All News articles – Page 1830
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News
Sentencing
Attempts – Kidnapping – Sentence length – Violent nature of offence R v Jason Matthew Eminson: CA (Crim Div) (Mr Justice Mitting, Mr Justice Tugendhat): 29 August 2008 The ...
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Society stand on striking-off
The Law Society has reiterated its opposition to plans for Crown Court judges to be given powers to strike off solicitors charged with fraud, even when they have been acquitted of any offence. The Attorney General, Baroness Scotland, outlined the proposal in a consultation paper published ...
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At the whim of Westminster
A UK bill of rights is unlikely to come soon, but there is still hope for the future. It is a pity – if only for the future of the idea of a British bill of rights – that Labour’s electoral hopes look so dire. In ...
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Fujitsu starts £700m claim against NHS
Formal moves have begun in the largest single claim for compensation ever made against the NHS, a computer contractor revealed last week. Fujitsu Services said it had issued a procedure initiation notice to the IT agency NHS Connecting for Health following the termination of a ...
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What price is justice? About £90m...
We are told by the courts service managers that asking the government to meet the shortfall is not an option. Why not? The shortcomings of the courts service have provided a rich seam of material for Gazette correspondents in recent weeks. ‘You think that’s bad, wait ...
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'Partial account' of constitutional bill
James Dean’s article ‘Call to divide AG’s dual role’ (see [2008] Gazette,, 7 August, 4) unfortunately gave only a very partial account of a substantial piece of work by the Joint Committee on the Draft Constitutional Renewal Bill, which I chaired. In fairness to your readers, I would like to ...
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SRA backtracks over higher rights accreditation scheme
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has backtracked on ambitious plans to introduce a voluntary accreditation scheme for solicitors appearing in the higher courts following opposition from top judges and others. In what was described at its meeting in Birmingham last week as a ‘pragmatic’ decision, the ...
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Triple action
Olympic medallists past and present, the ‘I can run faster than you’ marathon runner challenge and young England footballers have all figured in Obiter over recent weeks. But for some, one sport is not enough when you can do three at once (well, sort of).
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Lawyers risk action over rogue advisers
Solicitors who allow dishonest immigration advisers to work in their practices will not be allowed to claim ignorance as a defence, the immigration advisers’ regulator has warned. Immigration services commissioner Suzanne McCarthy told the Gazette that her office is working closely with the Solicitors Regulation ...
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NSPCC backs child care cost challenge
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is backing a legal challenge mounted by four local authorities which claim the government’s decision to force councils to bear the full cost of child care cases is unlawful, the Gazette can reveal. Since May, ...
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New charity funding boost for pro bono lawyers
A national charity is to be launched next month to distribute a new stream of income for pro bono legal advice services, the Gazette can reveal. The Access to Justice Foundation is a major cross-profession initiative backed by the Law Society, Bar Council, Institute of Legal ...
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Fighting chance
‘Grasshopper, when you can take the pebble from my hand, it is time to set up practice in Beverly Hills.’ We suspect this isn’t the exact advice that London firm Solutions in Law received from its client Sir Brian Sterling, a broadcaster and martial arts champion, but you get the ...
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Chancery: proprietary estoppel
The proposition that ‘equitable estoppel is a flexible doctrine... but it is not a joker or wild card to be used whenever the court disapproves of the conduct of a litigant who seems to have the law on his side’ was the starting point for Lord Walker’s judgment in the ...
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'Put council notices online'
The law should be changed to give statutory notices posted on the internet the same legal status as those in local newspapers, according to the founder of a new website. Andrew Bullen, managing director of Public Notices UK, aims to secure the support of a Conservative ...
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Virtual court pilot in jeopardy over fees
A pilot scheme that could see defendants sentenced via video-link within hours of being arrested could be derailed as three leading practitioner groups consider withdrawing their support over pay, the Gazette has learned.
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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 ...
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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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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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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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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 ...