All articles by Catherine Baksi – Page 92
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News
End of the training contract
Could a new holistic approach to training solicitors, being trialed by Northumbria University Law School in partnership with national firm Irwin Mitchell, be the future of legal education?
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Groundbreaking college scheme sidesteps training contract
Northumbria University Law School has joined forces with national firm Irwin Mitchell to pilot a groundbreaking scheme to train future lawyers. It now offers a full-time five-year Master of Law (Solicitor) degree, combining the academic, vocational and training stages of qualification as a solicitor, at the ...
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CPS updates its code for Crown prosecutors
The Crown Prosecution Service has issued an updated edition of its code for Crown prosecutors to make it easier for the public to understand how decisions are made. The document, which follows a 12-week consultation, includes a clearer explanation of the public interest factors in making ...
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Regulation of estate agents ‘unnecessary’, says OFT
Solicitors have expressed disappointment that the Office of Fair Trading did not propose the regulation of estate agents in its home buying and selling report published last week. Despite representations made by many in the industry, including the Law Society, the OFT concluded there was ‘not ...
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A positive verdict on juries
I have never served on a jury, so I have no experience of how they work in practice. But I have regarded trial by jury as one of the cornerstones of the English legal system and a vital safeguard to ensure justice and protect individuals from oppressive action by the ...
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Cafcass in ‘meltdown’, report claims
The organisation tasked with safeguarding the interests of vulnerable children is in ‘meltdown’, a report has suggested. However, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) has hit back at the claims, which it says are ‘not based on fact’ and undermine the ...
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‘Stretched resources’ to blame for poor CPS performances
‘Stretched resources’ at the frontline across the Crown Prosecution Service in London have resulted in ‘poor’ performance ratings for five boroughs and lower than average conviction rates in the capital, according to the organisation’s chief inspector. Reports of inspections in nine London boroughs by the HM ...
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Survey reveals civil legal aid solicitors are ‘starved of cash'
A survey of law firms carried out by the newly launched Alliance for Legal Aid (AfLA) has revealed solicitors doing civil legal aid work are being ‘starved of cash to assist clients in desperate need’. AfLA launched this week to voice concerns about the provision of ...
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Large firms in legal aid talks
The Ministry of Justice has met representatives from some of the larger criminal legal aid firms to discuss more ambitious plans for best value tendering (BVT), it has emerged. The news has sparked fears among smaller firms that they could be cut out of the market. ...
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Conveyancing solicitors ‘failing’ clients over survey advice
Conveyancing solicitors are running the risk of potential negligence actions by failing to advise buyers to obtain a survey before purchasing a property, an expert has claimed. Mike Ockenden, chief executive of the Federation of Property Information Providers, said: ‘The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook recommends ...
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HIPs reduce failed transactions and benefit solicitors, provider claims
Home Information Packs (HIPs) have reduced the number of failed conveyancing transactions, figures have suggested. Conveyancer and HIP provider myhomemove said the packs had caused the number of failed property transactions it was involved in to dip to 9% since the full introduction of HIPs ...
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Law Society Diversity Access Scheme calls for funds
An initiative designed to boost social mobility and help talented students become lawyers has appealed for greater financial support to help raise funds to assist candidates in need. The Law Society's Diversity Access Scheme (DAS), which is supported by the Law Society Charity, supports promising entrants ...
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Number of family law disputes in January much greater than expected
The number of legal disputes over children almost doubled in January as Christmas and the recession combined to increase tensions between divorced parents, figures have revealed. Contact Law, a client introduction network for law firms, said enquiries regarding child support and child custody jumped 49%, from ...
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Legal recruiters see upturn in law firm job market
Legal recruiters have seen a ‘substantial upturn’ in the law firm jobs market in the past three months, and are predicting a still more buoyant year ahead. The positive forecasts came as a new survey predicted a 7% rise in graduate vacancies in the legal sector ...
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‘New era’ for family mediation in London
The implementation of the revised President’s Private Law Programme in London this week could herald a ‘new era’ for mediation in the capital and reduce ‘unacceptable’ delays in the court system, according to a leading family lawyer. The guidance, devised in 2004 by the then president ...
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Des Hudson warns that legal aid policy needs ‘radical rethink’
The Law Society has warned that a ‘radical rethink’ of legal aid policy is needed to prevent a reduction in the quality and scope of legal aid and to ensure access to justice. Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson (pictured) told delegates at the Westminster Legal ...
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LCJ warns of 'undoubted danger’ to administration of justice
The lord chief justice has warned that budgetary pressures on the prosecution and the courts are having a ‘very real impact’ on the administration of justice and said there is ‘an undoubted danger’ that the situation could worsen. In his first annual review, Lord Judge said: ...
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Bar Council chairman talks about plans to combat potentially ‘devastating’ threats
Stability and modernisation are the key themes of Nick Green QC’s tenure as the recently installed chairman of the Bar Council. Stability in respect of the publicly funded bar, and modernisation in so far as the bar must urgently adapt to a ‘fast-moving and changing legal landscape’.
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High numbers of women and solicitors appointed to judicial posts
More than half the candidates selected in the last recruitment round for fee-paid employment tribunal judge positions were women, statistics have shown, while three-quarters of selected candidates were solicitors. The Judicial Appointments Commission today published the statistics for the two most popular selection exercises for fee-paid ...
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Banks predict M&A recovery in 2010
Financial institutions have predicted a recovery in the volume of deals in the European acquisition finance market in 2010, with healthcare and professional services expected to be at the forefront of the M&A rebound, according to research published by a national law firm today. The European ...