Last 3 months headlines – Page 1129
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Europe’s highest court fails to appoint new judges
The all-powerful Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) must ‘tighten its belt’ as taxpayers are doing throughout the EU, a House of Lords committee heard yesterday. But the court must also work to reduce its backlog of cases, the committee was told.
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Holes in your client experience?
Whatever your marketing budget, it is important to ensure that every enquiry is handled efficiently and effectively in order to maximise the proportion which are converted to an instruction. An enquiry can pass through many parts of your firm (website, reception, secretaries and other lawyers) before ...
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‘Fightback’ scheme seeks to raise £2m for ad campaign
A personal injury solicitor is setting up a panel of firms to ‘stand up and fight back’ against non-lawyer entrants to the legal market. Paul Roberts, founder of north-west firm Porters, has created eLawyers, a network of 8-10 firms in each practice area in nine regions ...
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Facebook - not for the faint-hearted
The subject of Facebook has cropped up quite a lot recently in enquiries I’ve had from law firms. I don’t know why, Facebook has been running for many years so it’s hardly new. Maybe Spring is in the air and firms feel they need to ...
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Society and bar pledge to work together on contract terms
The Law Society and the Bar Council have issued a joint statement on the controversial standard contractual terms of business between barristers and solicitors, marking a detente between the two branches of the profession. The new contractual terms took effect from 31 January, replacing the commonly ...
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Seven MPs stand up against PI upheaval
MPs have called on the government to halt personal injury law reforms amidst ‘deep concern’ at the pace and extent of change. An early day motion in the House of Commons, signed by seven MPs so far from Labour and the Liberal Democrats, calls for the ...
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Why is government so keen to kill the PI sector?
When the Ford Transit plant in Southampton was at risk of closure last year, with 500 jobs under threat, David Cameron’s government offered a £10m grant. Yet when it comes to the personal injury sector, Cameron has not just stood aside and let it happen, he’s ...
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Grayling reprieves RCJ advice centre
The Ministry of Justice today announced that it will fund the family law service provided by the Citizens Advice Bureau at the Royal Courts of Justice - after its grant was removed by the Legal Services Commission as part of the ministry’s cuts. The MoJ ...
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Flexible working needs rebrand, says president
The president of the Law Society will today call for a rethink of flexible working to make law firms and other businesses more attractive to women - and men. Delivering the keynote speech at an International Women's Day event to a London audience of lawyers, ...
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‘Litigant in person’ back as judges U-turn on terminology
Unrepresented litigants should be referred to as ‘litigants in person’ (LiPs) rather than ‘self-represented litigants’ in all criminal, family and civil courts, the master of the rolls has directed in practice guidance. Lord Dyson’s decision changes a recommendation by the Civil Justice Council last November suggesting ...
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Employment tribunal
Procedure – Hearing – Postponement O'Cathail v Transport for London: Court of Appeal, Civil Division: 29 January 2013 The Court of Appeal, Civil Division, in allowing the employer's appeal, held ...
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Common law
Water and watercourses – Riparian Right – Extent Moore v British Waterways Board: Court of Appeal, Civil Division: 14 February 2013 The Court of Appeal, Civil Division, held that there ...
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Judicial review
Claimant being convicted of drug-trafficking offences in Bali and being sentenced to death R (on the application of Sandiford) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs: Queen's Bench Division, Divisional Court: 4 February 2013 ...
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Trademarks and the ‘own name’ defence
In 2008, the High Court granted an injunction prohibiting the use of the name ‘Cipriani’ for a restaurant in London ([2008] EWHC 3032 (Ch)). This was subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal ([2010] EWCA Civ 110). The parties have recently returned to court to address claims for breach of ...
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Aviva’s Dickensian justice
Aviva’s self-serving proposal that accident victims should go direct to the at-fault insurer without legal representation calls to mind memorable scenes from Oliver Twist.
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Note of realism on costs
For many years, insurers have issued press release after press release heaping the blame for rising motor insurance premiums on personal injury solicitors. At the same time, they have ignored their own dubious practices, which are now the subject of a referral to the Competition Commission. ...
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Grim legacy of funding cuts
Times of austerity provide good opportunities for governments to chip away at democratic rights. So workers’ rights are being cut back, with two years before they accrue unfair dismissal rights and fees being introduced which most employees (after being sacked) will be unable to afford. ...
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Don’t scoff at criminal law
Martin Maloney (letters, 18 February) considers extraordinary the proposition that ‘no one is a criminal until a court says so’. But within court proceedings, the proposition is a true one. To Mr Maloney it is ‘just the kind of nonsense that gets parroted when lawyers.... ...
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EU-US deal stirs lawyers’ primal instincts
In his recent state of the union address, president Obama said: ‘And tonight, I’m announcing that we will launch talks on a comprehensive transatlantic trade and investment partnership with the UK, because trade that is fair and free across the Atlantic supports millions of good-paying American jobs.’ Except that he ...
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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 ...