All articles by Catherine Baksi – Page 107
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News
New property search rules ‘lack clarity’
Property professionals have demanded more clarity in new search regulations to prevent personal search companies using loopholes to ‘flout the law’ and produce ‘worthless’ searches. From 6 April, new rules affecting the contents of home information packs come into force. From that date, a temporary provision ...
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Solicitors to promote own high street brand
High street solicitors have launched a new legal brand to promote themselves collectively when supermarkets and other businesses enter the legal arena in 2011. QualitySolicitors.com is a nationwide alliance of small and medium-sized firms that will pool resources to develop a recognisable brand to compete with ...
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Land Registry asks private firms to build property chain matrix
The Land Registry has announced it will support commercial IT companies to develop ‘Chain Matrix’ systems to make conveyancing more transparent. The Registry shelved its own prototype system in 2007 after spending £15m in partnership with IBM. This announcement was the result ...
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ECJ ruling threatens London’s arbitration status
London’s Commercial Court will no longer be entitled to grant anti-suit injunctions to support arbitration provisions with London as their seat, if doing so undermines the jurisdiction of another member state’s court, the European Court of Justice (pictured) ruled this week.
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News
Only four firms apply to become LDPs
Hopes that the legal profession would eagerly embrace new business structures created by the Legal Services Act have received a blow with the news that only a handful of firms have applied to be part of the first wave of reforms. With only three weeks ...
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News
Property search chief quits after just six months
Mervyn Pilley has resigned as chief executive of the Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) after only six months in the post. The trade organisation for the property search industry said the resignation followed a series of discussions in the new year between Pilley and the ...
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News
CPS rapped for sending inexperienced advocates to court
The drive to push novice Crown Prosecution Service advocates into court has led to a decline in the quality of justice, the chairman of the Criminal Bar Association said last week. Giving evidence to the House of Commons justice committee, Peter Lodder QC said: ‘The ...
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Domestic violence victims shun legal advice
A fall in the number of domestic abuse injunctions may be caused by victims not engaging with the legal system, according to a study published by the Legal Services Commission. The Domestic Abuse Literature Review, published last week, ...
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News
Means testing ‘will leave clients unrepresented’
Many defendants could go unrepresented under government proposals to means-test Crown Court legal aid and cap funds to reimburse those acquitted, the Law Society has warned. Responding to the two Ministry of Justice consultations that ended last week, Chancery Lane said: ‘The introduction of means testing ...
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News
Check medical examiners' credentials, solicitors warned
Defence solicitors have been advised to check the credentials of forensic medical examiners (FMEs) following a warning that police use of inexperienced agency staff may be putting detainees at risk. Ian Kelcey, chairman of the Law Society’s criminal law committee, said inadequately trained or qualified FMEs ...
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News
Solicitors dominate Office for Legal Complaints board
Three solicitors, but no barristers, have been appointed to the body charged with setting up and running a new consumer complaints system for the legal profession. The Legal Services Board on Tuesday named the six successful candidates for appointment to the Office for Legal Complaints, due to become operational next ...
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News
Conveyancing specialists go into receivership
The Law Society has urged residential conveyancers not to panic following the collapse of two large Yorkshire firms. Leeds-based Fox Hayes, which employed 115 people, last week went into administration, joining Bradford-based property conveyancing and home information pack processing company Hammonds Support Services (HSS). ...
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News
Mediation will come to the fore for personal injury
Personal injury mediation will gain in popularity as a result of the credit crunch, according to a leading provider. Maurice Nichols, mediator and consultant to the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution’s personal injury unit (PIU), said: ‘There are always two important drivers to personal injury litigation ...
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News
Massive rise in civil court fees slammed
Plans for some civil court fees to rise nearly fifty-fold to help raise an extra £38m for the Ministry of Justice have come under fire. Proposals out for consultation could see hikes in 26 fee areas in civil court matters, with increases in 10 fee areas ...
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News
Civil legal aid proposals slammed by practitioners
Practitioner groups have slammed the Legal Services Commission’s ‘ill-formed’ and ‘illogical’ plans to create a more integrated service for civil legal aid, which they claim will restrict choice. The LSC received 350 responses to its consultation on the new procurement model to replace the current ...
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News
Dock instructions: say no, says Society
Solicitors must firmly resist requests from magistrates and district judges to take instructions from defendants while they are in the dock, the Law Society’s criminal law committee has urged. The warning follows reports of district judges and magistrates refusing to give adjournments for meetings, ...
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News
Bill 'could damage public confidence'
Criminal practitioners have warned that several measures in the Coroners and Justice Bill could damage confidence in the justice system and accused the government of pandering to pressure groups. Ian Kelcey, chairman of the Law Society’s criminal law committee, described the bill as a complete ...
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News
Met row threatens trials
A row between the Metropolitan Police Service and doctors who care for detainees in police stations is threatening to undermine criminal trials and harm the treatment of those in custody, medical practitioners say. New contracts for the Met’s 150 forensic medical examiners (FMEs) come into ...
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News
Starmer wades into TV trials debate
The new director of public prosecutions has reignited the debate over televising criminal trials, saying cameras in court would ‘bring a breath of fresh air’ to proceedings. In an interview for Channel 4 News, Keir Starmer said: ‘The more the public know about the criminal justice ...
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News
QC process seen as biased
Solicitors believe that the new process for appointing QCs is still biased in favour of barristers, according to an online survey carried out by the Law Society. Of the 170 who responded to the survey, more than 70% felt the award of silk should be ...