Extra sitting days ‘simply not enough’, says criminal bar
Caroline Goodwin QC labels the 700-day increase ‘derisory’.
Assisted dying review rejected by High Court
Judges rule that ‘courts are not the venue for arguments which have failed to convince parliament’.
Appeal court re-establishes fixed costs for claim headed to multi-track
Judges urge solicitors to be clear about costs proposals to avoid disputes ending up in court.
Legal community rallies to support Yorkshire flood victims
Firms and lawyers go the extra mile - in Wellies.
Retired top judge attacks ex-Law Society president over ‘political’ Supreme Court
Martin Mears, Society president in 1995, said the Supreme Court could be brought to heel by a ‘one-paragraph act of parliament’.
China attacks Hong Kong mask ruling as fears of legal intervention grow
A spokesperson for the National People’s Congress referred to China’s ‘serious concern’ and ‘strong dissatisfaction’.
‘Not their job to seek out claims’ - lawyers see off £10m negligence case
High Court rules claim over allegedly negligent employment tribunal advice should not proceed.
'Inflection point' looms for top conveyancers
Biggest players grab record share of the market amid slowdown.
Solicitor and east London councillor jailed for housing fraud
Muhammad Huran lived in council accommodation for years when he had already purchased another property.
Anonymous litigant in person wasted 10 judges' time
High Court declares action brought by 'ABC' against Google totally without merit after two years of proceedings.
'What will happen to me now?' Reaction to law centre closure revealed
Law Centres Network says it is still picking up the pieces from Lambeth demise.
£10m negligence claim against London firm thrown out
Chief Master Marsh criticises ‘wild allegations’ and unfocused evidence.
Cryptoassets and smart contracts valid in English law
Taskforce publishes legal statement on status of cryptoassets and smart contracts.
Buoyant trading statement lifts DWF share price
Newly listed company will report its interim half-year results next month but provided a trading update today.
News focus: Advocacy assurance plans 'retrogressive'
Proposals to assure standards of solicitor advocacy have been met with disbelief from practitioners who claim the regulator’s approach ‘throws the baby out with the bathwater’.
Supreme Court to consider Ryanair compensation ruling
Appeal will examine a ruling allowing the airline to compensate passengers directly for flight delays.
Devolved Wales: 'three law courses will emerge'
Swansea and Cardiff law schools say a separate Welsh justice system will not deter English students.
Law Society unveils manifesto wishlist
Chancery Lane says next month’s general election is a ‘pivotal moment’ for the future of the UK’s justice systems.
What’s eating you, Geoffrey?
Geoffrey Robertson QC in his toughest challenge yet: saving the London district of Bloomsbury from a zombie invasion.
Mr Burns is taking on the LAA
Obiter suspects one of the Legal Aid Agency’s document authors is a fan of US animated sitcom The Simpsons.
Fleeting brush with fame
Out with the murderers and robbers, in with the miscreant famous.
Go to the LAA for civil contempt funding, not us - High Court
Mr Justice Chamberlain explains why he declined to make a representation order in Wimbledon tickets case.
Charity regulator successful in first contempt of court case
High Court action pursued over failure to submit evidence.
Herbert Smith mourns leading white collar partner
Rod Fletcher, who led the corporate, crime and investigations practice for Herbert Smith Freehills in London, has died at 62.
Duty solicitors 'disgracefully underpaid' - former chief magistrate
Howard Riddle CBE says innocent people will suffer if remuneration does not rise.
Defendant pays an extra £65,000 after fractional Part 36 defeat
Court makes clear it will impose financial penalties where parties do not accept reasonable offers.
Tumbling prosecutions blamed on ‘disproportionate cuts’
Prosecutions, which have been falling since 2016, are down 2% compared with last year.
SRA offers olive branch over digital badge concerns
Update says 'delivery partner' has agreed to turn off Google tracking technology 'at the moment'.
Hundreds speak out over LAA decision-making
Legal Aid Practitioners Group wants to get to the bottom of disconnect between lawyers and civil servants.
‘Shaking with shock’ – calls for investigation follow Gazette disclosure of secret CPS rape targets
Reactions from lawyers, political leaders and campaigners.
Appeal court allows contempt proceedings based on pre-action witness statements
Couple had never issued proceedings for substantive relief but will face committal proceedings nonetheless.
Changes to defence fees are coming, Buckland tells barristers
Proposals on criminal defence fees were meant to be published last month, but have been pushed back to next year, according to the CBA.
Exclusive: ‘perverse incentive’ contributed to slump in rape charges
Pressure to meet 60% conviction target led to cases being dropped by CPS.
SC judge calls for ‘expert commission’ on algorithms
New body would enforce the principles of 'equity and mercy' Lord Sales tells lawyers.
Law students learn the sound of one hand clapping
BPP responds to concerns about well-being with pop-up meditation studios.
'Bedroom tax' ruling clarifies tribunal powers
Supreme Court says regulations can be disapplied if not doing so breaches human rights legislation.
Judge’s ‘intemperate’ language gave appearance of bias
Judge had suggested counsel appearing before him was the organ grinder's monkey.
Barrister jailed for child sex offences is disbarred
Lee Sowden was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment at Leicester Crown Court last year.
SQE still has a long way to go, says Legal Services Board
The LSB will send the SRA a list of key issues that need to be addressed before it makes its second application.
Foreign Office urged to drop costs ‘threat’ against Harry Dunn family
Family lawyer says Dunn parents are being intimidated to drop claim.
SRA advocacy proposals ‘add bureaucracy’
Criminal defence practitioners question regulator's involvement.
DLA Piper partner founds Liverpool start-up
International firm DLA Piper is ‘increasingly subject to conflict issues’, according to Fortuna Law’s founder.
IBA welcomes Myanmar genocide case
Rohingya action is the first to be brought by a country over issues in another continent that do not directly concern it.
Crash data middle man ordered to pay insurer £109,000
David Oliver received details that were illegally obtained and sold them on to claims management companies.
Third of new deputy High Court intake are solicitors
Latest recruits include lawyers from City firm Macfarlanes and DLA Piper.
Sixth formers compete for legal apprenticeship
A senior partner at Kingsley Napley says diversity is an ‘urgent issue’ for City law firms.
Fundamental dishonesty found against non-attending claimant
Trial proceeded on issue of dishonesty after application from insurer of supposedly at-fault driver.
HMCTS listings meeting scuppered - owing to listings clash
Criminal bar chief was supposed to meet chief executive Susan Acland-Hood today.
Junior lawyers tighten screw on regulator over Welsh language SQE
The Junior Lawyers Division claims access to justice is at risk if the Solicitors Qualifying Exam is not translated into Welsh.
Charity seeks solicitors' help with undocumented migrants
Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants wants to find better ways to help people regularise their status.
District judge disallows court fee as disbursement
Personal injury firm submitted its business model was not to ask clients to seek fee remission.
Tories to promise human rights reform to protect ex-soldiers
Amendment to 1998 act to create a presumption against prosecution for historical offences.
Memory lane 11 November 2019
A stroll down Gazette memory lane.
News focus: Crumbling courts - the malady lingers on
HMCTS is spending heavily to promote its £1bn courts modernisation programme but two parliamentary committees remain distinctly unimpressed by progress to date.
Hide and seek for digital badge
Finding the SRA badge on magic circle firms’ websites involves a certain amount of clicking and scrolling.
Words paper over the cracks
Beautifully drafted press releases are of limited use to lawyers who have to dodge falling plasterboard in court.
Let’s do it for the boys
The MoJ will mark International Men’s Day with events and activities.
Public: ‘justice is open enough’
Whitehall focus groups suggest barriers to the justice system are ‘often not thought to be a bad thing’.
Most money laundering SARs not referred to police
Businesses submitted a record number of suspicious activity reports this year, with the number of money laundering reports growing by over 50%.
Flight delay solicitors sold ATE insurance through broker they owned
Tribunal fines directors of FairPlane a total of £55,000 after finding they allowed a conflict of interest.
Court proceedings still too expensive, says Lord Woolf
Former lord chief justice says costs are still not controlled to the extent he would like.
When judges start to look young
Does your mum know you're out on your own?
You do not make the law, High Court judge tells LAA
Mr Justice Chamberlain seeks to clear up legal aid confusion in Wimbledon tickets case.
Aviva demands PI solicitors be forced to disclose claim source
Insurer says too many solicitors are getting round the referral fee ban due in part to a lack of transparency.
DWF acquires BT's legal ABS as relationship grows
Firm says the acquisition is a natural step after it became a strategic legal partner in the summer.
Fresh doubt about April 2020 PI reforms as rule changes left unresolved
Civil Procedure Rule Committee yet to see proposals for new protocol, let alone agree to them.
Morrisons will face 'big number' over data breach
More than 9,000 claimants are seeking damages from the supermarket after their personal details were leaked online.
Khashoggi barrister among bar pro bono award winners
Migration was a dominant theme of this year’s awards, presented at a ceremony in London last night.
Scarborough unfair
Lawyers alarmed by 9pm county court listing.
Creditors claim £7.5m from collapsed firm - but stand to recover a fraction
Details revealed about dividends expected from fallout of Roberts Jackson.
Lump sum damages approved after judge finds lack of earnings evidence
Court of Appeal rejects claimant's appeal to secure an extra £800,000 for loss of future earnings.
Election threatens criminal legal aid review progress
Lord chancellor says interim announcements due to be made this month will not happen.
Morrisons data leak claim reaches Supreme Court
Lord Pannick QC argues that the grocery giant was not vicariously liable for the breach, in which 100,000 staff had their data posted online.
PI giant targets acquisitions after turning last year’s losses around
Yorkshire firm Minster Law also targets new markets in the legal expenses insurance sector.
Bail reforms which left thousands in legal limbo to be reviewed
Evidence collected by practitioners highlights the devastating impact on suspects released under investigation.
Three from same firm sanctioned over 'dubious investment' advice
Fee earner struck off and two others fined over breaches to SRA accounts rules.
Wales to ‘take forward’ devolved justice proposals
Discussions will begin as soon as a new UK government is in place, first minister says.
High Court seeks legal aid clarity in Wimbledon tickets case
Legal Aid Agency invited to explain who has the power to make determinations in civil contempt cases.
Tribunal workload slashed as SRA fails to take up sitting days
Hearing caseload expected to fall despite rise in sexual misconduct prosecutions.
Merging Coventry firms strive for Midlands expansion
Band Hatton Button has acquired Richardson & Davies Solicitors to drive ‘ambitious growth’ plan.
Litigation funder names beneficiaries of £1m annual giveaway
Two law centres among nine recipients of Therium Access grants.
LCJ expresses regret at funding gaps for fixing court buildings
Lord Chief Justice positive about efforts to support judges dealing with traumatic cases.
Pay packets swell at Linklaters as managers split £25m pot
Profit available to be divided among Linklaters partners is up almost 20% compared to last year.
Complaints about judges fall – but sanctions on the rise
The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office received 1,672 complaints this year, down 22% compared with 2018.
MPs criticise ‘over-optimistic’ timescale for £1.2bn court reform
Public Accounts Committee unhappy with lack of assessment and understanding of changes made so far.
Concerns raised about Calderbank offers being used to assess litigation conduct
Law Society tells rule-makers to reconsider plans to enable offers to be taken into account when determining costs at end of family proceedings.
We're not selling applicants' personal data to Amazon, LAA assures
Human rights solicitor questioned appearance of Amazon Web Services Inc on legal help form.
Firm employee gave own CV reference through fake email account
SRA takes action after finding conduct of administrative assistant was dishonest.
Saudi Arabia promises to track rights 'recommendations'
Database will be 'a rich resource for government agencies in carrying out their vital roles in the promotion and protection of human rights'.
Listed firm announces Birmingham acquisition worth £4.7m
Knights completes deal for fifth acquisition in 18 months.
