The Law Society Gazette

23 September 2004

Probate first in legal services reform plan

The government’s first move to open the legal market will begin in November when non-lawyers are allowed to provide all probate services, the Gazette has learned. The Department for Constitutional Affairs confirmed this week that a statutory instrument should be laid before parliament to activate sections 54 and 55 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990.

 

21 September 1994

New surge in fraud

The value of frauds allegedly perpetrated by solicitors has risen steeply in the first six months of 1994. According to accountants KPMG, the lion’s share of cases since 1987 are mortgage frauds, accounting for some £43.6m. Pensions frauds by solicitors ranked second, with £26.7m.

 

19 September 1984

Advertising

With the start date for advertising, 1

October, looming nearer, the observable reaction from the profession so far seems generally to be one of guarded apathy. A survey of 150 ‘leading London firms’ by Hill and Knowlton (City) Ltd produced a response rate of 12%. One form was returned blank, stating only that as solicitors conducting primarily confidential business, the firm had a ‘negative public relations policy’.

An article on ‘How to advertise’ will be published in next week’s issue.

 

25 September 1974

Vigorous protest

That some 30 acts of parliament should still remain unpublished two years after the royal assent is so serious that we must protest most vigorously. The TUC felt so sternly about the Industrial Relations Act 1971 that it expelled the unions that registered under the act. Yet when the new Trade Unions and Labour Relations Act 1974 repealed it, the TUC has done nothing effective to persuade the printers who are members of one of their affiliated unions to agree to print the act or to allow other printers outside the employment of the Stationery Office to print it.

 

Women at law

In a recent early morning broadcast the BBC told us that of a total of 28,000 solicitors only 2,000 are women. There are 328 senior judges of which only six are women.

The home secretary, adopting the previous government’s plan for an Equal Opportunities Commission, is to introduce a bill to make it unlawful ‘to discriminate on the ground of sex’.

 

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