All articles by Rachel Rothwell – Page 30
-
News
Malaysian Human Rights Commission criticises treatment of lawyers
The Law Society has welcomed a report by the Malaysian Human Rights Commission published today which finds that the arrest of five legal aid lawyers last year was unlawful. The lawyers were called to the police station to represent clients who had been arrested for attending ...
-
News
Quinn to re-enter UK insurance market
Quinn Insurance has been given permission for a limited re-entry into the UK insurance market following an announcement by the Irish Financial Regulator yesterday. However, the relaxation of the regulator’s restrictions preventing Quinn from writing new business in the UK does not extend to solicitors’ professional ...
-
News
Co-op in new drive to promote legal services to food shoppers
The Co-operative Group is planning a new campaign to promote its legal services to food shoppers in its 3,000 supermarkets nationwide. The news came as the group, which aims to be one of the first alternative business structures, told the Gazette that it believes ‘the die ...
-
News
Local government legal departments braced for cuts
Local government legal departments are braced for a double whammy of budget cuts and an increase in workload, exclusive research for the Gazette has revealed. The study also found that 61% of departments are considering reducing their use of external advisers. The ...
-
News
Co-op launches advertising campaign in legal services drive
The Co-operative Group is to launch a fresh campaign to promote its legal services to food shoppers in its 3,000 supermarkets nationwide. The news comes as the group, which aims to be one of the first alternative business structures, told the Gazette that it believes ‘the ...
-
News
A conveyancing conundrum that shows the value of high street firms
It’s a long time since I studied land law at university (about 17 years actually), but working as I do in the legal press, sometimes family members expect me to know a bit more about the niceties of conveyancing procedure than I actually do.
-
News
‘No action needed’ on Quinn Insurance
The Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Law Society have both issued statements reassuring Quinn Insurance policyholders that they do not need to take action after permanent administrators were appointed to the Irish insurer yesterday. The SRA said that the full administration of Quinn under Irish ...
-
News
SRA rules out practising certificate fee appeals
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has decided against providing a general appeals process for firms that end up paying significantly higher practising certificate fees under the new PC fee regime from 2011, it emerged last week. SRA board chair Charles Plant (pictured) told the Gazette that there ...
-
News
‘Good firms’ should offer online services, say consumers
More than half of consumers expect ‘good law firms’ to offer their services online, research has suggested. A survey of 2,266 people carried out by YouGov and commissioned by Epoq Legal found that 56% of consumers said they expected good firms to offer services online. ...
-
News
PC fee help for small firms and legal aid practices
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is consulting on a proposal to lessen the impact of its practising certificate fee reforms on small firms and legal aid practices for this year’s renewal. The proposal could mean around 3% of the profession would have the fee payable under the ...
-
News
Civil litigation cases risk being ‘buried’, lord chief justice warns
The civil litigation system is at risk of being ‘buried under a mass of paperwork’ because of the way lawyers are compiling their arguments, lord chief justice Lord Judge has warned. Delivering the Judicial Studies Board lecture last week, Judge said modern technology meant lawyers were ...
-
News
Yorkshire Forward launches two legal panels
Development agency Yorkshire Forward has launched two legal service panels. Nine firms have won a place on the two panels, with contracts that will run for three years, with an option to extend the term for a further 12 months. The ...
-
News
Why is the profession so tough on working mums?
The Association of Women Solicitors’ recent survey confirmed something that those lawyers who work part-time – often, but not exclusively, women with children – already know only too well.
-
News
New family practice direction promotes mediation
A new practice direction that will encourage parties in family proceedings towards mediation comes into force today. The president of the Family Division released the new Private Law Programme practice direction last week, with greater emphasis on conciliation. Under the new ...
-
News
MoJ publishes details of firm meetings to promote transparency
The Ministry of Justice has published details of the law firms and other external groups it held meetings with in the last quarter of 2009, as part of a new policy of greater transparency. The document reveals that lord chancellor Jack Straw met nine large legal ...
-
News
‘Tesco law’ will put an end to hourly billing, says Lord Neuberger
‘Tesco law’ will put an end to hourly billing and lead to ‘fixed price deals’ for litigation, the master of the rolls Lord Neuberger predicted last week. Speaking at the Personal Injuries Bar Association conference, Neuberger said that the Legal Services Act 2007 would do much ...
-
News
Top firms fear fee pressure
Commercial law firms see downward pressure on fees as the greatest threat to their profitability in the year ahead, research has revealed. A survey of finance directors at the top 100 law firms, commissioned by publisher Sweet & Maxwell, showed that 60% thought fee pressure would ...
-
News
One in five consumers surfs internet to find a solicitor
The internet has become the second most popular means of finding a solicitor for conveyancing or advising on a will, research seen exclusively by the Gazette has shown. A YouGov poll of 2,266 people commissioned by online solicitor directory legallybetter.com revealed that personal recommendation remains by ...
-
News
Public sector faces high level of employment claims
Some 37% of employment appeal cases are against public sector organisations, despite such bodies employing only 22% of the workforce, research by Milton Keynes firm EMW Picton Howell has shown. The firm's analysis of national statistics and information from the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) showed that ...
-
News
Who will take up external investment?
The Gazette revealed this week that law firms are already getting well into discussions with external investors in readiness for when the rules change in October 2011, and indeed some are even going as far as to...