship
Indian club: City firm Field Fisher Waterhouse advised nightclub Chinawhite on a licensing agreement to open another club in the Lalit Hotel in New Delhi, India. It will be run and operated by Bharat Hotels, which was advised by its in-house team. ...
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Local government
Planning – Human rights – Change of use – Mobile homes (1) Theo Langton (2) Ruth McGill v (1) Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (2) West Dorset District Council: QBD (Admin) (Judge Gilbart QC): 7 ...
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Human rights
Sentencing – EC law – Foreign travel – Notification – Sex offenders R (on the application of F) v Secretary of State for Justice: R (on the application of Angus Aubrey Thompson) v Secretary of State for Justice: ...
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Judicial obstacles
The recent research carried out by Professor Dame Hazel Genn and quoted in Joshua Rozenberg’s article [see [2009] Gazette, 15 January, 8] highlighted clearly the barriers that women solicitors can face when applying for a judicial appointment.
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Looking for a wife
Spouse gone AWOL? Then ask a law librarian. That was the instinct of the solicitor who called the Law Society library to say his client wanted a divorce, but had no marriage certificate and could not remember the exact date of the marriage or precisely where it took place (‘somewhere ...
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Sir John Mortimer: 1923-2009
Tributes have been paid to one of the legal profession’s best-known figures, the barrister and writer Sir John Mortimer, who died last week. Desmond Browne QC, chairman of the Bar Council, said: ‘Like his father, the blind advocate whom he immortalised in Voyage Round My Father, John Mortimer brought both ...
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Firms looking abroad
Expansion into foreign markets has been pushed to the top of the agenda for commercial law firms looking to grow their business, according to new research. More firms (38% of the total polled) would rather expand into a foreign jurisdiction over the next one to three ...
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Accountancy/legal mega-firms will expose conflicts of interest
I read your opinion ‘A Level Playing Field’ (see [2008] Gazette, 15 January, 10) about proposed reforms of the Scottish legal profession with great concern. I recognise that the implementation ...
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Legislation mooted on client bank accounts
The British Bankers’ Association and the Law Society may seek legislation to clear up confusion over compensation payable when solicitors’ client accounts are held in collapsed banks. The two bodies are considering asking the government to amend the Banking Bill, currently passing ...
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Legal advice
Breach of contract – Conditional fee arrangements – Costs – Retainers (1) Bray Walker Solicitors (a firm) (2) Bevans Bray Walkers Ltd (t/a Bevans) v Carlo Moise Silvera: QBD (Mr Justice Blake): 18 December 2008 ...
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Clampdown on legal aid fraudsters
The Coroners and Justice Bill creates new powers to clampdown on people who make fraudulent claims for legal aid or fail to pay their share of costs. Changes will allow data about individuals to be shared routinely between the Legal Services Commission and the Department for Work and Pensions. Courts ...
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Give it away free
As you correctly reported, the internet is about to overtake traditional channels for people to find a solicitor for simple legal work, such as conveyancing and writing a will. However, I would suggest that law firms need to look beyond this to ensure that they maintain, or increase, their market ...