Opinion – Page 20
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OpinionA judge should have the final say over a child's fate
Should the worst happen to me, I would rather a judge, than my mum, decide what is in my best interests.
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OpinionWet signatures protect against fraud and abuse
Let’s make lasting powers of attorney easier - but we must be mindful of the risks involved.
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OpinionFlexible hours can’t always work
Proposals to increase the diversity of the profession are sometimes incompatible with the day-to-day realities of legal practice
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OpinionWho speaks for me?
Diversity is obviously commendable, but what about the working-class white male?
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OpinionClosing time
Eduardo Reyes makes a number of valid points in ‘How to close a law firm’. In my experience, it is never too soon for smaller firms to address this issue because by doing so their exit options are massively increased. I recommend that all firms give themselves at least five ...
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OpinionNational pro bono week: defending our children
Pro bono support for child defence can help start them on a new journey.
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OpinionCourts are failing children
Sir James Munby is using his final months as family court president to urge radical reform of justice for under-18s.
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OpinionPurple lifeboat holed
The ‘real’ daily rate for a deputy district judge has effectively made the role an expensive hobby. If this continues standards will only fall
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OpinionMediation misunderstood
I read with interest John Hyde’s ‘The mediation dilemma’. I retired from private practice in April to focus on my mediation practice. I have seen mediation from two perspectives – that of the solicitor advising his client and then as mediator. I am not sure that some lawyers see the ...
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OpinionArrest report
The Home Office recently reported that the total number of arrests has fallen from 1.5 million in 2008 to 779,660 in 2017 (a total drop of 48%). In fairness to the police, it should be acknowledged that making an arrest is not a prerequisite for an offence to be properly ...
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OpinionPeople power – the new normal
Law firms that put intellectual capital before personal gain should be applauded. Accepting a lower return is a price worth paying
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OpinionChain reaction
‘Blockchain deal bodes ill for conveyancers’, the Gazette reported on 16 October. At their own risk, parties can always bypass solicitors and, for example, prepare their own transfer deed, so it is surprising the Gazette devotes space to this. Neil Singer seems not to understand the purpose of land ...
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OpinionHeavy price of 'efficiency'
One of the reasons why the defence solicitor son of your recent correspondent is ‘paid a pittance’ (letters, 16 October) may be the profession’s lemming-like acceptance of so-called ‘franchising’ and the time-limited criminal contracts in the late 1990s. Such unthinking acceptance eliminated local independence and competition. It ceded effective control ...
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OpinionThe force is against you
I read with sympathy the letter headed ‘Why is my son paid a pittance?’. The answer, however, is very simple: market forces. I am told that when I qualified in 1969 there were about 26,500 practising solicitors in England and Wales. There are now over 140,000 (news, 23 October). Michael ...
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OpinionIt all adds up
With regard to VAT on online property searches, surely any solicitor acquiring such a search will spend time on assessing the search, charge for that time and add VAT on that charge. Perhaps I am over simplifying, but does that not answer all the tribunal judge’s (and HMRC’s) arguments? ...
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OpinionSystem failure
The government should acknowledge that court fees are a hidden tax – its deceit is made worse by deteriorating service levels.
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OpinionFlat fee is disproportionate
We are a small firm with two partners and no staff, and a turnover of less than £200,000. We are currently carrying out our renewal of Solicitors Regulation Authority registration and have come to the fees. We understand that a periodical fee has to be paid. However, we take great ...
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OpinionPrison shame
It is a source of immense pride to me and I am sure to many other Law Society members that solicitors such as the redoubtable Laura Janes continue to play a pivotal role in the endeavours of the Howard League for Penal Reform on behalf of the rights of offenders. ...
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OpinionProof point
I wanted to clarify one point in relation to your article about the standard of proof. You said that the ‘discussion paper… does not explicitly back requiring prosecutions to be proved “beyond reasonable doubt”’. This is not quite accurate. The Law Society is keen to hear members’ views. However, I ...