All articles by Paul Rogerson – Page 27
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News
UKIP’s law and justice policy
What is most notable about UKIP’s 2013 local ‘manifesto’ is not its brevity, but its banality. We know about the dog-whistle scapegoating of ‘immigrants’ and ‘travellers’. What else is there? UKIP believes council tax should go down, tax generally should be ‘as low as possible’ (zero, ...
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News
SRA chief Antony Townsend to step down
Antony Townsend, chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority since its inception, is to step down later this year. In a statement this afternoon, Townsend (pictured) described the pace of change at the regulator as ‘relentless’ and the challenges he has faced as ‘formidable’. ...
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News
Society urges super-regulator to delay advocacy scheme
The Law Society’s chief executive has urged super-regulator the Legal Services Board to delay implementation of the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA), in recognition of the ‘profound shifts and uncertainties’ afflicting criminal practitioners. Within a year the scheme may be ‘meaningless’ to many firms ...
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News
Showbiz policing – the Met’s got form
I read today that police have arrested three men in ‘dawn raids’ in connection with violence at the FA Cup semi-final match between Millwall and Wigan. One suspect is photographed being dragged into a police van. Why ‘dawn raids’? And why were the media in attendance ...
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NewsRoundtable: Wales and devolution
'Jagged-edged' devolution boundaries have placed lawyers in Wales on shaky ground
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News
Risk and Compliance conference
The Law Society has unveiled a new consulting service to help members meet their regulatory obligations. Launched at the Society’s annual Risk and Compliance conference, the service aims to provide clarity and reassurance to law firms, in particular through guidance to newly appointed compliance officers. ...
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News
Blakemores chief hits out at regulator over shock closure
The managing partner of failed Midlands firm Blakemores accused the Solicitors Regulation Authority of intervening in the firm at the worst possible time last Monday, when the firm was shut down and over 200 solicitors and employees dismissed. But the regulator rebutted Guy Barnett’s claim, ...
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News
Apprenticeships ‘risk alienating international firms’
A leading City training specialist has warned that legal apprenticeships may be less appealing to the biggest corporate firms with overseas offices. Tony King, chair of the City of London Law Society training committee, said: ‘Internationally, the lack of a degree will raise issues with ...
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ProfileDavid Haigh
Those who know little about football and care even less, may yet be familiar with the parable of Peter’s goldfish.
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News
Fresh controversy over Cobbetts deal
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has rebuffed calls to review its approach to pre-pack sales, amid renewed controversy over the buyout of high-profile law firm casualty Cobbetts by DWF. Last Wednesday, the Gazette exclusively revealed that Cobbetts’ unsecured creditors are set to recoup just 2p in ...
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NewsRoundtable: conveyancing
While the residential conveyancing market is showing tentative signs of recovery, leading practitioners are focusing on raising standards in a volatile environment
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News
Cobbetts’ demise and resurrection – the full story
Unsecured creditors of Cobbetts are likely to recover just 2p in the pound following the ‘pre-pack’ deal that saw the collapsed firm acquired by DWF, the Gazette can reveal. Owed an estimated £41m, creditors are not expected to receive any money for some years. According ...
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ProfileInterview: John Marshall
Times are tough in Newcastle. The council is implementing a ‘scorched earth’ policy to public spending cuts that has generated nationwide headlines.
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News
Dispute numbers decline as crash impact fades
New research shows that the number of commercial and civil disputes resolved in the UK through arbitration, mediation and adjudication fell sharply as the impact of the 2008 crash abated. The total fell from 27,110 in 2009 to 21,260 in 2011, according to figures contained ...
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News
Connect2Law chief vows to create ‘leading’ UK brand
Legal referral and support network Connect2Law has announced the heavyweight appointment of David Jabbari to the new role of chief executive. Jabbari (pictured) will join the executive board and become a partner at Pannone, which established Connect2Law in 2001. Jabbari was until recently chief operating ...
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News
Last-chance warning on COLPs and COFAs
Hundreds of law firms risk losing their licence to practise within a matter of weeks unless they appoint compliance officers for legal practice (COLPs), and finance and administration (COFAs). Some 400 have still to do so, despite more than three months having elapsed since the 31 July deadline and repeated ...
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News
Roundtable: young guns
It is no bed of roses being a junior lawyer amid the biggest economic downturn since the second world war. Just as it is not easy being ‘junior’, that is to say, young, or in the early stages of trying to forge a career, in any walk of life. The ...
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News
Local government merger plan
Lawyers in Local Government is likely to be the name of a new body combining Solicitors in Local Government, which represents 4,000 local government lawyers in England and Wales, and the Association of Council Secretaries and Solicitors. The merger move coincides with the Law Society’s ...
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News
Dragon is bang on the money
When I was a newspaper City hack I always considered private equity to be the reductive apotheosis of late-capitalism (sounds pretentious, but bear with me). I still do. Private equity firms don’t provide any service; they are pretty much invisible; and their owners do their ...
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Profile
Interview: Karen Todner
The Gazette owes Theresa May a debt of thanks for telling parliament when she did that ‘Pentagon hacker’ Gary McKinnon will not be extradited to the US. Just two days later, his solicitor, Karen Todner, received a standing ovation as she collected the Law Society Gazette Legal Personality of the ...