Last 3 months headlines – Page 1153

  • News

    Marching for Legal Pride

    08 July 2013

    The legal profession came out in force to celebrate Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) diversity for Legal Pride 2013. Legal bodies marched in London under the banner ‘Equality under the Law’ to promote LGBT rights. Members of the Law Society, Bar Council, Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, Interlaw Diversity ...

  • News

    Law Society alternative legal aid proposals

    08 July 2013

    The Law Society last week published alternative proposals to the government’s Transforming Legal Aid plan, saying they would retain client choice, provide certainty and facilitate greater market efficiency. On contracting, the Society proposes: Rolling three-year contracts, awarded subject to an increasingly rigorous quality and capacity framework (QCF). Contracts will ...

  • News

    Clifford Chance partners take 9% hit in ‘disappointing’ year

    08 July 2013

    Profit per equity partner (PEP) dropped by 9% to £1m at Clifford Chance in 'disappointing' 2012-13 financial results for the magic circle firm. Profits fell 6% to £404m, on a turnover drop of 2% to £1.271bn, figures released today show. Managing partner at Clifford Chance David Childs said the results ...

  • News

    Criminal bar chair backs Law Society’s stance on legal aid

    08 July 2013

    The chairman of the Criminal Bar Association has called for unity in the profession and attempted to quell ‘disquiet’ over the Law Society’s decision to share with the Ministry of Justice its proposals for an alternative to price-competitive tendering (PCT). In his weekly online comment, Michael Turner QC said that ...

  • News

    Turkish lawyers harassed, arrested and detained

    08 July 2013

    Dozens of Turkish lawyers arrested 18 months ago have been subjected to ‘excessively punitive’ treatment by state authorities, with 15 of the 46 still detained in prison, an international delegation of lawyers reports. The trial of the 46 has been consistently delayed, with three-month gaps between one-day hearings, ‘causing extreme ...

  • News

    Appeal to ‘your majesty’ that paid off

    08 July 2013

    Even in the midst of their fight against further cuts, legal aid lawyers allow themselves an evening to celebrate achievements. Yes, last week saw the 11th Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards – the legal aid equivalent of the Oscars, though with fewer tears. The glittering evening at Shakespeare’s ...

  • News

    Guess the bank: a fun game for all the family

    08 July 2013

    Obiter had been worried that litigators and expert witnesses weren’t having enough fun these days. Reassuring, then, to find that inventive playfulness is alive and kicking for those involved in the financial services litigation over allegedly mis-sold interest-rate hedging products. One attendee at last week’s Gazette roundtable confessed: ‘We have ...

  • News

    Simulated insecurity

    08 July 2013

    A break-out session at last week’s SRA event on risk involved solicitors, consultants and the Gazette’s own reporter voting with Millionaire-style keypads on a series of options for the future of a hypothetical mid-sized firm. The group started out risk-averse, opting out of investing in a service advising on Scottish ...

  • News

    Raising an eyebrow or two

    08 July 2013

    At Obiter Towers we could barely bring ourselves to watch last week’s Apprentice, shorn as it was of Dynamo Legal founder ‘I’m from Wales’ Alex Mills. We’ll be especially disappointed by his absence from this week’s interview stage, if his final exchange with Lord Sugar was anything to go by. ...

  • News

    Croatian accession

    08 July 2013

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  • News

    Lawyer’s bank warning ‘ignored’

    08 July 2013

    Lawyers at the Financial Services Authority ignored a finance lawyer’s written warnings over the alleged inappropriate sale of derivatives products to small and medium-sized businesses two years before accusations of widespread mis-selling amounting to billions were made public, a Gazette roundtable was told this week. Stuart Brothers, founder of SRB ...

  • News

    Private equity firm hires planning team as ABS total hits 160

    Archive

    A law firm backed by James Caan’s private equity investment company has announced the appointment of a team of six town planners. Knights Solicitors, which secured an alternative business structure licence in January, will incorporate the new additions into its real estate team. ...

  • News

    Modest profit increases at Linklaters and Freshfields

    Archive

    Linklaters and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer are the latest magic circle firms to post a modest increase in profits for 2012-13. Freshfields recorded an increase in profits of 2.4% to £548m. Turnover grew by 7.2% to £1.221bn. Profit per equity partner climbed 7.6% to £1.39m. ...

  • News

    Quality mark to boost solicitor brand in wills market

    Archive

    The Law Society today announced the creation of an accreditation scheme for firms providing will-drafting, probate and estate administration services to enable solicitors to ‘stand head and shoulders’ above competing providers. Desmond Hudson, chief executive, told the Society’s private client conference that the Wills and ...

  • News

    Ashurst, Norton Rose Fulbright and Eversheds post results

    Archive

    Ashurst, Eversheds and Norton Rose Fulbright were the latest top-100 firms to post financial results for 2012-13 today. Profits at City firm Ashurst fell 6% to £105m, as market conditions in Europe and the weakening euro had a ‘marked impact’. Turnover at the firm was flat ...

  • News

    Judges call for urgent overhaul to cope with surge of LIPs

    Archive

    The government and judicial office must overhaul training, advice to litigants and the nature of the court process itself to deal with thousands more litigants in person (LIPs), a judicial working group has concluded. In a report published today, the working group, made up of senior ...

  • News

    Society calls for hold on fixed-fee extension

    Archive

    The Law Society today urged the government to delay the extension of the RTA Portal to new civil litigation areas – which will mean fixed fees for all claims worth up to £25,000 – warning that law firms may not be ready for the change. The ...

  • News

    Criminal legal aid: united we stand

    Archive

    A week is a long time in politics. As regards legal aid, the last week has borne that out. In fact, every week since the Ministry of Justice published its Transforming Legal Aid consultation in April has been something of a roller-coaster ride. The campaign against ...

  • News

    Lord Young shuns meeting with profession’s regulator

    Archive

    Lord Young of Graffham turned down an offer to meet with the solicitors’ regulator in advance of his report on health and safety and the ‘compensation culture’, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has said. The SRA said it had ‘offered to engage’ with Young during the research ...

  • News

    Allen & Overy opens results season with 2.2% profit growth

    Archive

    Profits at Allen & Overy rose 2.2% to £496.7m on flat turnover last year, the firm revealed today in the first announcement of 2012-13 results from the magic circle. Revenue grew just 0.6% to £1.19bn, with profit per equity partner remaining £1.1m for the year ...