Last 3 months headlines – Page 1117
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CoA backs Law Society on disbursement liability
Solicitors who help their clients by funding the cost of disbursements should not be liable for costs if a case fails, the Court of Appeal has ruled. The ruling came after an intervention by the Law Society in the case of Flatman v Germany published today ...
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Shadowing a High Court judge
Taking part in the Judicial Work Shadowing Scheme (JWSS), I was to learn, represents a remarkable insight into the workings of the High Court from the judiciary’s perspective. Having arrived at the Royal Courts of Justice, at the Rolls Building, I was greeted by a chancery associate and shown to ...
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Osborne Clarke ups law school rivalry with BPP switch
South-west firm Osborne Clarke has taken the unusual step of announcing that it is moving the training of its future lawyers from the University of Law (formerly the College of Law) to BPP from autumn 2013. The announcement will add to the considerable rivalry between the ...
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Rise in small-claims limit may be good for litigants
When it comes to the small-claims court, all the focus seems to have been on personal injury.
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Barrister loses DIY tax scheme case
A former London tax barrister who designed his own tax avoidance scheme has lost his tribunal appeal against HM Revenue & Customs. He was attempting to avoid paying £190,000 in tax. Rex Bretten QC designed a complex scheme which entailed setting up trusts and investing £500,000 ...
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Lord Sugar’s court victory cue for campaign against employment laws
Business leader Lord Sugar has vowed to fight in the House of Lords against a ‘new wave of claim culture’ after seeing off a claim from a former winner of The Apprentice. Stella English lost her claim for constructive dismissal after a tribunal rejected her argument ...
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TUPE changes set to increase disputes
The Law Society has dismissed government plans to repeal the 2006 Transfer of Undertakings, Protection of Employment (TUPE) regulations on the transfer of ‘service provision’ from one employer to another, arguing that the change would lead to commercial and legal uncertainty and more tribunal disputes. The ...
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The problem with the language judges use
‘Hey-ho the witch is dead.’ This isn’t a piece about Margaret Thatcher’s life or death. But as with a handful of court cases from the past year, I’m struck by the language used – that, and the fact it often passes without comment. ...
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MoJ cuts driven by Treasury demands
The Treasury played a key role in cajoling justice ministers to push ahead with civil litigation reforms, an influential House of Commons committee report has suggested. A public accounts committee report into the Whole of Government Accounts (WGA), which groups together departmental financial statements for the ...
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Family law scheme aims to limit conflict
Family lawyers have set up a scheme to help separating parents who do not qualify for legal aid to work together to minimise conflict and put their children first after the breakdown of their relationship. Resolution has been given more than £650,000 by the Department for ...
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Fall in solicitor prosecutions
The number of prosecutions opened against solicitors fell dramatically in the first quarter of 2013. The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s Legal & Enforcement division issued just 17 Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal cases in the first three months of this year, compared ...
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Court interpreter service getting worse, new figures show
The company contracted to provide court interpreters has failed to reach its performance target after a year, new statistics have revealed, leading to delay in thousands of court cases. Figures released by the Ministry of Justice show that the performance got worse in the first month ...
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Oscars for the best EU legal system
A report has just been published by the European Commission which measures how EU member states are faring comparatively in a number of areas of their legal system. It is part of the continuing drive to use justice as a means of encouraging economic growth in the EU. This is ...
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Bar steps in to legal aid void with guide for litigants in person
The Bar Council has published a jargon-busting guide to help litigants in person in the wake of the legal aid cuts that came into force yesterday. The 74-page guide, put together by specialist bar associations, offers advice on finding free or affordable legal help, putting a ...
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Quindell acquires costs recovery firm in £14m deal
Listed legal entity Quindell Portfolio has announced the acquisition of costs firm Compass Costs in a deal with a paper value of £14m. The takeover was announced to the AIM stock exchange this morning and was secured through the issue of 80m Quindell shares – around ...
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Pro bono and volunteering
The Olympics, and the big society, have, among other things, put volunteering firmly in the public consciousness of late. People have been praised across the nation for the selflessness they have shown in giving up their spare time and donating their skills and talents for ...
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Legal aid chief promises smooth transition to new agency
The chief executive of the new Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has promised practitioners that they will experience ‘minimal’ impact from the change in machinery. In a statement following the Legal Services Commission’s transition to the LAA, which was completed on 1 April, Matthew Coats pledged ...