13 March 2008

HIPs providing extra revenue

Memory lane portrait

Solicitors have proved astute at fending off rivals to provide home information packs, according to new research. Almost half the packs are being prepared by solicitors, providing an extra revenue stream. But HIPs have still not fully taken off, despite being rolled out nationally in December.

10 March 1998

Irvine pledges to publish

Lord Irvine, the lord chancellor, this week confirmed that he would publish a report into the impact on solicitors’ firms of extended conditional fee agreements and a withdrawal of legal aid in money cases. He said the report would indicate that conditional fees offer profitable business to lawyers even when they, rather than their clients, meet the up-front costs of insurance and running the case.

9 March 1988

Computer courtroom here to stay

Optical scanners, video disks, computer-produced images, projectors. All give the phrase ‘see you in court’ a futuristic ring. But it would be unwise to postpone familiarity with these tools to some vague date in the future because they are being used right now. Computerisation has come to court and increasingly high technology will be used to tackle complex prosecutions, especially fraud.

15 March 1978

Examinations – is Alexandra Palace suitable?

The lighting in the examination hall is totally inadequate and the temperatures may well be sub-zero. There is also the possibility of an off-course pigeon ruining some poor aspirant’s paper. Let us not wait for the Alexandra Palace itself to give up the ghost, but start the search at once for an alternative venue for the Law Society’s examinations.

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